Today, the average household uses seven connected devices. Reading, watching and interacting online is part of everyday life as people have never before had more information and more services at their fingertips. And, with the development of augmented reality, virtual reality and other technologies, this content will be delivered in more engaging and compelling ways in the coming years.

Marketers and advertisers see this explosion in digital connectivity and engagement as an exciting opportunity to connect with customers through increasingly relevant and timely communications. This is a win-win-win for everyone involved:

• Marketers and advertisers are able to work with relevant and timely data to more effectively reach customers.
• Publishers and social media services use revenues generated by advertising to support the services they provide and develop new and innovative platforms that we all know and love.
• Consumers receive ads that are less annoying and more relevant as they enjoy the free services made possible by the ad-supported internet.

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Of course, that is only a small sample of the benefits that modern technology is delivering. All made possible by the robust data and marketing ecosystem built on consumer knowledge and trust. Acting responsibly and giving proper notice and choice regarding data use is central to building customer relationships, because without trust the marketing industry would not exist. According to a survey by Deloitte, 72% of consumers say they would avoid purchasing from companies that do not protect their personal information.

With this in mind, for over 60 years the Data & Marketing Association has led the industry in crafting and enforcing self-regulatory guidelines which ensure the consumers know their data is safe and that companies are acting responsibly to provide people with notice and choice. These guidelines are developed through close partnership with DMA’s members, and are regularly updated with an eye toward technological advancements and new industry practices.

Over the past year, DMA has undergone a comprehensive refresh of these rules governing ethical marketing practices. Referred to as DMA’s Data Standards 2.0 initiative, more than two dozen leading organisations have collaborated to develop a fully revised set of consumer-centric, self-regulatory standards which allows innovation to flourish.

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DMA has shared draft standards for industry feedback, and will release final standards at our annual event &THEN (October 8-10 in New Orleans). Key revisions resulting from the Data Standards 2.0 initiative include new provisions on:

• “Onboarding” – providing consumers notice and choice when companies combine consumer data with digital identifiers for marketing.

• Internet of Things – ensuring that consumers have appropriate notice regarding data collected and used by connected devices for marketing purposes.

• Data Innovation – updated definitions to reflect advances in data and marketing technology.

These revisions have been carefully considered, and take into account the latest technology and techniques in data and marketing. The result is a holistic approach to the responsible use of data that provides guidance to marketers across channels and sectors.

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This new standard for the ethical use of data in marketing is easier to understand, eases compliance, and will be adaptable to future technological advances.

As we look toward 2018, DMA will be moving forward to educate our members and industry partners as these standards are implemented. Operating within the standards that members of your industry developed is not only good for your customers and your organisation, it also better enables businesses to demonstrate that our members are committed to being responsible stewards of data used for marketing as we provide value to our customers based on their interests and needs.

Sourced by Emmett O’Keefe, Data & Marketing Association’s SVP of Advocacy at Data and Marketing Association