UK DMA releases new infographic and videos discussing how to use social data effectively, and the barriers to doing so.
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Category: Europe
A series of white papers are being released, addressing the potential impact of the upcoming European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on business-critical processes.
The first white paper focuses on Permission – how consumers give consent to a company to use their personal information, how aware individuals are of the process and how important permission-to-market is for companies.
The research, conducted by DataIQ in association with DST (global provider of specialised technology, strategic advisory and operations outsourcing to the financial and healthcare industries), reveals a disconnect between the way that consumers want businesses to treat their data and how businesses currently approach their customers’ data.
Among the paper’s key data protection findings:
– 78% of companies say it is vitally important to process data for legitimate business interests
– 28% of consumers believe they should always be asked for permission to use their data
– 21% of consumers believe that data consent should only be valid for six months
– 21% of consumers believe their data should be deleted straight away
– Only 15% of businesses track permission company-wide
– 41% of consumers don’t mind providing their data if they understand how it will be used
According to Ruaraidh Thomas (pictured), managing director at DST Applied Analytics, with so few companies currently tracking permission as a key performance indicator, there is a lot of work to be done in order for businesses to be ready for the GDPR.
“With such a high degree of connectivity and internet activity, consumers are increasingly faced with requests for their personal information and their permission to make use of it,” says Thomas. “It’s clear from this research that companies need to work to understand their customers’ expectations when it comes to sharing data in order to build long lasting relationships, especially given the upcoming GDPR.”
The GDPR is an important update to laws covering the capture, control and consent to use of personal information. While built on the core principles already established by the Data Protection Directive in 1998, GDPR also introduces new rights for consumers and new obligations for businesses.
According to DataIQ/DST research, a quarter of consumers said incentives like better price or money-off can work as a driver for the data-value exchange. The research also found that a large percentage of people just need to understand why their data is needed.
“In preparation for the GDPR, businesses must take note of how consumers wish to be engaged, especially since so many businesses rely on data as part of their business model,” says Thomas. “The fact that some consumers are happy to provide their data if they understand what it is to be used for, demonstrates just part of the opportunity available for businesses that respond appropriately.”
Don’t sit back, Adam Williams warns businesses that are not prepared for the new General Data Protection regulation. Even a Brexit can’t stop penalties between now and the deadline!
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Apple dominates social conversation as most loved on brands list, with Google in second place and Lego third, says report.
Apple is the UK and Europe’s most loved brand and dominates social conversation, according to a Brand Lovelist report launched last month by social analytics platform NetBase.
‘Love, best, great, perfect and awesome’ were the top five words consumers used when expressing their admiration for Apple which received over 400,000 more mentions than Google in second place and seven times as many total mentions as Lego in third. Tesco in fourth place was the first British and only food and beverage brand to feature and BMW was the first automotive brand to appear at number 5 on the brands list.
The report looks at the top 50 brands in Europe determined by market research over the past year and ranks the best-loved brands in technology, consumer goods, automotive, food and beverage, financial services and energy. Data was gathered using NetBase’s social media listening platform, from millions and millions of English and French language posts of earned mentions (i.e. those posts that were not posted by the brand itself) across Europe during the one-year period April 2015 to March 2016. Brand conversation specific to the UK and France was analysed in English and French respectively to provide two lists of the 25 most loved British and French brands.
Paige Leidig, chief marketing officer, NetBase, said: “While it’s not altogether surprising that Apple came out on top, if we look beneath the surface it tells us that here is a company that has created an enviable passion among its consumers.
“Alternatively, look at Tesco, why is it the only food and beverage brand on the list, where are the likes of Lidl and Sainsbury? The answer is because it has worked hard to build a strong relationship with its customers and they want to express their love for it.
“Understanding consumer preference is more than simply measuring the volume of social media content, it’s about understanding the intensity of passion and feeling in those posts. Most consumer purchases are won on emotion and the Brand Lovelist measures brand love and every single version of it; it tells us which brands people love the most.
“Furthermore, it highlights the importance of having insightful customer data that you can act upon whether it’s a new campaign, product launch or purely understanding ongoing customer perception of your brand.”
