The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

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By The Drum, Editorial

July 12, 2012 | 3 min read

Marketers are beginning to “creep consumers out”, a statement made by TRUSTe CEO Chris Babel to The Drum prior to the TRUSTe UK conference held at the Hospital Club in London.

Yesterday TRUSTe, the online privacy consultancy, revealed its research which found that 94 per cent of consumers were concerned about online privacy, with 54 per cent more concerned compared to this time last year.

In speaking to Babel, The Drum found out how these findings may affect marketers, how marketers can gain consumer trust back and the implications of the EU Cookie Law.

Babel told The Drum one of the biggest misconceptions by consumers is that behavioural marketing uses personal information, he explained: “when you ask consumers are you OK with behavioural advertising 50 per cent of them said they weren’t, and when you asked them why it’s because they think the way that they’re targeted and behavioural advertising is based on their personal information. It’s really not, it’s based on their behaviours if you go to five shoe stores or if you configure a car online you’re going to get more shoe ads or you’re going to get a car ad. It’s not based on I’m Chris Babel and I live in X address and have a family of this size.”

He continued: “when you start to educate consumers that it’s behavioural advertising, it’s not really based on pure PII consumers over double in their acceptance of behavioural advertising.”

Babel advised what advertisers and marketers need to take away from the TRUSTe research is to educate consumers and to give them the power to opt-out if they want to, he added: “[There is] a huge opportunity for advertisers to try and educate consumers. They see more and more targeted ads and they get a little concerned about it. They don’t know why they’re seeing this car ad, but they know they configured the car and that makes them a little uncomfortable as they don’t know how it’s happening.

“We’re [advertisers] hitting the line where were starting to creep consumers out.”

Due to the rise in consumer concern Babel explained: “we’re starting to see consumers being concerned and acting negatively towards the brands campaign to sell them something,” but he added: “[there is] the opportunity is there for advertisers to step up give the consumers the controls give them the options educate them and by so doing that you’re going to continue to build on the trust of the consumers, you know behavioural advertising becomes twice as accepted to the extent that you go and offer these controls to the consumer be transparent about what you’re doing.”

In terms of EU Cookie Law and what that has meant for marketers Babel explained that it is “hard technologically and can’t just be turned on overnight,” but he explained like behavioural marketing transparency is key to gaining the consumers trust. He commented: “[websites are beginning to] ask for consent for Cookies, if it’s OK to have Cookies and give them that control. It’s those kinds of things that I think help build confidence with consumers really not to the detriment but to the benefit of businesses.”