Panoptic Identity

In this interview with DMN, I introduced the concept of “panoptic identity” in marketing. A lot has been said about the Jeremy Bentham connection to the word “panoptic” or, more specifically, his “panopticon.” Most of what you read about the panopticon would conjure feelings of Orwell’s 1984 or some Surveillance State, due to the references of prison design. Although there are some similarities, my use of the term “panoptic identity” is also much about the consumer’s ability to see across brands and for brands to know the consumer better to be able to serve them. We use it as a concept to constantly remind us that we have to have identity resolution to be able to know and help, otherwise we become annoying pests with our marketing. Great identity resolution that spans online and offline is one of the necessary ingredients to personalized, contextualized and relevant marketing communication, as well as manifesting data to marketing leaders for strategic decisions and accurate measurement.