A year and a month or so away from the date of this article is when the data privacy laws of the EU and the UK will change – dramatically. And the effects (and repercussions) on marketers will be enormous. So said data expert and speaker Rosemary Smith at the MINT Global event in Amsterdam this week.
Innovation and Leadership. Two words that scare the living daylights out of you or two that inspire you to do great things. Which? Delegates at the MINT Global conference in Amsterdam today were finding out.
Do you have clear permission to contact your customers, a ‘golden ticket’ of consent? And can your customers easily opt-out and withdraw that consent? Scrutinise your data protection and ePrivacy strategy now, as new regulations come into force next year – and millions of pounds in fines will doubtless be levied on companies that have failed to prepare and follow the guidelines.
As today’s marketers are under increasing pressure to capture the attention of an ever more demanding audience, researchers have focused a study speci fically into the use and effects of personalisation in email and across the marketing mix.
The firm said the new recruits will be join its UK Risk Assurance team within the next four years and cover all industry sectors across the country. As well as cybersecurity and privacy threats, the beefed up team will cover data management, business systems and IT risks.
More than 600 jobs will be filled by external hires, while over 400 will be transferred from other PwC sites. The firm will also be recruiting at least 200 data and tech graduates.
PwC UK head of assurance Hemione Hudson said: “Business models that have served clients well for decades are being disrupted or destroyed due to the speed of digital disruption, the increase of regulatory scrutiny on technology risks and the escalation of cyber threat, requiring us to respond and build a strong team of specialists.”
Although there have fewer ‘car crash’ breaches following last October’s hack on TalkTalk, there is obviously a great deal of nervousness in the market.
PwC risk assurance partner Marc Bena added: “Our clients and their customers want to know that their technology is innovative and pushing boundaries whilst being safe and delivering what is expected. We have a duty to continue to build a team of technology experts able to help our clients do business with confidence.”
Jed Mole examines data technology and says 21st century experts in data are colliding with top-level engineers to steam ahead as the very best marketers.
In what will also make interesting reading for those following the row over the new transatlantic Privacy Shield pact, most people would rather rather have companies in fellow EU countries handle their data, than non-EU regions.
Some 42% of UK workers would trust EU countries to host their data, compared to 22% of those outside the EU.
Of all the EU countries that were asked in the survey (UK, Germany, France), Germany scored the highest (26%), followed by France (21%) and the UK (20%). The Spanish, on just 6%, were bottom of the pile, suggesting that, while Spain might be a popular holiday destination, few are willing to entrust the country with their personal information.
The Germans have one of the toughest data protection regimes in the world, and at one time its MEPs were demanding that the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) should go further. It also outlawed cold telemarketing back in 2010, meaning consumers have to opt in to receive calls.
The results are a part of a larger report released by Blue Coat Systems, into who do Europeans trust with their data on Dropbox, Gmail and the like.
Robert Arandjelovic (pictured), director of product marketing EMEA at Blue Coat Systems, said: “The EU regulatory landscape is set to radically change with the introduction of the GDPR legislation and this research highlights the level of distrust in countries outside the EU.
“Respondents prefer to keep their data within the EU, supporting new European data protection legislation. More concerning is the fact that almost half of respondents would trust any country to store their data, indicating too many employees simply don’t pay enough attention to where their work data is held.”
The phenomenon of Big Data marches on, with the latest estimates showing that spending on technology and services will reach $48.6bn (£32bn) within four years.
That is according to IDC, which says that between 2014 and 2019, the market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.1%, with the big data market comprising three main submarkets: infrastructure; software; and services.
The software segment – which it defines as information management, discovery and analytics and applications software – will be the main growth driver, with a CAGR of 26.2% over the period.
Services – which includes professional services and support services for infrastructure and software – will grow by 22.7% a year, while infrastructure (computing, networking and storage) will see 21.7% growth.
However, despite the predicted boom time, IDC warns that there will be certain barriers for the big data market such as privacy and security concerns as well as challenges relating to the collection of personal data.
IDC programme director, Jessica Goepfert (pictured), said: “The ability to leverage big data and analytics to develop an integrated view of customer activities and business operations will provide competitive differentiation to companies across industries.
“However, in addition to the huge opportunities, big data presents some significant risks and liabilities to organisations. Companies will need to approach these ongoing challenges with awareness, flexibility, adaptability and responsibility.”
Personalisation is no longer optional for retail companies that are serious about future-proofing their online strategy, according to findings in a new white paper by digital performance agency, Found.
Specifically, with the widely anticipated slowdown in ecommerce growth predicted over the coming years, getting the right content, to the right people, at the right time has never been more important for online retailers looking to achieve increased sales and conversion rates as well as heightened customer loyalty and long-term spend. However, it’s clear there’s a long way to go before the industry fully realises the potential of personalisation, with Econsultancy alone revealing that while 96% of retailers believe personalisation makes good business sense, only 6% have a plan in place to actually use it.
Tina Judic (pictured), managing director of Found, said: “As an industry, we are now moving away from static, heavily-scheduled campaign planning and delivery, to instead embrace more instant and agile activity which enables more intuitive response to customer need. And it’s the need of this now always-on consumer that is the driving force behind this major shift.
“With growing numbers of consumers expecting, and deliberately looking for, more relevant and tailored customer experiences, irrespective of device, time or location, it’s clear that personalisation is no longer optional for any business looking to maximise all that digital has to offer.”
Found’s white paper lifts the lid on the current resurgence of customer expectation for more personalised relationships with their favourite brands and explores the technology, approach and the impact of personalisation for businesses focused on brand stand-out as well as return on investment. Written in conjunction with personalisation specialists, Monetate, the study equally dispels any misconceptions over how personalisation works and gives practical advice into how it can be integrated into existing marketing campaign strategies.
Personalisation is now a key consideration for any business and the white paper – Personalisation: Future-proofing your Ecommerce Strategy – shows how one-size-fits-all marketing is fast becoming a thing of the past. It also reveals how once over-protective privacy shields appear to be coming down with more and more consumers realising the benefits of sharing their data to receive more relevant products and services.
Jonathan Hulford-Funnell says regional differences and challenges are still affecting the cross-border marketer.