Permission-Based Advertising Is The New Click-And-Collect
In June, an international coalition of consumer rights organizations and data protection experts called for a ban on “surveillance-based advertising.” Are you surveilling the future of your micro-marketing?
The most nimble companies are, and this will likely change how online advertising works, soon. More tech companies are placing consumers at the center of the advertising dynamic, giving them the power to choose whether to be marketed to, and by whom. A common strategy of such permission-based advertising is marketing only to those who opt-in to receiving offers and announcements.
Many have heard of this, thanks to Apple’s move to limit advertisers’ ability to track consumers. In this case, users downloading apps are proactively asked to opt-in if they want the apps to track them on other apps and websites. In an equally pro-privacy move, Google plans to cut off a key source of online advertising, which many retailers rely upon, by phasing out all third-party trackers by 2023.
Permission-based advertising, not long ago a feature that helped a retailer or brand stand out from competitors, is now crossing the line to becoming a consumer requirement in the U.S. In one 2020 study, 70% of consumers said they think it’s unacceptable for a business to share their details with vendors without their permission.
pg slotAsking Permission Encourages Old-School Re-Engagement
The funny thing about these privacy moves is they create a “back to the future” moment.
Companies will need to create and capitalize on new marketing tools, but they must also embrace many of their techniques from the time before cookies and online marketing. A time when they worked to create value for the consumer and when the cost of contacting their customers (remember catalogs?) meant spending time understanding them, and investing accordingly.
U.S. advertisers can simply look to foreign counterparts to see that it can be done. European regulations have required consumer permission for a long time and their world has not melted down. The rules simply require consideration for the consumer.