By Eugenii Kuznetsov
In the age of the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, the value of human touch in the brand’s communication has significantly increased. Besides content-creation, it encompasses the overall feeling of safety and care that a brand can guarantee to its customers, which lies in being transparent about its data collection and processing policies.
Introduction
In the age of tech prosperity and the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, the value of human touch in the brand’s communication has significantly increased.
The issue extends far beyond marketing content creation, which includes AI-generated texts, scenarios, images, avatars, voices, etc. It encompasses the overall feeling of safety and care that a brand can guarantee to its customers, being transparent about its data collection and processing policies, as audience insights have become the key to brand’s success in the face of competition.
Data-hungry technologies
Shopping has never been as fast and convenient as it is today. There’s no more need to waste precious time on queues and searching for parking spots when e-commerce platforms and hundreds of related service providers address all aspects, like fast delivery to the customer’s door, online fitting, reviews, and returns opportunities.
In exchange for this incredible speed and convenience, we agree to entrust online platforms with our personal data, share our preferences, interests and activities to help businesses make us the offer we can’t reject.
Powered by advanced algorithms, which analyse exabytes of data on customer behaviour patterns, brands have mastered the art of building hyper efficient marketing campaigns that sometimes make us feel as if under the scrutiny.
However, the competition for customers’ attention is a never-ending story. In the pursuit of profits, businesses are becoming increasingly data-hungry, leaving users feeling vulnerable and anxious – and it’s not for nothing.
Data as Vulnerability
Let’s step back to the 2010s for a moment. I vividly remember the infamous scandal involving Cambridge Analytica, which clearly demonstrated how data insights gathered through social media could influence the political landscape of an entire country. This incident became a catalyst for the enhancement of personal data policies and implementing General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), sparking public debates on the ethical use of user data, and raising public awareness about data privacy breaches and related issues.
As a digital marketer and a founder of a marketing tech solution CATCH, I understand that access to user traffic data is crucial for segmenting audiences and delivering highly personalised advertisements. However, as an internet user, whose technology adaptation goes slower than the pace of its evolution, I want to feel confident in my safety.
I believe that in 2025, “safety first” could emerge as one of the major trends in digital marketing. Companies that prioritise safety and accuracy in handling customer data will gain a competitive edge in the market, meaning that brands will have to explore alternative methods to obtaining valuable users insights.
Safety-First Is Cost-Effective
To ensure that users not only feel safe but are actually safe, brands must comply with various data protection regulations. Those targeting EU audiences must adhere to GDPR, one of the strictest policies. This regulation requires companies to ensure their activities are based on user consent, and consider a contractual necessity, legal obligation, vital interests, public tasks, or legitimate interests.
Failure to comply can result in substantial penalties for brands of all sizes, including LinkedIn, META, TikTok, Vinted, Amazon, Uber and other prominent companies. Similar acts have been introduced worldwide and are constantly reviewed and updated.
Alternative Strategies
It is well known that the volume of data under analysis is directly connected to the accuracy of findings. To access almost unlimited marketing data sets, companies have long relied on third-party cookies.
However, as data regulations have tightened, browsers like Safari, Firefox and Brave have blocked the third-party cookies by default, while others are slowly but surely phasing them out.
Businesses are prompted to review their digital marketing strategies and try experimenting with alternative tracking methods that comply with GDPR and respect user privacy. Let’s consider the strategies, based on first-party and zero-party data, entrusted to businesses directly by each customer. Here they are:
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Server-to-server (S2S) tracking
An alternative to third-party cookies collection, which complies with GDPR and CCPA. The method relies on first-party data and is independent of browser settings. Can be used by E-commerce companies, digital marketing agencies, mobile app developers, healthcare organisations, etc.
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First-party and zero-party data utilization
While being limited in scope, in comparison with third-party data, these types of data allow you to create a much more precise portrait of your audience. These channels are important for customer segmentation, personalization and retention. First-party data can be shared with other companies, however, it is subject to protection and the procedure must comply with GDPR and other regulations.
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Data Partnerships
This strategy involves collaborative arrangements between two or more companies to share data and resources. data partnerships focus on direct collaboration and sharing of first-party data with an emphasis on transparency and compliance, which may become an effective alternative to third-party cookies tracking.
Conclusion
When it comes to technology and communication, businesses should not underestimate the importance of customer comfort and safety. While it may take sufficient time and effort to adapt to new methods, acknowledging customers’ concerns and making efforts to implement change will yield benefit sooner than expected.
About the Author
Eugenii Kuznetsov is the founder of the AdTech platform CATCH and the Commercial Director of 2QL Corp. A marketer with an engineering background, he is an advocate of performance-oriented marketing based on measurable metrics. Eugenii’s mission is to develop a comprehensive AdTech platform for highly accurate and transparent web analytics that fully complies with GDPR regulations.
Eugenii KuznetsovThis post was originally published on here
