80% of marketers rank customer satisfaction as top priority 

80% of marketers rank customer satisfaction as top priority 

New research by Precis Digital, and leading global research company, Forrester Consulting, has found that 80% of marketers rank customer satisfaction as the number one most important outcome for their marketing programmes. However, only 49% indicate that they would go beyond what regulations require to adopt more ethical marketing practices for the customer. 

In a survey of over 150 senior marketers, respondents shared their strategies and challenges in relation to data privacy, consumer expectations, transparency, algorithmic bias and inclusivity and representation in advertising.  

According to the report, marketing ethics is a high priority in many marketing departments, with more than two-thirds (67%) of the respondents stating that marketing ethics helps to achieve the dual objective of building customers’ trust and driving long-term performance. More than three-quarters (76%) go as far as to say that they are making marketing ethics a high or critical priority for their organisation. But even though the respondents state they have ethics as a high priority, the study also shows that they struggle to do what it takes to live up to their own ethical ambitions.  

As the marketing industry has become more technologically advanced, the complexity faced by marketers has also increased. If brands want to get their message heard, they are largely dependent on the ad-tech industry to reach their audiences. Criticism has mounted in recent years, both within and outside the industry, about the increasing reliance on models and algorithms in ad-tech. Designed to increase performance and efficiency, the models are often ‘black-box’ (not transparent in their exact workings) – a fact that more and more advertisers are starting to worry about as they fight to tighten up their understanding of data flows and how users are targeted with adverts.

According to the study, this is at the top of mind for many marketers. More than three in five (63%) say that they struggle to reduce bias in models, citing explainable AI and so-called black-box models as important topics. The topic is even the most popular priority moving forward. Eight in 10 marketers (80%) answer that reducing bias in advertising models is a main priority for their company in the upcoming twelve months.  

“Complying with current regulatory standards is far from enough,” said Rhys Cater, Managing Director, Precis London. “If you want to make marketing a good experience for the consumer, it requires a concerted effort to make all engagements with marketing positive and fair, to treat data with integrity and act transparently.” 

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