Marketing of surveillance technology in three ageing countries
Quality in Ageing and Older Adults
ISSN: 1471-7794
Article publication date: 8 November 2018
Issue publication date: 5 April 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review marketing materials of surveillance products for people with dementia and their carers in three ageing countries, as part of a dementia-technology media analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
An online environmental scan was conducted using search terms for surveillance technologies (STs) and dementia through a Google search focussed on the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands. Data were extracted on the products’ and websites’ marketing messages from consumer and marketer perspectives.
Findings
Information was gathered for 382 product websites, of which 242 met eligibility criteria. The majority of products come from the UK. In the UK and Sweden, the companies behind the websites appeared to be mainly “cottage industries” which focus on selling ST. In contrast, sellers in the Netherlands included a more balanced mixture of small, medium and large companies. In all three countries, the website messaging focussed on the need to manage safety concerns, without considering privacy or consent.
Social implications
Contrary to the perception of future dependence on technology, the ST sector seems to be a niche market. The media messages, equating people with dementia with animals and children, are at odds with initiatives that strive for dignity and dementia friendliness.
Originality/value
No previous study is known to have explored media messages from websites that market ST for people with dementia.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The research presented in this paper was carried out as part of the Marie Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) action, H2020-MSCA-ITN-2015, under grant agreement number 676265. First, the authors thank must go to the carers and people living with dementia who volunteered to comment on the presentations and provided invaluable comments and guidance throughout the study. The authors would also like to thank those involved in the Interdisciplinary Network for Dementia Using Current Technology (INDUCT); the early stage researchers, Alzheimer Nederland (The Netherlands) and the division of Occupational Therapy at the Karolinska Insitutet (Sweden). They all contributed to the search and keywords for this study, especially Professor Louise Nygård, who acted as a Specialist Advisor to the project. The authors are grateful to all of them. Finally, the authors thank the anonymous referees who provided helpful comments on the draft paper which have improved this final version.
Citation
Vermeer, Y., Higgs, P. and Charlesworth, G. (2019), "Marketing of surveillance technology in three ageing countries", Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, Vol. 20 No. 1, pp. 20-33. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAOA-03-2018-0010
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited