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Data

37% of UK businesses ‘still not GDPR compliant’
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New research shows that over a third of UK business haven’t fallen in line with GDPR, while a similar amount still send marketing emails without consent.

A survey of 1,021 UK workers carried out by MarketingSignals.com, revealed 37% confess they are still not following the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

When asked to elaborate on why the business wasn’t falling in line, 35% said they are still sending marketing emails without the expressed consent.

In addition:

  • 31% say they still have the data of those who haven’t agreed to opt in to having their data stored.
  • 27% say they haven’t secured the data in case of a ransomware attack.
  • 22% say they have a longer process for those choosing to opt out from receiving information.
  • 14% say their firm hides privacy choices from people
  • 17% say they are still unsure as to what the benefits of GDPR are

Gareth Hoyle, managing director at MarketingSignals.com said: “The research shows there are many ways that businesses are admitting to not following the newly enforced GDPR regulations. GDPR is the most fundamental change to ever happen to data privacy, so it is imperative that businesses follow this and complete the process as soon as possible.

“Businesses need to understand that acting responsibly and ethically with customer data is crucial to protect and enhance brand reputation and ensure customer trust. Not only this, but it will enhance the quality of data collected which is a good thing for UK businesses.”

Online video viewing to exceed an hour a day this year
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The average person will be spending 84 minutes a day watching videos online by 2020, according to the latest forecasts from Zenith.

In that year, China will have the keenest viewers, with the average person spending 105 minutes a day watching online video, followed by Russia (102 minutes) and the UK (101 minutes).

Zenith says this rapid rise in consumption is leading to a significant shift in the way brands plan campaigns across both television and online video.

The research covers 59 markets and encompasses all video content viewed over an internet connection, including broadcaster-owned platforms such as Hulu, ‘over-the-top’ subscription services like Netflix, video-sharing sites, e.g. YouTube, and videos viewed on social media.

Global online video consumption grew by 11 minutes a day in 2017, and we expect it to grow by an average of 9 minutes a day each year to 2020.

It accounts for almost all the growth in total internet use, and is growing faster than media consumption overall, so it is taking consumption time from traditional media.

Although some of this extra viewing is going to non-commercial platforms such as Amazon Prime and Netflix, Zenith says plenty of it is going to commercial platforms, so the supply of commercial audiences is rising rapidly.

In fact, the firm estimates that online video adspend grew 20% in 2017, to reach $27bn. Growth peaked at 36% in 2014 and has fallen steadily since then, but still remains high. It forecasts 19% growth in 2018, and an average of 17% annual growth to 2020, when online video adspend will reach $43bn.

Video’s share of online display advertising is rising steadily: it accounted for 27% of display adspend in 2017, and Zenith expects it to account for 30% in 2020.

Online video advertising is still only a fraction of the size of television advertising, but because television is stuck at 0% to 2% annual growth, this fraction is rising rapidly. The online video ad market was 10% of the size of the television ad market in 2015, and 14% in 2017. By 2020 Zenith expects online video adspend to be 23% of the size of television adspend.

“Online video is driving growth in global media consumption, as smartphones with high-speed data connections make high-quality video available to people on the move, and smart TV sets give viewers unparalleled choice in the living room,” said Jonathan Barnard, Zenith’s Head of Forecasting and Director of Global Intelligence. “The rapid rise in video viewing makes online video the world fastest-growing advertising format, creating new strategic and creative opportunities. Brands that do not currently have a strategy for online video need to think about getting one.”

INFOGRAPHIC: DMA reveals global consumer privacy trends
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The Digital Marketing Association (DMA) has detailed consumer attitudes to privacy across 10 nations, encompassing attitudes, opinions and preferences and how they change depending on their location.

The research, conducted in partnership with Acxiom and Foresight Factory, found that:

  • 51% of people are ‘data pragmatists’ who exchange their data as long as there is a clear benefit.
  • 21% are ‘data unconcerned’ who do not mind how and why their data is used.
  • 23% are ‘data fundamentalists who never share their data for any reason.
  • The data pragmatists are most likely to be found in the US, Spain and Singapore, while data fundamentalists are found en mass in in Australia, Germany and The Netherlands.
  • Nearly half of all consumers would use their data to negotiate better offers.
  • 83% of consumers would like more control over their data.

The DMA concludes: “Although each nation differs in some ways, globally consumers are remarkably similar – most aspects of privacy remain the same wherever you are. Globally, the majority of consumers are pragmatists – willing to share their data so long as there is a benefit. Trading data is a common desire among consumers and data as a commodity will become more important to companies in the years to come.”