Key UK insights from the brands list report include:
- Lego was the UK’s most loved consumer goods brand
Lego came out on top as the most loved consumer goods brand with consumers sharing their excitement towards #Starwars themed lego and underlining the value that partnering plays in leveraging a strong brand presence. Consumer goods companies represented 28% of the most loved brands in the UK and included the likes of Adidas, Chanel and Burberry. - The UK loves cars!
Automotive brands rule the love list with a total of nine appearing, including BMW, Ferrari and Audi, which were the top loved brands. Despite this, they only represented 16% of the overall conversation indicating that consumers have similar levels of love for car brands as they do for other industries. - Tesco was the only food and beverage brand on the list
Tesco’s presence illustrated the importance of running targeted campaigns. #Triedforless was a campaign that invited customers to share some of their favourite experiences with Tesco products via social media and was the most popular hashtag associated with the brand. - The UK loves talking about travel destinations
British Airways was the only airline in the list and conversation was centred on passengers sharing stories about flying to their favourite destinations. Transportation represented just 1% of overall mentions on the list and, while consumers often share experiences of their travels, airlines could certainly do more to encourage consumer love through promotional campaigns. - The UK are tech talkers
Unsurprisingly, technology companies dominated the conversation and accounted for 12% of the top 25 most loved UK brands – mainly down to Apple and Google, which alone represented 64% of the overall UK brand mentions.
Although the data protection reforms have already been passed, the date has only just been released following the GDPR’s publication in the EU Official Journal.
The move comes as the Information Commissioner’s Office has revealed it will be publishing GDPR compliance guidance in stages over the two-year implementation period – rather than as a single document – with each piece of guidance addressing a specific topic.
DMA group chief executive Chris Combemale (pictured) said: “Data is at the heart of the modern economy, so as an industry we must be responsible for our actions when handling consumer data and create new frameworks that fit with the GDPR over the next 24 months.
“The new legislation will not only help protect the consumer, but also safeguard brands’ own reputations by ensuring their customers are at the heart of everything they do. The starting pistol has now fired and the two-year countdown has begun, but successful businesses will be those that treat this time as a full distance race rather than a last minute sprint.”
The ICO has also confirmed that the EU plans to have conducted its review into the ePrivacy Directive within the two-year implementation period for the GDPR, although many have described this as “ambitious”.
The Commission has launched a consultation on the current text of the Directive, as well as possible changes to the existing legal framework to make sure it is up to date with the new challenges of the digital area.
The Directive was last updated in 2009 to provide clearer rules on customers’ rights to privacy. In particular, new requirements were introduced such as on “cookies” and on personal data breaches.
A new spring event – MINT Global – drew international B2B marketers to Amsterdam yesterday, for a top-level conference and valuable networking opportunities – plus a brewery tour and a canal cruise! Organised by MINT (Marketing Innovation Networking) Global, it was focused on conquering B2B marketing in the digital world we live in – where being customer-centric, data-driven and tech-savvy is…
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Almost a half a million female and ethnic minority jobseekers in the finance and IT sectors in the UK will not be considered for roles purely because of the name on their CV, reports headhunting platform Nottx.com The platform – which launched this year in the UK and US – says that even though employment in finance and…
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A new spring event is taking place in Amsterdam next month and potential attendees are advised to book now.
Aimed at international B2B marketers, the event on Tuesday April 12 (from 8.30am) is being organised by MINT (Marketing Innovation Networking) Global and focuses on conquering B2B marketing in the digital world we live in – where being customer-centric, data-driven and tech-savvy is all-important and all-consuming.
It’s never too early to think ahead for your marketing strategy, and many CMOs are doing just that. B2B marketers are expecting 2016 to be consumer-centric, with data and technology strengthening efforts to connect those consumers with products and services they want. It is time to rethink how you build out your ca
pabilities to serve customers’ needs and desires – and this event has been designed to help you do just that.
Speakers are some of the greatest B2B marketing practitioners and will challenge you, encourage debate and spark new insights. T-Mobile, LinkedIn, Millward Brown, Arcadis, Acer and Paragon are just a few of the companies sending their top marketers to this great new event.
The conference package also includes a networking party dinner, drinks, a brewery tour and a canal cruise. So don’t miss that boat! Register now, here.
