By Andrés Gómez (Digital Product Manager) and Andrés Muñoz (Digital Product Manager)
Marketing is no longer just about crafting catchy slogans or running ads. It’s about using data to inform decisions, personalize experiences, and build long-term trust with consumers. But with the increased reliance on data comes great responsibility, especially when it comes to data ethics and cybersecurity. In this editorial, we explore how brands can integrate these principles into their marketing strategies to create ethical, effective, and secure marketing practices that resonate with today’s informed consumers.
The Need for Data Ethics in a Cookie-Less World
With the phasing out of third-party cookies, brands are now faced with the challenge of collecting and analyzing data while maintaining consumer trust. Every day, users become more conscious of the data they provide and are concerned about how companies use it. In a survey conducted by GetApp, 68% of users expressed a desire for more control and knowledge about the specific uses of their data.
Similarly, in the same study, 84% of users correlate the use and management of their data with the value a company places on them as customers, making ethical data management a fundamental part of customer service.
It is also important to note that, according to GetApp, 82% of customers have stopped or would stop buying a product or service if they disagreed with the data policy. Platforms like Google, with the shift to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) starting in July 2023, are looking to gather data in GA4 without using third-party cookies or collecting IP addresses. Additionally, as part of a plan agreed in 2022 with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, Google removed third-party cookies from its Chrome browser in January 2024, in order to protect consumer privacy by reducing cross-site tracking.
For marketers, this means understanding not just the demographics and browsing behaviors of their audience, but also their motivations, values, and pain points. This deeper understanding—driven by ethical data use—creates an opportunity to personalize interactions while respecting privacy. This understanding translates into continuous content optimization, both online and offline, agilely adapting to changes in consumer landscapes.
At The Ideas Factory (TIF), we emphasize a data strategy that not only meets legal standards like GDPR and CCPA, but goes a step further by ensuring consumers feel comfortable and safe when sharing their information with brands.
The Role of Synthetic Data in 2025
Carrying out a promotion and sales strategy for a service or product must fundamentally involve the correct and transparent use of customer data, which can be a value proposition compared to the competition.
For this reason, it is essential to protect customer data and have marketing strategies that generate company growth and value for the user, without using unnecessary assets and data. So, what can be done to improve and have the required data to execute new strategies? We’ll tell you next:
For sensitive marketing purposes, there is a data science technique that is trending in 2024, which is the generation of synthetic data through generative artificial intelligences.
This technique uses properties and statistical characteristics of real databases to generate artificial data through statistical methods and algorithms that, in some cases, approach 99% of real conditions. This significantly reduces the risk of violating customer privacy and can be leveraged to simulate market scenarios, competition, and demand, create brainstorming based on preferences, behaviors, and needs, and generate segmentations based on projected feelings, demographic, and geographic data.
Moreover, according to Gartner, it is expected that 60% of artificial intelligence data will be synthetic in the next three years, bringing great benefits for marketing, in addition to privacy benefits for users and quickly bringing those who still lack deep knowledge in machine learning and data science up to speed.
However, as with any process, there are risks associated with the initial production of synthetic data such as bias and GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out), which relate to biased or erroneous data that can generate unreliable data. Similarly, as this technique advances, it may be possible to re-identify individuals, for example, if all identifiable elements are removed and an internal numerical identifier is left, this would allow a third party to associate data with a person and jeopardize the privacy of the base data. However, these risks can be avoided with a clear data management process and data science-specific anonymization methods.
Although cases like synthetic data may sound very complex regarding the management and use of data, there are cybersecurity processes that the entire team must know to avoid problems of this nature, which we will tell you about next.
Bridging Cybersecurity with Marketing
Cybercriminals always look for the weakest link within a company to infect systems with malicious files capable of extracting and retaining vital information for a company. According to Camel Secure, a ransomware attack occurs every 14 seconds, which “kidnaps” a person or company’s information until a restoration code is obtained.
For this reason, it is vital that all members of a company, even those who do not use electronic devices, have a basic understanding of the risks and threats in cybersecurity during their daily lives, maintaining zero trust in any information, email, message, QR code, or even phone call they receive (yes, here you can see that it is the vishing or voice impersonation technique).
In the case of the marketing team, handling customer information is key, as they use private information that, without proper security, can end up in the wrong hands and thus undermine a brand’s reputation, incur legal sanctions for information use, and lose or give up competitive knowledge of the company with respect to other industry players.
At TIF, we advocate for company-wide cybersecurity awareness, ensuring that everyone from content creators to data analysts is well-versed in data protection best practices. We understand that a brand’s reputation can be severely damaged by a single security breach, which is why our approach integrates cybersecurity measures into every aspect of our data-driven marketing strategies.
Legal Trends in Data Protection
Governments have been generating new regulations to protect citizens’ data as well as the use, treatment, and storage given to it. Therefore, laws and regulations such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the United States, and Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA) are standards that should be publicly known within a company to create safe and reliable products and services with respect to data privacy.
Each of these regulations is focused on specifically informing the user about what will be done with their data, the time it will be retained, limiting the purpose given to the data, designating technical delegates for data protection, and facilitating the withdrawal of data from a database. These regulations seek to guarantee the right to privacy and informational self-determination of users, as well as to prevent misuse, unauthorized disclosure, or loss of personal data. In addition, these regulations establish penalties and responsibilities for companies and organizations that fail to comply with their data protection obligations.
These legal regulations on data protection are rapidly evolving to address the challenges of the digital age. In some cases, they rely on technologies such as blockchain, which offers a decentralized structure and an immutable record of transactions.
The case of Singapore exemplifies how blockchain has been used to manage sensitive data, such as in the development of a digital health passport during the COVID-19 pandemic. This system stores medical certificates and vaccination data, allowing travelers to securely and transparently share their health status.
Although there is not an established legal framework in all regions, it is crucial for technology and marketing teams to consider these regulations when developing products and processes. Anticipating future regulations not only facilitates regulatory compliance but also promotes the trust of customers and users in the ethical and secure management of data.
The Future of Data Ethics and Trust in Digital Marketing
Data ethics and cybersecurity are no longer optional—they are essential components of a successful marketing strategy. By integrating these practices, your company can protect customer data, comply with evolving regulations, and build a trustworthy brand that stands out in today’s competitive digital landscape.At The Ideas Factory, we specialize in creating strategic, data-driven marketing solutions that prioritize privacy, ethics, and creativity. If you’re ready to transform your data strategy and build a secure, ethical foundation for your brand’s future, contact us today. Together, we can make data work for you while keeping your customers’ trust intact.
0 Comments