Consumer perceptions and attitudes towards digital advertising post GDPR

Agency: MTM

"Digital advertising is facing a trust reckoning: in large part the result of high-profile data breaches, misuse of personal data and of the mechanisms underpinning targeted advertising.

Yet the use of data and tailored advertising is crucial:

•for advertisers to compete for attention

•for media services in the delivery of consumer experiences

•for publishers to monetise their content and uphold a diverse, pluralistic media ecosystem.

Tighter data protection through GDPR marked a significant shift in the landscape for online behavioural advertising (OBA), the high-profile nature of which has contributed to increase awareness of online data usage amongst consumers.

EDAA’s consumer research shows that consumers want relevant advertising, alongside user-friendly transparency and control mechanisms. Yet they have mixed levels of awareness and understanding of regulations and their rights.

EDAA’s AdChoices Icon and youronlinechoices.eu offer consumers a path to increase their control and their knowledge, and increased understanding is associated with increased willingness to share data.

This research, the first to fully draw the link from greater understanding of consumer rights and regulation through to comfort with OBA, informed EDAA’s assessment of shifts in consumer perspectives which serve as a strong basis for further investment in and development of the industry’s self-regulatory programme."