• by Melissa Kinch , Columnist, April 23, 2018

Disruption. Is any word more feared or celebrated?

AI to gene editing. The sharing economy to autonomous transport. How we grow food to how we shop. How we fall in love to how we learn. New technologies reshape our world, producing excitement and anxiety in equal measure.

That’s why technology brands must think about the permission they have from the public. Long term, public acceptance will dictate product adoption, but also the regulatory environment and risk of societal backlash.

Often, disruptors focus exclusively on the basics — product attributes, baseline awareness, influencer marketing — and ignore the greater public permission needed for a license to operate. We map public permission for technology adoption — and look at it through a unique prism that goes beyond the technology to the broader human impact.

Here are five components of permission mapping for all companies introducing new technologies:

1. Tell Me Who Your Friends Are, I’ll Tell You Who You Are. The companies, organizations and even individuals a technology company associates with can drive not just positive word of mouth but help establish values and send permission triggers. Are there “bad actors” in your space to separate from? Who are the unexpected players to partner with to drive broader understanding of societal benefits — and establish ethical guidelines (are you looking beyond your sector)?

2. What’s Streaming This Month? How new technologies are portrayed in popular culture is often a barometer for broader consumer acceptance. Don’t dismiss jokes about the technology on a show like “Family Guy.” Is a new Netflix movie or series highlighting a technology like yours as a hero or villain? What are celebrities saying? Although entertainment may seem trivial, especially for B2B technologies, it has a lasting emotional impact. Ignore at your own peril.

3. Show, Don’t Tell. What is the visual story? How is social media creating a visual story? How are others representing your technology? Your visual reputation (beyond controlled packaging, advertising and product design) is more important than key messages or taglines.

4. What About Me? It may be common sense to evaluate the consumer and societal benefits of your technology. But there are often consumer winners and losers. What does the individual get from your product and why do they care? What do individuals stand to lose? “What is your technology displacing — and how is your brand dealing with that from a CSR standpoint? If you’re only thinking about your direct buyer, you may be missing the bigger picture.

5. Digestible — and Transparent — Science. Be able to explain your science in less than a sentence — or risk being displaced yourself. Ask yourself if the public really understands your technology. Are you being transparent? Are your claims scientifically validated? Is there a part of your story you may be conveniently leaving out? Are there risks you haven’t talked about publicly — and do you have a plan to deal with them? Most importantly — are you answering the questions people really have about your product or just sharing facts?

The technologies and brands that last and grow build public permission into how they do business. Now is the time to map your technology’s public permission.