Recent World Federation of Advertisers’ research found that that nine out of ten CMOs agreed that data ethics is a top priority for their organisation. However, they tended to overlook one crucial step in the process; ensuring that their internal culture is rooted in the ethical and responsible use of data. In fact, only 41% of CMOs said data ethics had become an integral part of their organisation's culture.
To address this the WFA's has just launched their Data Ethics Playbook, which offers practical guidance on how brands can foster an internal culture rooted in the ethical and responsible use of data. The Playbook, which was developed with collaboration and input from 13 WFA member companies, helps close the gap between ambition and reality, providing six practical recommendations for senior marketing, media, privacy and policy professionals can take to drive an ethical culture shift. These centre around:
1. Building the business case for data ethics: How can brands create a harmonised narrative internally on the importance of responsible and ethical data use and promote data ethics as good for business, consumers and society at large?
2. Establishing company-wide data ethics principles: How can brands define a set of data ethics principles and bring them to life across the organisation?
3. Clarifying roles and responsibilities: What responsibilities do different functions have when it comes to data ethics, and how can everyone play their part?
4. Incorporating data ethics into existing governance: How can brands ensure that ethical considerations are being adequately identified, addressed and integrated into all marketing operations and decision-making structures?
5. Developing clear data ethics KPIs: What kind of metrics can be used to measure the success and effectiveness of organisations' data ethics agenda?
6. Measuring the progress of data ethics culture: How can brands quantify attitudes, behaviours and knowledge of data ethics across the organisation to identify risks and areas for improvement?
The WFA Data Ethics Playbook is available to ANZA Members to download below.