Some 65% of marketers believe GDPR will act as a hindrance to their marketing activity when the new data protection law comes into force next year.
A survey by the DMA found 42% of marketers feel their business will be “very affected” by the legislation, which comes into force across the EU on 25 May 2018, with a further 22% saying they will be “extremely affected”. But 39% also agreed the changes will improve their ability to meet the needs of their customers.
The sweeping changes to how businesses handle personal data will bring in new penalties for non-compliant organisations of up to €20 million or 4% of annual worldwide turnover.
15% of businesses still without a plan to tackle GDPR
With fewer than seven months to the deadline, some 15% of companies still do not have a plan in place to deal with GDPR, the poll also revealed.
More than half (56%) of the organisations surveyed believe they are on track to meet the compliance deadline of 25 May 2018. This is a slight rise from the 54% seen in May. But the number of organisations who said they were falling behind their plan also rose, from 11% in May to 17% now.
More than three-quarters, 77%, now say their GDPR awareness is good but just 58% think their business is ready for the changes. The issue of consent for communications is the top concern (28%) for marketers, followed by issues around legacy data (18%) and updating privacy policies (15%).
Chris Combermale, CEO of the DMA Group, said GDPR is a watershed moment for organisations to put respect for privacy at the heart of their brand proposition. “We should use the new laws as a catalyst to transform the way we speak to customers, making every engagement human-centric. This will enable organisations to build trusted, authentic and transparent relationships with their customers,” he said.
The survey also found 39% of marketers want to see GDPR relaxed after the UK leaves the EU, although the UK government has confirmed the law will remain in place post-Brexit as part of the new Data Protection Bill which was published on 14 September.
