Brand owners must stop viewing consumer privacy as a compliance issue and start promoting responsible marketing as a driver for growth and “do the right” for their organisations and – crucially – their customers.
That is the rallying cry of the new chair of the DMA’s Responsible Marketing Committee – the group tasked with helping to shape and define the DMA’s policies on responsible and ethical practices – who is urging brands to put their customers first.
As his tenure begins, Tapmydata chief executive Gilbert Hill is calling for the data and marketing industry to embrace privacy as a differentiator rather than a chore.
He said: “Too many organisations still view their obligations as just that; a set of things they have to do. A narrow view of compliance as simply a set of legal obligations undermines the values of accountability, fairness and transparency that underpin these rules.”
The DMA reckons that, in a world of fake news and a lack of trust in industries or institutions consumers once held dear, the awareness among the public that something is not quite right is growing. And the industry body believes that high profile enforcement action from the Information Commissioner’s Office will increase unrest among consumers.
Hill continued: “All organisations can benefit from putting the customer first. Value them, understand their needs and use your insights to offer them enhanced services. Don’t do it because the law says you should, or even because a code of practice advises it, that will only perpetuate the problems.
“Create a new belief system within your organisation and sustainable future for your business by promoting responsible marketing as a driver for growth. Do it because it’s right. Right for you, your organisation, your industry and, most importantly, your customers.”
The Responsible Marketing Committee was launched in 2016 and is the custodian of the DMA Code, which sets out the four key principles of responsible marketing and the value exchange between a business and its customers. The Committee’s job is to ensure the Code remains fit for purpose to protect the long-term health of the marketing industry amid changing customer views and societal expectations around each of these four core principles.
Hill succeeds Skip Fidura, who has been chairman of the Committee since its launch.
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