Ethical marketing – after all its not really YOUR data (it belongs to your customers.)

As part of the “Data as a Force for Good “panel debate at this year’s DMA DATA 2020, a simple, but powerful statement was made by Firas Khnaisser (Head of Decisioning - Standard Life) if you want to apply an ethical approach to your marketing, remember that

"data is people"

This one statement stood out and cuts through much of the debate around trust, privacy, profiling and automated decisioning. When planning on how to use data we must not disconnect its link to the ‘real’ world. Data relates to people. Treat your data with this humanity. In fact, remember it’s not YOUR data, it belongs to your customers.

Data can be used to influence and motivate behaviour. How you use this ‘power’ with ethical responsibility should be a key consideration in planning. Marketing with consideration need not be a compromise to the impact we can have as marketers. Use smart insight, great design and well thought through execution. Indeed, making the effort to work through some key considerations around customer focused needs, to apply the ethical layer, may well improve your results.

A great example of how data can influence for the power of good is the work presented during this conference by NHS Blood and Transplant with agency partners 23red and Clear Channel. DMA Award winners 2019 for “Best Use of Data Insight”

Objective and challenge:

To keep hospital blood stocks high, the service needed people to register and donate at their local clinic. However, research showed a number of barriers to people giving blood, from time constraints, a belief that they didn’t need to, to a culture barrier that people like them didn’t give blood.

Approach:

First the team needed to find a way to change behaviour. To find this solution they used the EAST framework. An approach created by The Behavioural Insights Team.

Strategy and creative approach

As the case study from the DMA Awards details...

Strategy

• ‘Out of home’ digital displays were identified as the most effective way to reach people who live or work close to permanent blood donor centres.
• This enabled the advertising seen to harness the real-time first party data required to drive urgency.

Creativity

• Appointment data was collected and integrated into the campaign.
• Showing recent bookings and donations normalised the process for people anxious about giving blood.
• Revealing future appointment availability highlighted the need for new donors.
• Featuring the walking distance to centres highlighted the ease of donating.
• The creative featured real-life recipients of blood donations to motivate, inspire and create an emotional connection with potential donors.

What makes this campaign shine is the powerful combination of science and art, to influence behaviour for a great cause and everyone’s benefit. Insight and dynamic data overlaid on striking and powerful images, physically located to allow immediate action from the public.

Have a clear objective about what action or impact you need to see.

Gain a clear view of what behaviour you need to drive and most importantly how this would benefit the audience. Is the data influencing behavioural change being used ethically, as a force for good?

Create powerful, engaging content (art) and combined with the data and insight (science) deliver engaging, relevant and timely marketing.

And if your still not sure, substitute the word ‘audience’ for ‘my mum’ and describe the plan. You’ll soon feel if the planed campaign still seems right.