Unlocking growth in a privacy-first world: Key insights, strategies & trends

In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses and marketers are grappling with the challenge of achieving growth while respecting consumer privacy.

A groundbreaking research report, jointly produced by PivotRoots - a Havas company, and Adgully, with advisory from Ipsos Strategy 3, throws light on this evolving and ever-changing landscape with deeper insights. Titled "Unlocking Growth in a Privacy-First World: Benchmarks, Strategies and Technologies," this comprehensive report was unveiled during the DATAMATIXX event organised by Adgully.

The report examines the shifting dynamics of data privacy and its impact on growth marketers. Industry leaders came together to discuss the impact of privacy regulations on marketing and the innovative strategies that businesses can use to navigate this new reality. The report was presented by Abhimanyu Vyas, Business Head of Havas CSA (previously PivotConsult), the data and analytics arm of PivotRoots.

Setting the Stage: The Importance of Privacy in Today's Marketing Landscape

Vyas began by highlighting the current crossroads that digital marketing faces. He pointed out that while marketers have been heavily focused on growth over the past few years—leveraging advancements in AI, database segmentation, and hyper-personalization—there has been a significant shift towards a "privacy-first world." This shift has been largely driven by regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe and similar laws enacted in India in 2023.

"This privacy-first landscape presents unique challenges for marketers," he explained. "We need to find effective ways to target users without infringing on their privacy rights." The report aims to address this challenge by exploring the factors that have led to the privacy shift, what companies like Apple and Google are doing to adapt, and what marketers can do to thrive in this new era.

 Key Findings

The report, based on a survey of top marketers and CXO-level professionals in India, delves into several critical areas:

Understanding the Privacy Shift: It examines the impact of new regulations on marketing practices and the steps that pioneering companies are taking to comply. "The privacy-first movement started in Europe with GDPR, and now India has followed suit with similar legislation," said Vyas. "Marketers need to understand the landscape to navigate it effectively.

Innovative Strategies for Privacy-First Marketing: The report outlines how businesses can achieve growth and data-driven marketing while respecting privacy. "The key is to find a balance," Vyas emphasized. "We need to innovate our approaches to maintain personalization and targeting while complying with privacy laws."

The report includes insights from leading marketers on the awareness of privacy issues in India and the steps being taken to address them. "It's about understanding the risks and finding ways to mitigate them," he added.

The Role of Consent Management in Privacy-First Marketing

A significant portion of the discussion centred around the concept of consent management, which Vyas highlighted as a crucial tool for marketers in the privacy-first era. "Consent management is essential," he said. "It helps obtain explicit consent from users for any form of communication, whether through SMS, paid platforms, or other channels."

He emphasized the importance of designing consent management systems that are not only functional but also engaging. "The way consent is obtained must be attractive and informative," he noted. "It should clearly communicate to users what they are signing up for."

Challenges and Opportunities in Privacy-First Marketing

Following Vyas's presentation, the floor was opened to a panel discussion featuring key contributors to the report. Bijoya Ghosh, founder and CEO of AdGully, Hetal Khalsa, co-founder and chief creative officer of PivotRoots, a Havas Company, Ashok Shinde, vice president of media and strategy at PivotRoots, a Havas Company and Manasi Mody, principal at Ipsos Strategy 3, joined Vyas on stage.

Ashok Shinde spoke about the challenges marketers face in reaching their target audiences while respecting privacy. "A lot of controls are now given to the end user," he explained. "They determine whether they want to share their browsing activity with an advertiser or a website."

Shinde stressed the need for marketers to effectively communicate the value of data sharing to users. "It's crucial to explain why this information is needed and how it benefits the user," he said. "Only then can we build the trust necessary for users to willingly share their data."

 Hetal Khalsa added to the discussion by emphasizing the importance of customization in gaining user trust. "If users feel they have the liberty to customize their experience, they are more likely to trust the platform," she said. "It's about creating a sense of security and transparency."

 Measuring Effectiveness in a Privacy-First World

The panel also addressed the question of how marketers can measure the effectiveness of their campaigns in a world with limited tracking and attribution capabilities. Shinde outlined alternative measurement methods that have been developed in response to privacy regulations.

"With privacy-first measurement, companies like Meta and Google are pivoting away from traditional cookie-based tracking," he explained. "They are moving towards more advanced methods like cohort-based measurement and probabilistic modeling." He mentioned tools like Meta's Conversion API (CAPI) and Google's Enhanced Conversion (EC) as examples of new approaches that help marketers track user behaviour while respecting privacy.

Navigating the Future of Privacy-First Marketing

The event concluded with a call to action for marketers to embrace the challenges and opportunities of the privacy-first era. "The key is to adapt and innovate," Vyas stated. "We need to find new ways to engage with our audiences while respecting their privacy."

He encouraged attendees to download the full report to gain deeper insights into the strategies and technologies shaping the future of marketing. "The report is available for download by scanning the QR code on your table," he reminded the audience.

Download the report:- https://qrfy.io/APLe6nncBy