The DMA has produced a handy infographic to break down its findings and will be running a webinar on July 11th to delve deeper into the results.

28% of media consumption will be by mobile internet in 2020
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24% of all media consumption across the world will be by mobile internet this year, with figures suggesting that by 2020 this number will increase to 28%, according to new data published in Zenith’s Media Consumption Forecasts 2018.

The figures show a dramatic increase in media consumption by mobile across the world, which was just 5% back in 2011, with mobile eroding the consumption of nearly all other media, including newspapers and magazines.

The report reveals that time spent reading traditional print media such as newspapers has fallen by over 45%, and 56% for magazines. However, those that have adapted to online have gained from what was lost in print readership.

The rise of mobile has directly influenced the way that brands now plan communications, focussing less on channels and more on consumer mind-set and behaviour.

TV and radio are also losing the battle against the rise of mobile, although not as dramatically as traditional print media, with the average time spent watching TV shrinking by 3% between 2011 and 2018, along with time spent listening to radio down by 8%.

Brands can now take advantage of the various boundaries that mobile offers through different channels, entertainment, news, information, research, communication and socialising building awareness with the ability of creating direct responses and one-to one communication.

Zenith says the rapid expansion of mobile internet use has increased the amount of time the average individual spends consuming media, by giving people access to essentially unlimited content almost everywhere, and at any time of the day. We estimate that the average person will spend 479 minutes a day consuming media this year, 12% more than in 2011. Zenith forecasts the total to reach 492 minutes a day in 2020.

“Under traditional definitions, all other media are losing out to the mobile internet,” said Jonathan Barnard, Zenith’s head of forecasting and director of global Intelligence. “But the truth is that the distinctions between media are becoming less important, and mobile technology offers publishers and brands more opportunities to reach consumers than ever.”

“Mobile technology is challenging brands to rethink how they communicate with consumers,” said Vittorio Bonori, Zenith’s global brand president. “Brands need to understand both the consumer’s mind-set and where they sit on the consumer journey, to determine how to communicate with them. By using data, ad tech and now artificial intelligence, brands can co-ordinate their communications across media and mind-sets to move them along the consumer journey most effectively.”

UK marketers ‘burying their heads in the sand’ on automation
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A new survey has revealed that low-level, repetitive tasks are stifling the flow of creative juices and operational efficiencies among UK marketers.

And yet a third are choosing not to do anything about it.

The Digital Work Report 2018, commissioned by Wrike, found 33 per cent of UK marketers say that automation is not something they are considering, while 34 per cent saying they do not believe it would give their company a competitive edge.

However, nearly all (98 per cent) who took part admitted some aspect of their work is repetitive or cognitively routine, with a quarter estimating as much as 61-80 per cent.

Crucially, the survey found over two-thirds (69 per cent) believe they could achieve more work if technology could take on repetitive tasks such as filing, copying information between systems and documenting action items from meetings – with a quarter saying as much as 50 per cent more if that was the case.

If they could win back some valuable time, marketers would choose to focus more on creative work (32 per cent), team management (26 per cent), developing strategic projects (21 per cent), time spent listening to customers (20 per cent) and creating a better work culture in the office (19 per cent).

The report found that the ability to be efficient is hampered by some of the processes in place in their organisations; 27 per cent felt work is done across too many systems, creating duplication of work and communications, for example.

While 48 per cent said they have a culture of operational excellence in place, whereby they constantly review and improve how they are doing things within their team and organisation, only 10 per cent scored their company’s ability to consistently deliver high-quality work on time with existing resources as ‘excellent’. 30 per cent of UK marketers say their company strives to improve processes but changes are just too slow.

“Traditionally marketers are at the cutting edge of technology trends when it comes to the work they deliver, but these results suggest they are not always finding time to practice what they preach,” said Andrew Filev, CEO and founder of Wrike.

“With ever-increasing pressure around delivery times, personalisation of products and predictability, the marketing craft is being slowly buried under a mountain of disparate processes that leave little time for adding real creative value. With business automation developing at pace, change management is becoming an increasingly important part of the role.”

Interestingly, 34 per cent of marketers said they believe that when it comes to flawless execution they could do a better job than their boss. Worryingly, out of frustration with a lack of operational efficiency, 32 per cent of marketers have searched for a new job.

Firms still not ready for GDPR with less than 3 weeks to go
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Only 6 in 10 company directors say they are confident their organisation will be ‘fully compliant’ with new data protection laws set to come in later this month, a new survey from the Institute of Directors reveals.

The poll of 700 bosses shows many businesses remain unprepared for the changes with just three weeks to go until GDPR comes into force.

