Half of the UK public is bombarded with irrelevant marketing

New study shows

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the professional marketing body, has found that the general public is being bombarded with marketing materials.

Over 42 per cent of people surveyed say they receive marketing via social media at least once a day, and over a third (36 per cent) receive calls once a week or more.

Although customers receive a high level of marketing materials, half of those who have ever received them say it is never relevant to them.  Of those who receive promotional materials, it is most common to receive marketing about a hobby or interest they don’t have (61 per cent) or for them to receive promotions for offers in areas they neither live in nor visit (35 per cent).

Even more concerning is that over half (55 per cent) of people receiving promotional material believe the majority of these organisations obtained their contact details without their consent.

CIM’s research also revealed the sectors that are the most and least trusted when it comes to data management. The lowest ranking sectors are fast moving consumer goods – only one per cent deem them trustworthy, followed by media, including publishers (2 per cent). 

Meanwhile there was some positive recognition for the work of financial services (34 per cent), healthcare and pharmaceuticals (25 per cent) and professional and business services (16 per cent) on the way they manage people’s data.

CIM is committed to working with organisations to ensure best data practice is embedded; to raise standards and help to rebuild customer trust. To do

Chris Daly, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, said:“What’s most worrying about these results is that they are unsurprising. In our interconnected, ‘always on’ world, being bombarded with irrelevant materials has become the expected or the norm. It’s not good enough and it’s eroding the trust between customers and businesses. We need to act now and this is why we are asking organisations to take the Data Right pledge, to commit to showing greater respect and accountability to their customers.”