<p>Make no mistake about it: the <a href="http://www.eugdpr.org/" target="_blank">General Data Protection Regulation</a> (GDPR) is coming to the business world &mdash; including the North American business world &mdash; in May 2018. </p>
<p>Heralded by the European Union as the most important change in data privacy legislation in 20 years, the GDPR has the potential to fundamentally change the way your company acquires and stores information on prospects and customers. It&rsquo;s also going to affect your company&rsquo;s business practices and technology stack: everything from customer relationship management (CRM) tools and content management systems (CMS) all the way to marketing automation systems. And if you have just one resident of Europe in your customer base, there&rsquo;s no way around it. </p>
<p>It has been hard to avoid discussions of the GDPR in the past several months. Numerous news stories, seminars, webinars and other presentations have flooded the business world. </p>
<p>So how do we get past the headlines and determine what this new legislation really means, and what your business has to do to prepare for it? We recently sat down with Tim Walters, principal strategist and privacy lead at consulting firm <a href="https://contentadvisory.net/" target="_blank">The Content Advisory</a>, to discuss the GDPR and its ramifications for business. We caught up with him at a GDPR informational seminar being held in London.</p><div class="article-body-ad-placeholder">{"gptAdId":"testId"}</div>
<h2>Marketing and IT Professionals, Take Heed</h2>
<p><strong>My impression is that most of the people doing the listening when it comes to the GDPR legislation are technical people &mdash; data security and data governance professionals&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;but not so much marketing people. Yet this latter group of people should be listening perhaps more than anyone else, correct?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Tim Walters:</strong> It&rsquo;s not emphasized often enough that marketers need to be very, very aware of what&rsquo;s going on here .... If the technical people are not even talking to the marketers about this legislation, then they aren&rsquo;t beginning to understand what the impact is going to be on the firms and what level of effort &mdash; that is, what level of budget and resources &mdash; is going to be necessary to address it. So marketers need to wake up to the fact that the GDPR significantly disrupts the way they thought about doing business because we&rsquo;ve finally become somewhat successful at using personal data to inform and fuel digital marketing practices. So that obviously is going to have some kind of braking effect, slowing down some of the momentum of digital marketing efforts. </p>
<h2>Delivering Privacy and Data Protection by Design</h2>
<p><strong>It sounds like privacy and data protection are two of the guiding principles of the GDPR.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Walters:</strong> The GDPR insists that privacy and data protection be baked in from the outset. So it has to be from the very first thought about how you&rsquo;re going to conceive of a process, whether it&rsquo;s a technical or business process, what the aims of it are going to be. You should also, from the very first moment, think about how it affects privacy, how it impacts data protection, and how you can minimize and alleviate those risks in the design process. And very importantly, you need to document that you&rsquo;ve done it. So if somebody comes to you and asks, &ldquo;Did you practice data protection by design when you created this particular process?&rdquo; the answer cannot be simply &ldquo;yes.&rdquo; It has to be, &ldquo;Yes, and here&rsquo;s the documentation to prove that we did so.&rdquo; </p>
<h2>Putting People in Control of Their Own Personal Data</h2>
<p><strong>I know that you view the GDPR as a double-edged sword in that it sets some new rules for marketing with punitive fines attached but, at the same time, you see it as bringing some much-needed change to the industry. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Walters</strong>: What I think of as the core principle of the GDPR &hellip; is that people should be in control of their own personal data. And imagine what happens, how marketing is transformed, if marketers take that proposition seriously and really embrace it and ensure that their marketing practices reflect respect for peoples&rsquo; personal data and the fact that they ought to remain in control of their personal data.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Yes, that&rsquo;s going to disrupt a lot of our current marketing practices that treat personal data with, to put it mildly, a cavalier attitude. But once you do figure out how to institute those processes &mdash; again, by data protection by design and other strategies &mdash; then you are in a position to create genuinely trust-based relationships with customers and prospects.</p><div class="article-body-webinars-placeholder">null</div>
<h2>Engaging People Rather Than Pushing Them Through a Sales Funnel</h2>
<p><strong>I don&rsquo;t know anyone who likes aggressive sales tactics and enjoys being 'pushed through the sales funnel.' It seems that the GDPR turns this reality on its head, encouraging companies to engage with people rather than trying to simply sell them. Is that accurate?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Walters:&nbsp;</strong>That fundamentally transforms the way in which marketers can begin to think about their jobs. Rather than feeding the top of the [sales] funnel by whatever means necessary with whatever leads you can possibly find, it creates something that is much more like a consistent kind of exchange between engaged consumers and buyers.</p>
<p>So now you&rsquo;re not trying to entice people, to push them and move them reluctantly to the next stage of the sales funnel or something like that. But you are engaged with people who from the outset have made a conscious decision to be engaged with you. They&rsquo;ve said, 'Yes, I&rsquo;m going to give you consent to use my personal data because you&rsquo;ve convinced me, or I&rsquo;m at least hoping that you will carry out your promises to benefit me by the use of my personal data.' So you can begin to get into exchanges where there is a mutual benefit.</p>
<h2>Powering a &lsquo;Personal Data Economy&rsquo;</h2>
<p><strong>Despite all of the fear and apprehension that&rsquo;s building out there, you firmly believe that the GDPR is ultimately going to have a positive influence on business, correct?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Walters</strong>: It&rsquo;s sometimes hard to believe, especially for Americans, that the EU regulators, these bureaucrats, really think that they are doing something that is business-positive and actually is going to promote business activity. But [the regulators] genuinely do believe it. Because they want to encourage innovation in the so-called personal-data economy. They want companies to be able to use personal data, but they want to and have to&nbsp;&mdash; according to the <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/justice/fundamental-rights/charter/index_en.htm" target="_blank">EU Charter of Fundamental Rights</a>&nbsp;&mdash; ensure that that personal data is used in a way that respects the privacy and data protection rights of the EU residents.</p>
<h2>Now Is the Time to Start Preparing</h2>
<p>The GDPR is a significant piece of legislation that is going to affect the marketing practices of all companies doing business in Europe or selling to Europe. But the good news is that we know when it&rsquo;s coming and, increasingly, we know what it means. So as businesses are making their 2018 digital marketing plans and determining their associated IT and marketing budgets, now is the time to fully consider the implications of the GDPR and plan accordingly. </p>
<p>Review your technology stack and make sure your CRM, CMS and marketing automation systems are GDPR-friendly and up to the task. Make sure that both the IT and marketing sides of the house are planning for the GDPR, and that they&rsquo;re talking to each another. Engage a technology partner or consultant who&rsquo;s intimately familiar with the GDPR. And finally, consult with members of your legal team for their point of view. </p>
<p>Doing all this homework now will ensure that you&rsquo;re in full compliance when the GDPR goes into effect in May 2018.</p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oe5CNNcf_JQ" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Digital Marketing