Business leaders’ confidence in their preparations has declined over the past six months as the sheer scale of the regulations has come into view. Many business leaders are also less sure about how the new rules will affect their firms, with around 40% reporting they are not confident or unsure as to how GDPR will impact their company.

In preparing for the reforms, businesses were most likely to turn to external private advisors, business membership organisations, such as the IoD, and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for guidance. The IoD has so far directly assisted over a thousand of its members, providing guidance and template policies.

The new laws predominantly impact how businesses engage with customers and clients. However, directors also report that GDPR compliance is affecting processes in HR and IT, as well as their governance practices.

“GDPR has been a long time coming for businesses, but it is only proving more formidable as the deadline looms and companies drill down into the detail. The regulator has assured small businesses that there will be not be a sudden inquisition once the rules enter into effect, but with such large penalties for non-compliance, firms must assess what they have to do to avoid falling foul of the legislation, and they must do so soon,” said Jamie Kerr, Head of External Affairs at the Institute of Directors.

“While the regulations may be burdensome, the overriding impulse amongst company directors now is simply to follow the rules. However, SMEs, who are facing a whole host of competing priorities and generally cannot rely upon dedicated compliance teams, are still finding it difficult to digest the sheer scale of the legal changes.

“The Government’s immediate priority should be to ensure the ICO has the resources it needs to make a big final push to assist small businesses in the run up to this month’s deadline”.

Data management firm Axis Media goes into administration
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Database management specialist Axis Media has entered administration, citing “challenging trading environment” following the loss of a major contract, with several redundancies set to follow.

Founded in 2001, the company created business supplements that were published in newspapers such as Wall Street Journal, The Times, Telegraph and City AM. Clients included Benende, the FT, The Times, NHS, Bayer healthcare and The Herald.

Accountancy and business advisory firm Donald McNaught has been appointed as joint administrator.

Matt Henderson, head of restructuring at Johnston Carmichael, said: “Axis Media Limited managed the databases for a number of organisations and employed staff who will all unfortunately be made redundant.

“Over the last few years, the directors have managed the company through a challenging trading environment, however they took the difficult decision to enter administration following the loss of a major contract. We are now working to maximise value for creditors and minimise any disruption to the company’s customers.”

Email marketing top of the ROI Charts
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The 2017 Econsultancy/Adestra email Marketing Industry Census has revealed that email marketing is top of the ROI Charts for the third year in a row.

Based on a survey of over 1,200 marketers undertaken between February and March 2017, 73% of companies along with 76% of agency respondents rated it excellent or good.

Budget allocated, however, was only 15% of total marketing budget, with a feeling that the growing complexity of the digital marketing landscape still left many marketers confused as to how best allocate funds to create a more complete campaign.

Those marketers who are more tech savvy and able to master the data and successes within email marketing are set to gain business advantages over competitors over the next 12 month period.

“The results of this year’s Census show that marketers are struggling to see the bigger picture and stand by their choices,” explained Henry Hyder-Smith, Adestra CEO. “By getting the fundamentals working together – personalisation, automation, integration, optimisation – they can make the most of the technology available, offer their customers the experience they are looking for, and realise the benefits of becoming First-Person Marketers.”

Monica Savut, head of research services at Econsultancy, said: “Email continues to be one of the most effective marketing channels and it’s encouraging to see that marketers are looking beyond standalone campaigns by embracing marketing automation and personalisation. However, this year’s Census shows that marketers need to adopt a more rigorous approach, keeping a sharp focus on both technology and strategy while never losing sight of the customer.

“The rewards are there for the taking, but reaping maximum value is dependent on two key success factors: investment that is proportional to any potential returns and a comprehensive strategy that focuses on continuous measurement, testing and optimisation.”

The full report can be downloaded here:

2017 Email Marketing Industry Census

Guest Blog, Nick Henderson: Traditional demographic data will always have its place…
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Traditional marketing can refer to the channel that is taken, or it can refer to the technique that is used to determine what to market and to who. While the channel of marketing has been an obvious transition from postal to online, what hasn’t been so obvious is the rise of utilising digital, rather than traditional demographic, data to make marketing decisions. More than a third of marketers are looking to shift spend from traditional mass advertising to more tailored advertising on digital channels (Salesforce, 2015).

Firstly, it is important to stress that traditional demographic data will always be necessary. Certain services and products have a target audience limited by age, gender or location, for example over-50s insurance, gender-specific products, or location-dependent offers such as a restaurant chain with multiple locations.

