How Marketing and Security Can Collaborate to Build Brand Trust
A new study finds that effective partnerships between CMOs and the CISOs can boost customer engagement and enrichment while polishing brand reputation. So why do so many organizations struggle to align their marketing and security teams, and what can be done about it?
By David Evans, Chief Content Officer
The report: Marketing and Data Security: The Unlikely Brand Building Partnership
Source: The CMO Council & KPMG
Why we picked it: Marketing and data security teams often seem to be working at cross purposes: Marketing wants to leverage the insights inherent in customer data, while security is entrusted to protect that data from misuse and guarantee customer privacy. Is there a way to get these teams in sync to drive growth responsibly?
Executive Summary
The partnership between Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) is becoming increasingly crucial in today’s data-driven business landscape. As marketers seek to leverage more customer data for personalized interactions, the risk of data breaches and security incidents rises.
A recent study, conducted by the CMO Council and KPMG, reveals that while many marketing-security partnerships are evolving, a third are yet not collaborating effectively. Which is a problem, because the study also argues that successful partnerships can drive significant performance boosts in brand reputation, actionable data insights, as well as customer and employee experience.
Meanwhile, as AI and other data-hungry technologies surge, the CMO-CISO relationship will become even more critical in balancing business growth with data protection and customer trust.
Key Takeaways
- 33% of marketing-security partnerships are not collaborating effectively to acquire, maintain, and secure customer data for competitive advantage.
- Regular communication and early involvement of security in marketing initiatives are crucial for successful partnerships.
What we liked about this report: It pinpoints a critical point of friction and misalignment in many corporate structures and quantifies the gains to be made if those issues can be overcome.
What we didn’t: The report’s recommendations on how to foster collaboration are a bit reductive: Collaborate more!
The Evolving Marketing-Security Partnership
In an era where data breaches and privacy concerns are on the rise, the relationship between marketing and security teams has never been more critical. This study reveals that while 79% of marketers recognize the importance of this partnership, there’s still significant room for improvement in collaboration and alignment.
The data dilemma Marketers are increasingly hungry for customer data to drive personalized experiences and targeted campaigns. However, this appetite for data comes with heightened security risks. Bret Sanford-Chung, Managing Director of Marketing Advisory Services at KPMG, emphasizes, "The marketing-security partnership is the foundation of your customer and employee experience, and by extrapolation, your brand." This underscores the far-reaching implications of how marketing and security teams work together.
The challenge lies in balancing the need for data-driven marketing strategies with robust security measures. As Aditi Uppal, VP of Digital Marketing at Teradata, points out, "Because of the nature of the work we do and our openness to marketing transactions and customer interactions, it’s no longer in our control to even assess what can lead to a risk." This highlights the need for a proactive approach to security in marketing initiatives.
Collaboration challenges and opportunities Many marketing-security partnerships face significant obstacles. The study reports that 61% of marketers cite misaligned priorities as the top challenge, followed by inadequate understanding of roles (57%) and lack of communication (51%).
These challenges often stem from the different focuses of marketing and security teams. While marketers are driven by growth, customer engagement, and data utilization, security teams prioritize risk mitigation and data protection. Bridging this gap requires a mutual understanding of each other’s priorities and how they contribute to overall business objectives.
Key Data Points
- 79% of marketers say the marketing-security relationship is "extremely" or "very" important and
- 89% of collaborative partnerships are satisfied with their ability to enrich customer experience, versus 23% of less collaborative partnerships.
- Yet 65% of marketing campaigns don’t involve security during conceptualization and planning.
Successful partnerships are characterized by regular joint meetings and consistent communication. However, 32% of less collaborative partnerships communicate only during crises, highlighting a reactive rather than proactive approach. This reactive stance can lead to missed opportunities for innovation and increased vulnerability to security threats.
John Kupcinski, CISO at PSEG Long Island, emphasizes the importance of early collaboration: "From a cyber or data governance perspective, we need to know we’re not designing a campaign that could increase the risk to the firm. The earlier we can have those conversations, the better tailored the output." This approach allows for security considerations to be built into marketing initiatives from the ground up, rather than being bolted on as an afterthought.
The rise of AI and its implications The emergence of AI and machine learning as top security concerns in marketing initiatives reflects the rapidly evolving technological landscape. These technologies offer unprecedented opportunities for personalization and customer insights, but they also introduce new vulnerabilities and ethical considerations.
Jesmine La Russa, VP of Marketing at The Doctors Company, shares an example of how companies are grappling with these challenges: "With the proliferation of AI, specifically around chatbots like ChatGPT, it’s imperative that TDC employees remain diligent in our efforts to safeguard sensitive data." This highlights the need for clear guidelines and protocols around the use of AI in marketing, developed collaboratively between marketing and security teams.
Read more:
- Why Banks Remain So Vulnerable to Cybersecurity Risks — and How to Plug the Leaks
- The Rising Cybersecurity Risks That Will Plague Banking in 2023
- The Three Most Crucial Cybersecurity Defenses in Banking
Security as a Marketing Differentiator
An evolving aspect of the marketing-security partnership is the potential for security to become a marketing differentiator. As consumers become more aware of data privacy issues, companies that can demonstrate strong security practices may gain a competitive edge.
Jodie Hoare, formerly Head of Marketing EMEA at Trustwave, suggests: "The CISO can help marketing externally by showing customers how the brand is addressing security issues through blogging and in your marketing programs." This approach not only helps build customer trust but also positions the company as a leader in responsible data management.
Performance Boosts from Strong Partnerships
The study uncovered striking differences in performance between collaborative and non-collaborative partnerships:
- Brand reputation: 46% of collaborative partnerships were "very satisfied" with their ability to preserve brand reputation, compared to just 1% of less collaborative ones.
- Data insights: Only 4% of collaborative partnerships were dissatisfied with their ability to acquire and protect customer data for actionable insights, versus 62% of less collaborative partnerships.
- Customer experience: 89% of collaborative partnerships were satisfied with their ability to enrich customer experience, compared to 23% of less collaborative partnerships.
- Employee experience: 84% of collaborative partnerships were satisfied with their ability to foster a secure and collaborative work environment, versus 22% of less collaborative partnerships.
The Path Forward
To strengthen the marketing-security partnership, experts recommend:
1. Establishing common goals and metrics that both teams can derive value from.
2. Fostering open and early communication between CMOs and CISOs.
3. Involving security early in marketing initiatives and campaign planning.
4. Collaborating on incident response and prevention across functions.
5. Considering security as a potential marketing differentiator.
As Aditi Uppal, VP of Digital Marketing at Teradata, notes, "The relationship has to be a lot more proactive and strategic in nature."
Editor’s note: This article was prepared with AI language software and edited for clarity and accuracy by The Financial Brand editorial team.