GDPR and you, chapter two

A quarter of businesses are not on course to meet coming GDPR changes, and B2B marketers are the least prepared, but the Brexit vote has not had the impact feared according to new DMA research

A quarter of marketers (26%) believe that their companies are unprepared for the introduction of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which will govern how businesses use data for years to come.

According to the research, awareness of the GDPR has increased, with those saying they have 'good' awareness rising by 13% to 66% of the total.

B2B marketers are the group least ready for any changes, feeling both the least 'prepared' and the most 'unprepared'. The research also suggests that B2B marketers may underestimate the impact of the GDPR.

Despite these niggles, more than two-thirds of marketers (68%) said their businesses would eventually be GDPR compliant by the time the legislation comes into force in May 2018.

Chris Combemale, CEO of the DMA group, said, "The finish line for GDPR readiness is fixed and the risk to businesses of not being compliant is significant. Our advice is to continue preparations in earnest over the coming year. Not making it across the line in time is not an option."

Priorities

Marketers want to do the following before the GDPR comes into force:

• Conduct impact assessments (for 42%)
• Give data subjects greater control of their data' (36%)
• Revise data policy (31%)

Marketers believe the channels most affected by the GDPR will be:

• Email (89%)
• Direct mail (81%)
• Mobile (73%)

Marketers' biggest GDPR concerns are changes to:

• Consent (70%)
• Profiling (50%)
• Legacy data (37%)

The GDPR and Brexit

The vast majority of companies (83%) have not changed their GDPR plans because of the Brexit vote. However, 7% have accelerated their plans.

Three quarters (74%) said we should simply stick to the GDPR regardless, with 7% even calling for even stricter rules to be put in place.

Combemale said, "The data-driven creative industries are the engine that will continue to drive growth in the UK economy post-Brexit. The status of our relationship with Europe does not change the need for UK businesses to prepare for GDPR and it's concerning to see that only two-thirds of the industry currently expects to be ready for May 2018. In an increasingly global digital marketplace, Brexit does not change the behaviours that companies must adopt in order to succeed and build long-term relationships with customers based on transparency and trust."

Join us on 24 February at 30 Euston Square to hear the Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham and others speak about all things data protection, including the GDPR. The event includes our Drop-In Data Protection Clinic where we can answer the questions your business has.

GDPR and you, chapter two