With marketers reporting that customer satisfaction and customer retention rates are both key digital marketing metrics for success (Salesforce, 2015), it is even more important to keep up with the ever-growing demand for a personalised user experience. 70 per cent of consumers want a more personalised shopping experience, and 60 per cent of consumers are comfortable with their digital data, such as their interests, being used by retailers so that they can receive more relevant offers throughout the year.

While traditional data has its place in a modern marketing world, this alone is not sufficient to provide true personalisation to your consumer base, and it often fails, resulting in drop-offs during the buying process, and a reduced sense of brand loyalty stemming from feeling unvalued as an individual. Assuming that an entire demographic group all hold the same interests is a huge mistake that can cost you thousands of customers. Not every millennial likes coffee cups with their name on; not every female loves pink; and not everyone living in London wants to see a West End musical. Offers based on demographic data like age, location or gender can result in communications being impersonal and consumers feeling frustrated. Research has found that targeting more specific emails to smaller groups of consumers results in higher open and click rates.

A way that businesses can get around these restrictions is by utilising big data analytics. Big data is a term which refers to a large set of unstructured data that requires advanced analytic techniques to derive meaning. One way to put it would be considering big data as a goldmine – there is a lot of value there but it is useless without the correct tools to extract it. Big data analytics is the process of getting gold bullion from this gold mine – where the gold bullion is the meaningful and actionable insight.  Big data is by no means a new term utilised by businesses, and it has been discussed, and even invested in for a long time. What businesses seem to be missing, however, is the right tools to extract meaning from it.

As mentioned earlier, consumers are increasingly becoming comfortable with having their online data utilised in return for a more personalised user experience. When comparing the depth of consumer insight that can be derived from a consumer digital footprint to the amount that is utilised in traditional marketing techniques (which is usually limited to sociodemographic data), there is no question that it would enable more effective personalisation. With the right analysis, businesses can gain real-time insight into consumer personality, their hobbies and interests, their life events, and more, all on top of the traditional sociodemographic data, and this is what is required to make the consumer experience truly personalised.

It is unlikely to be the case that traditional data in marketing will become obsolete to businesses, and this data can be used in conjunction with more advanced data mining techniques to enable more personalised targeted marketing based on deeper consumer insights.

On top of personalised marketing, this insight can be used to pre-fill application forms, detect and reduce fraudulent transactions, asses credit risk and boost financial inclusion, and personalise products based on customer interests, saving time for customers and increasing the chances of them completing an application or buying an item.

It’s important to remember that the acquisition process and using targeted marketing is only the start. Following through the consumer journey can go a long way to building customer loyalty. Understanding consumer behaviour based on personality, interests, and life events provides key indicators of what products and services they might be interested in. For example, if a TV and internet provider has real-time insight into its customers’ life events, it could identify which customers are going to university and market their services as a student bundle, ideal for multiple users streaming at once. Likewise, a coffee shop could identify which of its customers have upcoming exams and offer them a revision such as ‘skip the library: get your second coffee free for a stress-free revision session.’ This is just one of an endless list of examples of how businesses can leverage big data insights to create a personalised user experience.

By harnessing the power of big data businesses can personalise the user journey from sign-up, throughout the entire relationship and adapt alongside their consumers’ ever-changing needs. Real and effective personalisation isn’t just offering a football fan football tickets, it’s about offering a football fan tickets to their favourite team on their birthday.

 

Nick Henderson

Nick.henderson@hellosoda.com

0161 694 9747

www.hellosoda.com

 

Nick has over 13 years’ experience in sales and business development in credit risk, fraud and ID. Nick joined Hello Soda in July 2016 during an exciting time of growth for the business, and focuses on one of our core big data analytics products, PROFILE Personalisation, enabling businesses to empower consumers by providing an individualised user experience based on unique real-time insights.

Marketers rely on data to manage client and agency relationships…
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A recent survey from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) has revealed that more than 80 per cent of advertisers are using data as a tool to help them manage agency relationships.

ANA, in partnership with Decideware, explored the use of data in broad categories of the client/agency relationship, including: tracking of agency hours, agency performance evaluations, production costs, creative/copy testing and media efficiencies/budgets.

The survey of 92 ‘client-side marketers’ found 90 per cent see data as a way of improving agency efficiencies; 84 per cent believe the use of data will grow in their organisation; and 78 per cent state data improves internal efficiencies at a client’s organisation.

ANA Group EVP, Bill Duggan said: “Data helps build better relationships between the client and agency, helping both parties to focus on outcome. And at a time where there are transparency issues in the industry, the use of data enhances trust.”

Among the 37 performance metrics evaluated, media-related metrics account for seven of the 10 highest-rated metrics for importance, with delivery of total campaign audience goals, efficiency of media buys and media quality assessment rated the highest.