The GDPR Will Fundamentally Change Marketing

Editorial

eBook

eBooks

The right survey strategy needn’t be complex, but it must be deliberate. This e-book provides you with the four key elements of a brand building survey program.

Customer Experience

How to Make Every Survey a Top Customer Experience

White Paper

White Papers

The rate of change in eCommerce has always been fast. Yes, Covid-19 has come along and put everything into overdrive. But a lot of these external factors were already in play before we even knew Covid existed.

How to Stay Ahead of Ecommerce in 2022 and Beyond

Buyer's Guide

Buyer's Guides

A content style guide is the backbone of your enterprise content strategy — it’s the difference between providing average or incredible experiences for your customers.

Content Style Guide

Research Report

Research Reports

While most organizations still struggle to fully understand their customers, the successful ones are exhibiting technology investment patterns which result in the delivery of superior customer experiences.

The State of Digital Customer Experience

It’s no secret that the most successful companies are able to attract and retain top talent, yet employee experience remains a consistent challenge for many of today’s global enterprises.

Digital Workplace

Employee Retention

Customer Data Platforms Market Guide (2022 Q1)

This market guide examines the current state of the industry for a detailed look at leading vendors that are pushing the limits of what a DXP can do.

Digital Experience

Digital Experience Platforms (DXP) Market Guide

Featuring real-world case studies and insights for your organization, this report will help you to deliver, manage and improve your digital workplace, and support your workforce as you navigate what the next phase of working will look like.

The State of the Digital Workplace

How Louis Vuitton, Carrefour, Tesco, Pepsi Co., and PVH made the switch to NoSQL

Online

5 Modern Data-Driven Applications That Transformed Employee and Customer Experiences

Boost employee engagement and retain workers in a hybrid environment

How to Boost Employee Sentiment in 2022

Effortless Customer Service for the Digital-First Era

Digital Workplace Experience - Q3 2022

How Great Organizations Empower Customer Experience Teams

Digital Experience Summit  - Q3 2022

Succeeding in the Era of the Intelligent Workplace

Digital Workplace Experience - Q4 2022

Future CX - Blending Physical & Digital Experiences

Digital Experience Summit - Q4 2022

As hybrid workplaces become the norm, intentionally embracing this new way of working is one key to success.

