GDPR is fast overtaking LOL as the most overused acronym in human history. With slightly more substance than its counterpart, GDPR refers to the legislation that aims to clamp down on data security. No more will we be automatically added to mailing lists without our consent. No longer will our details be sold by one company to another. Great for consumers, but what does this mean for businesses? Well, essentially it will mean that companies will need to have express consent before they hold or use data. And most notably it rules out “silent consent,” – those pre-ticked boxes that are the cause of so many emails in our inbox.
Vilified for being draconian, overly complicated and an impediment to business, it has been, by and large, poorly represented and misunderstood leading to, unsurprisingly, a great deal of fearmongering. Case in point: The Sun who in the most fantastically bombastic way claimed, “builders, cleaners and gardeners could face huge fines just for sending an email to drum up business thanks to draconian EU laws on data protection.”
As with most headlines in The Sun it is worth taking this proclamation with a pinch of salt. Unquestionably, GDPR will bring with it some significant changes and far more caution around storing, retrieving and using data for businesses. So what does this actually mean for marketing? Can we safely market our products even in a post GDPR world?
See…it’s not just The Sun. I, too, can write deliberately provocative sentences just for fun. And the answer is, of course, yes. Without doubt come 25th May 2018 times they are a changing, but I’m not so sure this is necessarily a bad thing.
Take Weatherspoon for example. The pub chain has deleted its entire email mailing list and has publicly announced its decision to stop sending newsletters via email. Chief executive, John Hutson (ironically) in an email explains, “many companies use email to promote themselves, but we don’t want to take this approach – which many consider intrusive.” Interestingly the marketing team at Weatherspoon will instead be promoting their special offers and deals through their social media channels. Why do you find this interesting, I hear you ask? Well….because Weatherspoon have made an excellent point. Many of the contacts you email will not have signed up to your mailing list and not only will they therefore be peeved to receive your content, but soon enough this will be illegal. Instead Facebook, Twitter and Instagram allows for a captive audience of individuals who have chosen to like or follow your page. They have actively engaged and therefore will be far more responsive to your posts. In my eyes – not only are Wetherspoon being awfully good citizens, they are also practicing good business.
In a post GDPR world our marketing efforts must be far more nuanced, calculated and strategy driven. Which quite frankly, is just good practice in the first place. In fact, I hope that this news will make individuals think far more about their marketing efforts and look to build genuine, longlasting connections with their clients.
If you have any more questions about GDPR, for the love of god please go speak to your insurance or legal teams (or the plethora of new cybersecurity firms that are already prepped and primed for your inquiry.)
But, for all things marketing feel free to give me a call on 07826 857 882 or drop me an email on Helena@helenabaker.com
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