Marketing used to be a relatively straightforward profession. Not easy, nor simple, yet there was some clarity as to the boundaries of the role. This applied particularly to communications. Before the rise of online and digital, our communication channels were relatively few. In recent decades, and especially in the past five to ten years, there has been a rapid expansion in the options available to marketing professionals, especially in the area of data privacy.
The introduction of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on 25th May 2018 was in many ways a response to this technological expansion. European lawmakers sought to provide a set of principles that would protect citizens’ data. The GDPR has since set the tone for other regions in the world to consider their own approach to regulation of data.
As some of the heaviest users of personal data within our firms, it is incumbent on us marketers to ensure we have a solid understanding of data protection best practice. In particular, we need to get the basics right. In this short article, I will identify some of the key areas marketing leaders and their teams should be mindful of right now.
Pro tip: listen to Steven Roberts cover Data Protection 101 on the DMI podcast.
