Marketers are not trusted with data

Today’s ( 10 July) Connected World conference from the Market Research Society started in suitably controversial fashion with Alex Jenkins, editor of Contagious magazine warning that brands must tread a very careful line as they engage with consumers in the connected world and recognise their privacy need states.

The past 18 months has seen a number of high profile data breaches, which has pushed the issue into the public consciousness. But it’s not just public attitudes that have changed; Jenkins pointed to a number companies backtracking, such as Facebook now rolling out privacy settings. “They came about because of the impact on the bottom line,” said Jenkins.

And Contagious’s research shows how serious the issue is for consumers and brands: 81% of people in the UK considered no longer using a product or service over how it uses their data. And while there is an assumption that younger people are more willing to share their data at the cost to their privacy, its research does not support that idea. It found that 54% of 18 to 34 year-olds had already stopped using a product or service because of issues around data use. And there could be a greater consequence of this distrust in data use: the majority ( 80%) of people want more regulation around how brands interact with their data.