New research findings from global adtech firm Perion Network, from its survey fielded by Lucid, reveal that 95 percent of consumer respondents believe it is vital to buy from brands they trust—demonstrating that consumers demand data privacy protection.
“I’ve been carefully observing the privacy trend, but even so the overwhelming antipathy to digital privacy invasion was still stunning,” said Doron Gerstel, Perion’s CEO, in a news release. “This is an existential moment for brands; while the U.S. government looks to enforce online privacy, the survey is a clarion call for companies who are waiting for a new regulatory framework and the looming cookieless future in 2024.”
“Companies cannot afford to wait,” added Gerstel. “The good news is that they can exceed their privacy-invading performance by using advanced technology, based on machine learning and artificial intelligence, that serves the right ads to the right users—while analyzing real-time data all without storing historical data and behavior. We will continue to invest in technologies that do not invade user privacy to protect consumers, creating a future where consumers can rely on total anonymity from the brands they engage with.”
The research revealed the following:
When ads follow consumers, negativity rises
Nearly nine in 10 (89 percent) consumers have noticed an ad (or the brand behind the ad) “following them around” (technically called “retargeting”) on other sites. And 73 percent feel ads/brands following them around are suspicious, annoying, makes them feel skeptical or creepy.
Consumers are not falling for the argument that they’re being followed in the interest of showing them relevant ads
Given the stark choice between relevance and privacy, 70 percent of respondents came down squarely on the side of privacy.
There are real benefits to making consumers aware they’re not being tracked
More than three-quarters (79 percent) of consumers report they would benefit from an ad that included a clearly visible seal or other indication that guaranteed that the brand would not follow them around if they clicked it. And 58 percent would think more favorably of a brand whose ads included a privacy-safe seal.
There are long-term, damaging consequences for brands who use data without consent.
Almost all consumers (95 percent) think it’s very/somewhat important to buy from brands they trust.
Consumers expect companies to take the lead in protecting privacy
Eight in 10 (80 percent) consumers are angered by the fact that there’s no way to tell if an ad is tracking them, and they want brands to take the lead in ending that practice. And almost all (97 percent) want brands to start protecting their privacy now, whether or not their state has privacy laws in place.
The survey was conducted online between August 5, 2022 and August 11, 2022 by Lucid, a programmatic research technology platform that provides access to first-party survey data in over 100 countries. 1,000 participants were surveyed ranging from age 18 to 70 across the U.S., with distribution matched to the general population by gender and age.