Empowering and Enabling Teams in the New Hybrid Workspace

Robin recently surveyed 300+ professionals to better understand what great leadership looks like in a hybrid world.

Power Hybrid Work With Tech That Connects

Collaboration and Cooperation: Two Key Elements That Drive Successful DCX

The digital employee experience has never been more critical

2022 State of the Digital Workplace

FHI 360 saves $400k with Intelligent Hardware Refresh

Create Cost-effective Hardware Refresh Cycles

The New Era of Well-Being: How to Realize Your Potential and Succeed at Work & Life

Digital Mental Health Support: Helping Remote Workers Fight Burnout and Loneliness

How creating engaged workplaces drives business impact and delivers optimal customer experiences

Modernized Knowledge Management: The New Driving Force Behind a Great Employee and Customer Experience

How to create a plan that brings collaboration back into the office

Rediscovering Collaboration in the Office

Digital Experience Summit  - Q2 2022

Embracing & Optimizing the Hybrid Workplace

Digital Workplace Experience - Q2 2022

Customer Experience Strategies for an Accelerated Reality

Digital Experience Summit - Q1 2022

Welcome to the New Now of Employee Experience

Digital Workplace Experience - Q1 2022

Keys to ensuring technology platforms are intuitive and accessible for all

Voice of the Employee: Aligning Employee Listening with User Experience Tools and Services

Learn the factors that are important to employees as they evaluate new job prospects

Hiring New Talent in the Era of the Great Resignation

Learn about what has worked - and what hasn’t - to help retain talent at other organizations

Retaining Employees in the Era of the Great Resignation

Effective human capital management practices are key to thriving during the workplace revolution.

Workplace Origami: Making Sense of the Forces Shaping the Workplace in 2021

How the Liberty Mutual team is approaching personalization in the workplace.

How Liberty Mutual Drove Global Efficiency with Drupal as the Foundation for their Intranet

The workplace is changing in ways we couldn’t have anticipated. Here are the top considerations for organizations as they adapt.

Top 10 Challenges For the Workplace of the Future

Learn how leading organizations use EX tools to connect people with the resources they need in the field or on the move.

Making the Employee Experience Empathetic to Frontline Workers

Learn how to build a work environment that enables people to do their best work and creates more satisfied and productive teams.

If Employee Experience Isn’t Your Department’s Top Priority, It Should Be

Learn how Mondelēz International’s unified communications team is improving employee experience with better communication.

Making Teams Work: The New Era in Unified Communications

Learn how to accelerate your business's digital transformation with modern and agile development platforms.

Low-Code — The Enabler that Brings IT & Business Together

How AI improves each stage of the search journey

Moving Beyond Traditional Enterprise Search

How to leverage business process management (BPM) for operational excellence

These Companies Excel at BPM and Process Automation and You Can Too

How to build a new team culture dedicated to the proactive mindset.

Mondelēz: 3 Steps to a Data-Informed, More Proactive IT Department

Learn the three steps companies should take to create a successful hybrid enterprise and enable better productivity.

How to Create a Successful Hybrid Enterprise Using Slack

Join Workgrid’s Rob Ryan and Frank Pathyil to discuss the challenges in building or buying an intranet.

How to Modernize Your Intranet and Avoid the Build or Buy Headache

Get a frontline view on the considerations and technologies organizations are evaluating as they reopen the office.

Let’s Get Ready to Reopen!

In this webinar, we’ll explore real-world use cases that illustrate the transformational benefits of employee-centric IT.

The Race for Digital Transformation: Employee-Centric IT Against the Odds (with Paddy Power Betfair)

Digital workplace expert Sam Marshall leads a live fireside chat exploring the challenges in adapting to a complex world of work.

How AI Can Unify Your Digital Workplace

Hear how leading companies are reimagining their digital transformation projects and identifying new opportunities for growth.

Making the Complex Possible: How to Accelerate Your Digital Transformation

Explore the innovative tools that help make the transition back to hybrid and in-office work seamless.

How to Use Space Reservation Tools to Return to the Office Safely

Explore how to implement a cross-departmental center for employee experience and make the biggest impact.

Liberty Mutual: Building a Center of Excellence for Employee Experience

Hear how Cisco embraced a culture of trust and conscious leadership to power an inclusive workforce.

[CMSWire Webinar] Best Practices for Enabling a Remote and Hybrid Workforce

Join us to explore the future of collaboration and knowledge management in modern organizations.

The GDPR Will Fundamentally Change Marketing

About the author

Tags

Featured Research