What Marketing looks like as we head into the roaring 20's.

We have all heard the mantra just before the clock struck 12, new day, new year, a new decade. But that is not all that is new. With it came a whole slew of new privacy laws that data and marketing people must comply with and grapple with. As we roll into the "roaring 20's" this time around it is with a bit less celebration if you are in marketing, as getting to know and connect with your target customer gets a little more difficult. With marketing trying to self regulate ahead of the lawmakers we are seeing the pendulum make wild swings to over-regulate at first, in hopes of being able to gain back some ground in the future. But this time it feels different. With the rise of the connected home and wearables, privacy is more personal this time. People are becoming more aware of the fishbowl environment we live in and how the data collected can be used in ways it wasn't meant to be or shouldn't be. Like everything else, public perception of what is "fair use " of data is subjective based on who the data is about and how it is being used. The emphasis on what is collected, how it is collected and how it is used may change a bit, while the goals of higher campaign ROI and, better customer insight still remain the same.

Getting to know you....... With the new regulations in states like California coming into effect, finding a way to get consumer data and consent is going to fall back on retailers. The good news is there is a way to do it right and add value. The bad news is that just because you were able to, doesn't mean that consumer is a buyer. First-party data has been shown to be notoriously full of "tire kickers". People who may visit a location or store and sign up for rewards programs or newsletters only to get information to be able to compare prices or see what the latest products are. A perfect example is that of a 16-year-old just getting their license and signing up for the Mercedes Benz distribution list. While he may come from a family that could get it for him, more than likely once that data is anonymized there is no way of knowing if they are a shopper or dreamer. Likewise for many shoppers these days. With rewards programs popping up everywhere we shop to get your consent to send you "valuable offers" many of us sign up just to get the most immediate offer and get on with our lives, not thinking of the inbox clutter or ads appearing on every site that will follow, whether we intend to shop there again or not. Finding a way to weed this kind of data out will take work to make sure retailers are adding value instead of being just part of the noise.

Location, location, location.....Rise of the Beacon finally?...While many apps and retailers are collecting huge amounts of location data, we are still waiting on the promise of beacons. Will the fact that someone walks into a store, mean they are giving their consent to use the data trail they create while there, or near the location of the retailer? It may be an easier argument to say the retailer owns the data created on their property, it will still likely be argued that privacy is portable and follows the consumer. In looking at the current privacy laws being enacted, location-based marketing my finally get its day though. Being able to serve ads to consumers while they shop and are in locations of the stores that have products they have looked at before (if there is cookie consent) or have purchased before, has long been part of the holy grail of marketing. Making this data actionable though has proven to be costly and elusive for many marketers unless you work for companies like Disney or Marriott who have seen huge ROI gains from their location-based initiatives.

Death of the little guy..... Do the new compliance rules make it harder for mom and pop shops to have a level playing field when it comes to marketing. One might argue the new compliance laws mean we are back to spray and prey methods of marketing because smaller local retailers will not have the ability to reach consumers, create loyalty plans with rewards, or build out infrastructure and buy data at a cost-effective rate to do compete at an equal level.

How to reach the right consumers, add value and increase ROI .........Datastream Group's OneDB allows you to have a complete view of your target consumer with records that are all opted in, and consumers can be targeted offline by postal and telemarketing efforts, online by keyword, interest, and intent. Audiences can be targeted by intent to purchase categories, IP Address (B2B & B2C), and by a device (desktop, tablet, and smartphone). Data can be licensed for append purposes, marketing purposes, and hygiene & verification uses. Datastream will also enhance and enrich a companies existing records through their OneDB.

Datastream has a competitive edge licensing their data because there is a large appetite in the current market for a marriage of digital identities to households. The Consumer Master File is built from active online consumer and business audiences and can be traced back to a postal address. You can also find our data on platforms like LiveRamp data store, Lotame, ZipLine, Neustar, Eyeota and others. For custom requests, or to find out more contact us. We specialize in helping you make sense of your data, engage and convert the right audience.. ([email protected])