ABSTRACT

This chapter defines creepiness and discusses how privacy and perceived creepiness differ. It explains why creepiness matters and provides recommendations to minimize the negative effect of perceived creepiness on customer satisfaction and, ultimately, to improve firm performance. Understanding and measuring consumer perceptions of creepiness in online communications is imperative for all firms engaging in relationship marketing. Understanding how consumers perceive messages would help marketers communicate relevant information that facilitates relationship building and enhances customer satisfaction. In many cases, current marketing communications are doing the opposite, leading to the perceptions of privacy intrusion and creepiness. In addition, marketers should understand that messages that evoke negative feelings could affect the level of trust and ultimately a consumer's satisfaction with an organization. To fully understand the subtle differences between perceived creepiness and privacy intrusiveness, one needs to have a basic understanding of what privacy is and what many consumers view as a violation of, or intrusion into, their privacy.