Omnicom study IDs five levels of consumer-privacy concerns, and builds a playbook out of it

The media agency network owned by Omnicom spent the first half of Advertising Week tackling issues it believes are of paramount interest to its clients — seeking more transparency around ad auctions followed by seeking platform cooperation to better understand AI’s role in ad auctions.

But privacy issues hover over almost every corner of media investment and measurement of effectiveness, which led Omnicom Media Network to tap OMG Signal to field a national survey earlier this spring (March 22-23, 2024, of 1,056 U.S. consumers between ages 18-99) in order to understand where they stand. And another Omnicom unit, Google marketing and cloud consultancy TRKKN, has taken the results of that study to develop a playbook of sorts.

Bottom line: consumer concern has shot up from 33% of adults in 2021 to 53% this year. Also, 21% respondents said they have previously made a conscious decision to not buy a product or service to avoid sharing their personal data. 

Still, the research found that 72% of consumers have varying degrees of willingness to share data depending on requirements and what they might get in return. 

“We can’t make assumptions about what consumers understand or are comfortable with,” said Joanna O’Connell, OMG’s chief intelligence officer. The study “allows us and our clients to better understand how to think about the nuance and complexity when it comes to consumers, in their level of understanding, or in their willingness to share under what circumstances and why. So that, as we go through this transition that we’re in the thick of toward a more kind of privacy-driven advertising ecosystem, how do clients prepare effectively? In other words, ‘Hey guys, this isn’t just a cookie problem.’”

Digging a bit deeper, OMG identified five different archetypes, but one common theme across them all is that brands need to be sure to protect consumers’ data or risk losing that person as a customer. “A lot of this is about, ‘Can I trust you to do the right things with my data? Am I getting value in exchange?’” added O’Connell, who pointed out this part of the privacy conversation has nothing to do with cookies. “Those are good things for brands to want to aspire to, right? It doesn’t have to be scary.”

The five archetypes include, from most willing to least: 

• Brazen sharers (7% of respondents), willing to share anything for personalized experiences;
• Reluctant sharers (22%), more hesitant but willing to share if they get parity for it;
• Data guardians (43%), willing to share only if it guarantees the outcome they want;
• Wary novices (13%), limited understanding of privacy laws and therefore cautious;
• Data recluses (15%), will never share data with a company or brand.

Using the findings, TRKKN developed a privacy playbook that lays out considerations and recommendations for clients approaching consumer privacy issues. Mario Schiappacasse, TRKKN’s U.S. president, said the goal is to give clients both brand marketing insights as well as technical know-how on how to implement new data privacy practices.

“This is designed to bring all those perspectives together and give an organization an understanding of what to do, who can do it, and what are the priorities as you navigate it,” said Schiappacasse. “These aren’t simple tweaks, you know? They’re fundamental changes in how the infrastructure [in a company] is built.”

Jillian Davis, director of marketing technology at Cox Automotive, works with consumer brands like Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book — two brands that ask for significant data from their customers. She said something like a playbook is more necessary than ever.

“As more and more consumers are holding brands responsible for protecting their data, the TRKKN playbook provides a roadmap for building deeper relationships with consumers,” said Davis. Earning their trust is gained, she added, “by respecting their attitudes toward data collection, earning the consent that enables more personalized content.”