181 zettabytes. That’s how much data the world will create in 2025 – more than every year before combined. But for marketers, more data hasn’t meant deeper connections. Trust is fading. Relationships are broken. Trapped between regulation and irrelevance, it’s time to ask: what comes next for marketing?
Trust is one of the most valuable assets a brand can build – but somewhere along the way, it started to slip. From data missteps to over-targeted ads, the cracks in consumer confidence are starting to show – and brands are beginning to feel the impact.
“We’re living in a highly aggrieved world. Trust in institutions – including businesses – is in freefall...”
Richard Edelman, chief executive, Edelman
As the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer revealed, the absence of trust is real. Speaking to The Drum earlier this year, the firm’s chief executive Richard Edelman, issued a stark warning: “We’re living in a highly aggrieved world.” Trust in institutions – including businesses – is in freefall, he said, calling for leaders to rebuild credibility through action.
Just days later, Tesla found itself in the crosshairs. A 40% drop in European sales triggered headlines and backlash, as consumers turned away from a brand many once idolized. The cause? A mounting trust deficit, driven by Elon Musk’s polarizing political stances and controversial leadership decisions.
Tesla's brand faced backlash as Musk's controversies escalated
Against a background of hostile activism and accountability-at-speed, marketers are operating in a climate where one misstep – or one data misjudgment – can trigger reputational freefall. It seems rarely a day goes by when stories of data privacy breaches don’t flood our newsfeeds.
Apple, LinkedIn, and Meta have all been through it. The most high-profile case being the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Other major consumer brands, from British Airways to TalkTalk, have also suffered significant data breaches, while Duolingo faced public backlash after user data appeared for sale online, raising concerns about third-party access and consent.
Broken data, broken relationships
Marketing hasn’t just lost control of its data. It’s lost control of its relationships. So much so that marketers sit at the bottom of the Gallup trust index, alongside politicians and car salespeople.
Years of over-collection, surveillance-style targeting, and reliance on third-party data have pushed consumers to the edge. They feel monitored, misunderstood, and manipulated. And when trust is lost, it’s not just data that disappears, it’s loyalty. According to McKinsey, 40% of consumers have stopped buying from a company after it violated their digital trust. Adobe reports that 65% worry about how much data brands collect on them.
“For the last decade or so, marketers were like kids in a candy shop – collecting all the data they could get, chasing short-term performance. But now, they’re waking up to the cost of that...”
Adelina Peltea, chief marketing officer, Usercentrics
“For the last decade or so, marketers were like kids in a candy shop – collecting all the data they could get, chasing short-term performance. But now, they’re waking up to the cost of that,” says Adelina Peltea, chief marketing officer, Usercentrics. “If we translated some of today’s digital experiences into the physical world, it wouldn’t be acceptable. You wouldn’t walk into a shop and be asked for your shoe size, birthday and location before you even saw a product.”
Consented data is the new currency
Even marketers themselves are starting to question the playbook. In private conversations, many admit their martech stacks are bloated and their data quality declining. And their audiences know it.
Not all data is created equal. Third-party data – often bought, scraped or inferred – may offer scale, but it lacks context, accuracy and, increasingly, permission. Zero-party data, while voluntarily shared, can be shallow or situational. But first-party data, collected directly through consented relationships, is the most powerful – and ethical – asset marketers have.
“Ethical marketing isn't a compromise, it’s a better way to perform. You don’t need 100 data points; sometimes three are enough, if they’re the right ones and you’ve earned them”
Adelina Peltea, chief marketing officer, Usercentrics
“Consented data has become a currency. People will give you their data – but only if they trust who you are and how you use it,” says Peltea. “Smart marketers are realizing that ethical marketing isn't a compromise, it’s a better way to perform. You don’t need 100 data points; sometimes three are enough, if they’re the right ones and you’ve earned them.”
You can't buy trust, but you can earn it
The introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) are giving control of this personal data back to the individuals, while Google’s Consent Mode V2, which allows for more precise control over user consent, are signalling a deeper shift: marketing must become people-first again.
Brands that lead with this mindset are proving that trust isn’t bought, it’s earned. Think Patagonia – a brand built on purpose and values that resonate deeply with millennials and Gen Z. It prioritizes direct, consented relationships with its customers, using data not to push products, but to build community, loyalty and lasting trust, without overstepping privacy boundaries. Or Tesco, which this year celebrates 30 years of its Clubcard loyalty scheme, using detailed first-party customer data from more than 20 million users to share personalized rewards and promotions.
Patagonia - a brand that prioritizes direct, consented relationships
Digital platform Car Finance 247, too, sees the responsible use of data as critical to its success. By taking a proactive approach to privacy-focused measurement using Google’s tools, it was able to drive 15.2% more paid search conversions via Consent Mode and a 7.5% increase in conversions driven by Enhanced Conversions. Kia, meanwhile, has also shifted to a more customer-centric approach by building first-party data collection into its existing channels and website, delivering a 4x higher conversion rate through its paid media marketing campaigns.
“Companies investing in consent management and privacy tech solutions are setting themselves apart in a competitive landscape...”
Adelina Peltea, chief marketing officer, Usercentrics
“Companies investing in consent management and privacy tech solutions are setting themselves apart in a competitive landscape where ethical data practices are becoming a key differentiator,” says Peltea.
The ninth P: Privacy as a strategic pillar
The era of collecting data freely, without meaningful consideration of user consent, is over. Cisco’s Data Privacy Benchmark Study shows that 94% of customers won’t buy from companies that fail to protect their data, while ads shown to users who have consented see a 7% boost in relevance.
Given that 73% of privacy-related decisions are now made at the executive level – this is an issue that has moved into boardroom territory – yet still almost two-thirds of businesses say they lack confidence in their data privacy compliance. This is where marketers have a chance to lead.
“For too long, data privacy has been seen as a trade-off between growth and compliance,” says Peltea. “Those days are gone. Privacy is at the heart of business growth strategies because it’s an enabler for unlocking deep customer insights and restoring faith in marketing as a practice.”
Marketers are familiar with the classic four Ps: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. Others have added People, Positioning, Processes. Then, Performance took center stage. But with trust on the line, Privacy isn’t optional – it’s foundational. It’s time marketers recognize it as the ninth P: a strategic pillar of modern marketing.
“Privacy-led marketing recognizes that privacy has evolved from legal fine print into a powerful lever for growth, differentiation, and trust-building in the age of ai and audience fragmentation.”
Adelina Peltea, chief marketing officer, Usercentrics
“Privacy-Led Marketing recognizes that privacy has evolved from legal fine print into a powerful lever for growth, differentiation, and trust-building in the age of AI and audience fragmentation,” explains Peltea. “It’s the foundation of ethical, sustainable growth: where marketers get closer to consumers, not just their data profiles.”
