Marketing-security partnerships must keep customer data secure

This is according to ‘Marketing & Data Security: The Unlikely Brand-Building Partnership’, a report produced by the US-based CMO Council in association with professional services network KPMG. 

The study examines the marketing and security relationship, and how marketing leaders can preserve brand reputation amidst rising data privacy and security concerns. 

Given that a third of these partnerships lack effective collaboration, the CMO Council believes this represents an opportunity for marketers and security professionals to deepen their collaboration by overcoming hurdles such as misaligned priorities, inadequate understanding of roles, and lack of communication. 

Among the key findings of the report: 

• 79% of marketing leaders say the marketing-security partnership is extremely (44%) or very (35%) important to acquire, maintain and secure customer data for competitive advantage. 

• 33% of marketing-security partnerships are not collaborating effectively.  

• 84% of marketing leaders say AI and machine-learning initiatives pose a growing security threat. 

• 32% of less collaborative marketing-security partnerships communicate only during a crisis. 

“A strong marketing-security partnership preserves brand reputation in an environment rife with privacy concerns; proving a strong security commitment can also help build the brand,” says Donovan Neale-May, Executive Director of the CMO Council.  

“Conversely, a weak partnership can lead to data disasters, which will erode brand reputation as well as customer and employee trust.” 

Unlocking a modern marketing strategy requires alignment and collaboration between marketing, security and other C-suite peers, according to the study.  

The researchers say that to strengthen the CMO-CISO (chief information security officer) partnership, CMOs should:  

• Understand the widespread impact that the marketing-security partnership has on your business, both internally and externally. 

• Get granular when determining what efforts to take to ensure data protection. 

• Prepare to be at the forefront of AI by acutely examining their data collection, storage and usage across functions. 

• Invest in training and education to improve understanding of roles and responsibilities between marketing and security to make communicating easier and more frequent. 

“While marketing departments want to use AI, customer behavioural data, and the Internet of Things to personalise customer interactions, they pose significant security risks,” says Bret Sanford-Chung, Managing Director, Marketing Advisory at KPMG in the US. 

“However, marketing and security can preserve brand reputation, ensure data-driven decision making, and deliver better customer experiences by collaborating on data security and marketing strategies.” 

Adds Sanford-Chung: “It is important to invest in training and education to improve understanding and communication between marketing and security.”