Tag: business

The Ethical Challenges Facing Media Planners in the Data Industry

In the first two blogs we looked at the impact of regulation and legislation as well as the value that trust still plays for media planners, for people to continue to engage with brand.

However, whilst media planning has always been about reaching the desired audience, in the increasingly diverse data driven ecosystem, getting to them has become ethically more complex.

How to harness data whilst also respecting privacy and being transparent with the consumer

In the first blog we looked at how legislation was making it more difficult to map the customer journey, however there is still more customer data out there than ever before and therefore with privacy also more important than ever before how to manage that customer data has become ever more important for brand owners (Warc.com, 2025).

The internet is moving towards its third incarnation known as Web 3.0.  This is hoped to be a more decentralized version of the internet with apps and services powered by blockchains where people will have more control of their data and that it will be more transparent (Warc.com, 2025).

In the second blog we looked at a ‘greenwashing’ scandal involving Swedish Manufacturer, IKEA, where it was revealed that the wood they were logging wasn’t coming from sustainable sources (Disclose.ngo. (n.d.)..

However, when it comes to data, IKEA wanted to be as transparent as possible with their customers and in 2020 they released a Youtube video with Barbara Martin Coppola, Chief for Digital Office for the Ingka Group, which explained how Ikea was looking to embed data ethics into everything they do in a simple and transparent way (IKEA, 2020).

One of the key points IKEA looked at in the video was prior to regulation companies had often operated as if customer data was their own, and that when it comes to data most people didn’t understand the short and long term implications of data use, there was a lack of trust, in that people didn’t believe that companies had their best interests at heart and a lack of transparency, with terms and conditions changing frequently, requiring people to read lengthy legal texts. IKEA wanted to shift that narrative and give people belief that they were in control of their own data (IKEA, 2020).

In the video IKEA set out a clear vision and mission for its Data Ethics. They wanted to enable a people-centric approach to digitisation and new technologies, which aligned with its mission of creating a better everyday life for many people. Furthermore, they wanted to change how they collect, review and manage data, redesigning and rethinking everything through the lens of data ethics, giving control to their customers by allowing co-creation with the new privacy features (IKEA, 2020).

The lengths to which IKEA went to explain their position on data is indicative that trust in companies to manage their data effectively and ethically is extremely low amongst the public. A 2023 survey conducted by ad-targeting business Nano interactive found that UK customers are increasingly concerned about giving up personal data and not convinced by the industry’s value-exchange argument (Warc.com, 2025). Furthermore, in the U.S according to a 2023 survey by Pew Research Center, 77 % of respondents had no trust in leaders of social media companies to publicly admit mistakes and admit data misuse and 76% do not trust these companies to not sell personal data to others without consent ( Warc.com, 2023).

Additionally, a 2019 study conducted by the Advertising Research Foundation found that consumers are becoming less willing to share personal data such as home and personal email addresses and telling people that sharing that data would allow for a more personalized experience did not make them more willing to share and on top of that  a 2020 Dentsu agent study found that misuse of data was the number one source of distrust in the technology industry(Warc.com, 2025). These findings illustrate the challenges for media planners in gaining personal data and trust from the public.

On a more positive slant for media planners and companies, one global study in 2019 did find that a lot of people would be willing to share data if they knew it would be secured safely and that the collector was reliable and was clear about the need and reasons for wanting the data (Warc.com, 2025) . Thus, giving hope to media planners and brands if they can show that pathway and demonstrate their trustworthiness i.e. the IKEA video.

Conclusion: Ethics as a Planning Advantage

The data industry has developed powerful tools in being able to store and use data but for media planners to be able to showcase how their brands or companies ethically use that data is vital in maintaining trust with the consumer and will be the reason why they will be successful.

Why trust is so important for a media planner

In the previous post we looked at the impact of regulation and legislation particularly privacy had for media planners.

In this post we will look at why trust remains such a vital commodity for a media planner.

Trust Influences Whether Audiences Engage

With advances in technology, the adoption of machine learning has meant that brands nowadays can react quicker to changes in customer needs which include campaign optimisation and dynamic content planning for personalised messaging. Mary Epstein, global brand manager for Nestle argues that despite much debate over the last 10 to 15  years , the basic principle of how we build a brand hasn’t changed, and that technology is merely a vehicle to magnify those truths and enable quicker execution ( Epstein, M, 2026).  Aeker, 2014 defines brands as more than just names and logo, more that, ‘they are an organisation’s promise to a customer to deliver what the brand stands for not only in functional benefits but also, emotional, self-expressive and social benefits’.  

As touched upon in the previous blog with the public increasingly more interested in privacy, brands really have to stand out to be able to get customer engagement, with authenticity being a key component in gaining trust with consumers, in a world where sustainability is a key issue amongst younger generations andth therefore brand’s must ‘walk the walk’ and deliver on their commitments, there is no room for ‘greenwashing’ (Epstein, M, 2016). ‘Greenwashing’, meaning the practice of misleading the public into believing a product, company or service is more environmentally than it is. One notable example of a company greenwashing was Swedish manufacturer IKEA, who were found to have got their wood from unsustainable logging sources and their response to the allegations has drawn heavy criticism, with lack of independent oversight causing question around the brand’s commitment to their sustainability promises (Disclose.ngo. (n.d.). 

How Media Planners Can Put Trust Into Practice

Media Planners have an important role in developing trust with their consumer base and this can be done by reinforcing those brand values through campaigns, communications and advertising. For example, Nestle have demonstrated their sustainability commitments, with Nespresso revealing their plans to be carbon neutral in 2022, Purina in 2023 focusing on being more transparent and removing artificial colourants and KitKat committed to being carbon neutral by 2025, getting those messages is vital to help spread those brand values.

Furthermore, the scope in the media landscape is much bigger for brands. Numerous platforms have allowed media planners to move towards content led advertising, largely to compete with consumers engaging on streaming and notable examples being Dove releasing a documentary on Apple +, which was produced by Lavazza, the aim being to discuss their brand purpose without it appearing like a regular tv ad for example. Furthermore, this approach enhances brand visibility and authenticity without trying to ‘sell’ directly and this can have greater PR Value arguably greater than direct viewership (Epstein, M, 2026).  

Summary

In conclusion, trust remains a key tenet for brands to be able to engage with their consumer base. Without it people will look to other brands who match their values and, in a world, where people are increasingly private it is essential that media planners can convey trustworthiness for their respective brands in order to cultivate engagement from their desired audience.

The final blog in this series will look at further ethical challenges in the data industry is facing and how businesses are having to ensure they are adopting responsible behaviour.