DIARY DATE:
Make a note of Tuesday May 10 – 6-9pm in London when top class speakers will discuss what Virtual Reality really means for digital innovation in 2016, and how to master the platform This is a networking evening with information kudos! Hosted by the MINT Global team, book your place at the event here and watch out for more networking opportunities coming up.
Emma Reeve examines the relationship between the law and a new breed of business rising from the shadows of online, looking at whether more branding conversations need to he held in order to update the current legal system to bring it in line with issues faced by 21st century start-ups.
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So say the findings of the Small Business Reputation and the Cyber Risk report, just launched by the UK Government’s Cyber Streetwise campaign and KPMG.
Despite the majority (92%) of the creative small businesses surveyed thinking about their company’s reputation frequently or all the time, they aren’t considering how a breach could affect it. In fact, just 26% of those surveyed that haven’t experienced a breach say the potential damage a cyber breach could cause is an important consideration.
However, 83% of consumers surveyed are now concerned about which businesses have access to their data and whether it’s safe, and over half (58%) say that a cyber breach would discourage them from using a business in the future.
This concern is even greater in the supply chain and recently published KPMG Supply Chain research supports this. 86% of procurement departments would consider removing a supplier from their roster due to a breach, highlighting that an attack can have serious short and long term implications. 94% of procurement managers say that cyber security standards are important when awarding a project to an SME supplier, it is essential that every company has at least one expert with Security+ training experience.
Cyber attack causing brand damage
This is reflected by the fact that the majority (80%) of small creative businesses surveyed who have experienced a breach felt the cyber attack impacted their reputation in some way, with 28% of those having been breached reporting brand damage, 29% reporting a loss of clients and 24% receiving negative reviews on social media.
And the impact has been long lasting. Almost a quarter (23%) of those surveyed have been unable to grow in line with previous expectations and 23% said it took over six months for the business to get back on track. Quality of service is also at risk; those who experienced a cyber breach found it impacted the business’ ability to operate (87%) and caused customer delays (22%).
The lack of concern around potential reputation damage may be explained by the fact that many small creative businesses don’t realise the value of their data. The majority (92%) hold data in their IT systems, yet up to 27% of those surveyed don’t consider this data to be commercially sensitive. And despite the fact that customer, financial and IP data can be shared with competitors if a company is attacked, just 17% of small creative businesses said they would be immediately concerned about competitors gaining advantage if they were breached.
The report also reveals that more than half of businesses in the sector (59%) don’t think they will be a target for an attack, despite the majority of consumers worrying about the security of their data, especially in the hands of small businesses.
Danny Lawrence (pictured left), National Police Chiefs’ Council PROTECT co-ordinator for Cyber Crime, said: “A cyber attack may prove so serious that it impairs an organisation’s ability to operate and even function longer term. Doing nothing can no longer be an option – SMEs place their reputation and existence on the line if they fail to take action. I would encourage all SMEs to consider their cyber security, seek out support from resources available and consider making this piece of work a critical part of their business strategies in 2016.”
George Quigley (pictured right), a partner in KPMG’s cyber security practice, added: “Small businesses know that their reputation is critical to their success, but it seems that many haven’t considered quite how many factors can affect it. Every piece of data in a business can be of interest to a cyber criminal – even if the business itself may not realise it – and with SMEs a key target for this very reason; it’s vital to take steps to protect your data, and with it the trust of your customers and, ultimately, your reputation.”
Sandra Dexter (left), vice-chairman for the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “Small businesses need simple, straightforward cyber security advice like that provided by Cyber Streetwise. All small firms should now be aware of the risks and take steps to protect themselves against the escalating level of cyber crime. Cyber breaches can happen to any business, any size and the repercussions should not be underestimated, leading to damaged reputations, hindered growth and in the worst cases, entrepreneurs being put out of business. Building the resilience of small businesses to cyber crime is important and should be high on all business owners’ list of priorities.”
Cyber Streetwise is encouraging small businesses and consumers across the UK to do three simple things to improve their online security and protect themselves from cyber crime:
- Make your passwords stronger with three random words
- Install security software on all devices
- Always download the latest software updates
The UK Government also offers a free cyber security guide and a free online training course for small businesses. Visit: www.cyberstreetwise.com to learn more about the simple steps to stay cyber secure.