GDPR is a real opportunity for businesses to boost their marketing, according to Media Agency Group’s head of digital Ricardo Seixas.
With the General Data Protection Regulation coming into force on May 25th, businesses are busy figuring out what the changes around data privacy will mean for them.
Advertising agency Media Agency Group uses cutting-edge data and market research tools to create effective advertising campaigns that connect brands with their audience.
Speaking ahead of BusinessCloud’s ‘How to deal with a GDPR breach’ event on July 5th, the company’s head of digital Ricardo Seixas believes GDPR will give businesses an opportunity to have more meaningful conversations with users and customers.
“Marketing will become more relevant and more effective,” he told BusinessCloud.
“Think about it – data will be more objective, qualified and relevant. It’s just a big filter, a much needed one.”
In light of the changes first, second and third-party data will be key – not only for marketers but for businesses overall, he believes.
“It will be used for everything from advertising to improving a product, but using this data with insights is still fairly new to most companies,” he said.
“GDPR accelerates this challenge but it’s not the actual problem so customer data needs to be part of the business strategy and planning.”
The changes will bring transparency so organisations must lean into this when asking for consent from customers, says Seixas.
“We think that personal data is a right and citizens are finally becoming aware of the importance of their data in the light of recent news,” he said.
“We strongly believe that transparency on how the data is managed and will be used is going to have a positive effect on getting consent from customers.
“We recommend brands and companies to have a positive and transparent tone with their clients and potential clients about it.
“It also has to add value to a customer experience and the ability to opt-out, allowing customers not to interact with the brand anymore, is also important.”
Ultimately Seixas says Media Agency Group welcomes GDPR and what it stands for, which is a citizen’s right to own their personal data.
“We are very customer-oriented so we embraced GDPR positively with two big benefits for our business,” he said.
“For one, we took the opportunity to improve our own internal processes and make sure all data is stored in an organised manner and securely.
“Second, we will use it to add yet another layer of transparency in how we do business and manage, at times, highly confidential business information and reinforce trust with brands.”
An ex-Google employee, Seixas learned the value of data in business and how it can be a positive force to connect with users.
“I learnt that ensuring the correct usage and access to customer data does not hinder a business and actually does the opposite – you’ll have better insights to better support your customers,” he said.