Who hasn’t been receiving a deluge of GDPR-related emails over the past couple of weeks? Thought so.

With this in mind an article focussed on trust and data probably doesn’t sound the most appealing. Don’t worry, though, we’ll spare you the repetitive loop. Or at least try to.

According to a recent survey run by Cision and PRWeek, 75% of comms professionals think they need to do a better job with measurement.

This should come as no news to regular readers of our blog. But what might be more shocking is the 70% who also don’t believe they have the right data to hand. This is despite data being everywhere.

With the arrival of GDPR, access to that data is only going to become more precious, as new rules mean people must opt-in to sharing and receiving, rather than being automatically added to the melting pot. The result could be people find themselves falling even further short of the mark when it comes to having robust facts and stats with which to conduct effective PR measurement.

That the Cambridge Analytica and Facebook scandal hit during the run-up to Europe’s new digital privacy regulations arriving is coincidental, and potentially hugely damaging. The public is now on the defensive against anyone wanting to know details about it, and usually the public votes with feet.

All of which brings us to the issue of trust, but also the potential for GDPR to have a significant improvement on our ability to conduct PR measurement.

On the one hand, having to blast out mailer after mailer asking for people to confirm they still want to receive more mailers, and having to get fully up to speed with the new legalities is a major hassle. But there is a positive side, too…

In the long run, GDPR could be a great thing for PR measurement 

This is because it demands legitimacy, and any data coming from legitimate places— i.e. people who have actively signed up to be involved or chosen to join a community— is invaluable as it usually provides more accurate and revealing information than information from illegitimate or irrelevant sources.

With this gold dust data we can deliver greater PR measurement, and the advantages of this run business-wide. Data gleaned from comms campaigns can improve work in all departments, from marketing and advertising to customer service and sales.

Put simply, it’s never been more important to clean the act up 

And that’s not just a reference to abiding by new legislation. Cleaning up databases and showing that you are using information in a way that is both positive and useful to consumers will in turn raise trust levels industry-wide, which, completing the cycle, will then make people more willing to share as their concerns are eased.

To conclude: it’s vital to perfect how you conduct PR measurement, and how you are prove results for the whole business. And those struggling with this should consider drafting in support.

 

Oh, and as we’re on the subject…