"There are choices that we need to make if we are to earn the trust of our customers"

DMA CEO challenges data and marketing industry to embrace the opportunity to change

The relationship between brands and their customers has changed dramatically in recent years, but what should businesses be doing to retain customer trust in an increasingly connected digital world? At today’s Data Protection 2019 conference the CEO of the DMA, Chris Combemale, calls for the data and marketing industry to take the opportunity for change.

Chris Combemale, Group CEO of the DMA, said: “The data and marketing industry is at a crossroads. We can be an industry that puts short-term profit above long-term loyalty. An industry that uses data, technology and creative to trick customers into a quick sale. An industry that targets obsessively, as if our customers only want to buy what they have always bought. Or we can be an industry that chooses to create truly engaging customer experiences. An industry that reinforces community values. An industry that builds trust. An industry that earns respect for our talent, our skills and our sense of responsibility.”

Combemale explains: “The data and marketing industry can choose to become the UK’s most customer-focused community, empowering brands to responsibly create more value for and from their customers. We can use our skills to create delightful and surprising customer experiences, adding real, long-term sustainable value for our customers, our brands and for society.”

Combemale concludes: “There are choices that we need to make as an industry if we are to earn the trust of our customers and their custom. We can choose to be passionate about intelligent marketing, led by customer-first principles, using data science and technology to meet the changing needs of today and tomorrow, responsibly and sustainably.”

The comments came as an introduction to a morning of speakers at the DMA’s Data Protection 2019 event, including:

• Simon McDougall, executive director, technology, policy and innovation, ICO
• Johnny Ryan, chief policy and industry relations officer, Brave Software
• Jonathan Brenton, principal policy advisor, EU negotiations, CBI
• Garreth Cameron, DPO - EMEA, Dentsu Aegis
• Sonia Sudhakar, marketing director, The Guardian

Further details and the full agenda are available here: https://dma.org.uk/event/data-protection-2019