Happy Wife, Happy Life.
Believe it or not, the print catalog (yes, you read that correctly) is back in style! In 2016, over 11 billion catalogs were mailed (http://tinyurl.com/zhxkqlf) to consumers, crowding their mailboxes, killing trees and annoying those who never asked to receive a catalog. Why? Because selling and renting customer lists is an industry practice that’s been around for decades, and given all the personal information you leave online — everyday, all day — there’s no end in sight.
So imagine my surprise when I came home the other night to find my wife grinning ear-to-ear. Now, understand, that’s typically not because yours truly had anything to do with it either. Rather, she said “That’s four days in a row without a catalog in the mailbox!”
I’m not saying she’s Kramer (aka Seinfeld — ‘sending back the mail’), but she had always been annoyed by the stacks of wasteful and unwanted catalogs filling our under-sized mailbox. And, I admit, I was surprised at the sheer number of them in the recycle bin every week. Over time, we had become accustomed to receiving an average of 5–6 catalogs daily, with the Christmas holidays being the worst for unsolicited catalogs.
In late November, she began the long and painstaking process of getting our names removed from all the catalog lists (even though, in my customary and cynical way, I told her it was only a matter of time before the catalogs started coming again…). But, this got me thinking about all of the data-mining that’s going on and, frankly, just how widely accepted it is.
To combat this craziness, she spent a couple of hours emailing each company who had sent her a catalog over the past four or five months, and asked to be unsubscribed from all their mailings, catalogs and advertising. She also, as a back-up, enlisted the online help of a catalog unsubscribe service (note: many of these catalogs do not make it easy to “opt out” and require a phone call). Now, as we all know, “hell hath no fury…”, but this was a ridiculous process that no average person (who wasn’t otherwise motivated) would bother with.
However, in our house, I’d venture that 80% of our shopping is done online (I can’t even remember the last time I’ve walked around a mall!). And, I’m guessing we’re not that different from many of you. United Parcel Service conducted an online survey last summer and found, for the first time, that consumers bought more of their purchases online than in stores. I know that, during the holidays, our poor UPS driver was screaming while going in and out of our culdesac multiple times a day. (http://tinyurl.com/jqaayvm)
We consumers can buy everything from clothing, food and personal items — from patio furniture, cars, concert tickets and tires — online. According to Forrester Research, the number of consumers buying online will be 270 million, and reach $523 BILLION in sales, by 2020. That’s only three years away. Now think about that number, and then think about the corresponding number of credit cards, addresses, bank information and other personal information that goes into every purchase. Mind-boggling, isn’t it? (http://tinyurl.com/gv3wu5x)
And, of course, with every one of these purchases, all our personal information gets stored, tracked and sold to the world’s many data brokers — companies who collect personal and private information on consumers across a wide-range of sources. According to an article in Newsweek last year, it’s estimated that the number of data brokers is between 2,500–4,000 in the United States alone. Since many of these data brokers keep a low profile, the number may be even higher. What’s certain, however, is the reality that these data brokers collect and hold a broad dossier of information on you and me — with many holding thousands of data points about every U.S. consumer.
One of these data-brokering firms is called Acxiom, and they’re YUGE! They provide marketing and “information management” for their clients — including database management. They collect and analyze consumers, in order to help (well-paying) clients do a better job of targeting their advertising campaigns, leads, etc. If you’ve never heard of them, you’re not alone. But if you’ve ever seen the documentary “The Persuaders”, you’ll understand that they know a LOT about you and me — and why I might refer to them as being a bit ‘creepy.’ I know that the folks at Acxiom know we have a dog (based on dog food, dog apparel, searches for vets in our area, etc.), as well as the size of my inseam. Another company, Cambridge Analytica, not only does what Acxiom does, but they take it one step further: they go into psychographics. They track five traits of consumers and then break that down further to 32 personality styles (so sorry if I’ve digressed a bit here).
In any event, these are just two of thousands of companies who are poking around into your personal life — while collecting all the data (usually completely unbeknownst to you) that is generated from everything you do both online and offline. Ever get asked for your zip code when you’re in a store and swiping your card? Or your email address so they can email you your receipt? Trust me, it’s not because they’re trying to save the forests and avoid using paper receipts. But, it is because that email address is worth big bucks to them!
So, what did my wife do to fight back? Well, for one, she and I always use a Sudo email address when asked to give up an email address. Stop and think about your email address: it’s linked to everything you do online, and offline — including bank accounts, subscriptions, shopping, your contacts, airlines, etc. The list is endless. While it may be very useful to identity thieves, it’s a marketer’s DREAM!
So, after years of receiving the inevitable flood of catalogs and emails that always followed her online purchases — along with the internal ‘burn’ she felt knowing she was being tracked and profiled — she decided this past Christmas to do all her shopping using a Sudo avatar and a SudoPay credit card. She then sat back to see what the catalog delivery numbers looked like in January.
She created a “Christmas 2016” Sudo avatar with her new email name and corresponding phone number. She then bought a ‘Christmas’ SudoPay credit card, loading it from her ApplePay wallet. She spent the next couple of hours ordering all her gifts online as she does, without ever using her actual name as the purchaser, nor our home address in the Billing/Payment section. In her words: “Is it weird that I felt a little rush every time I got to the screen where the retailer was asking for all of my information? After filling in the shipping name and address for the gift, I had the sensation of being in control for the first time when I was on the screen asking me for my dossier. I wonder what those database miners came up with following my purchases? I may have even changed my gender just for fun ;)”.
After buying all her presents, she simply deleted her “Christmas 2016” Sudo and had the leftover funds on her SudoPay virtual card credited back to her ApplePay credit card. Hint: don’t forget to fill out the gift message with your actual name; you don’t want your friends and relatives wondering who “Beth” is from Fertile, IA.
It’s now February and I can happily say the number of catalogs sent to our home is down to maybe — just maybe — one catalog per week. Not only do I feel as if I have personally saved several forests of trees (despite doing literally nothing), my wife is back to only having to get the mail three or four times during the week. And, I don’t even have to recycle anymore (kidding, of course).
Just another way that using Sudo allows us to take back control of our digital life…
Happy wife, happy life, right?
S.
