A sector in flux
As AI races ahead, consumers are hitting pause: data-sharing is no longer automatic but intentional. Here’s why the next era of marketing won’t hinge on what brands can collect, but on what people give.
The wary consumer
The breakneck speed of AI innovation is colliding with rising public anxiety over how personal information is handled – a tension underscored by social scientist and former Google insights manager Dunya van Troost.
“AI is moving so fast that visibility is limited – and there’s a risk in that. We’re sharing and collecting more data (with consent); at the same time we’re seeing that in Europe there are many data breach notifications a day amid elevated cyberattacks. So that means governance, data minimization, and tight vendor controls must keep pace.”
Every click = a conscious choice
Consumers aren’t rejecting data-sharing altogether; they’re rejecting vague terms, overly complex choices, and unclear value. The days of blindly clicking “accept all” are over.
“Accountability is not as clear as it would have been 30 years ago,” says van Troost: “Consumers have interactions with brands online and they’re asking, what have I shared, what does a company have on me and how can I access what they have?”
Regulation nation
Marketers face twin pressures: shifting tech standards and rising regulatory scrutiny.
Top 5 disruptors impacting online advertising performance
46% Google Consent Mode
44% Google’s Privacy Sandbox
41% Ad blockers
34% Browser protocols (like Safari’s Intelligent Tracking Protection (ITP) or Firefox ETP)
33% Third-party cookie deprecation
Not surprisingly, this leaves marketers concerned about how to target the right audiences in a way that is cost-effective.
Top concerns about privacy changes
49% Increased reliance on first-party data strategies
43% Reduced ability to target the right audiences
43% Higher advertising costs / declining ad performance and ROI
37% Legal risk outweighs benefits
31% Marketing attribution challenges
24% Paid advertising is dying
The result?
The perception is that privacy rules have become an existential threat - even though the reality is the opposite. Modern brands are turning data pressures into performance because they know that privacy is now a brand differentiator which unlocks growth.
The last decade of digital marketing was defined by data collection. The next will be defined by consent. And it’s reshaping the rules of growth.
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Summary
Trust
