How to Get Marketing Data Governance Right
Rules about what customer data marketing collects, where it lives and who can use it.
Samir Haddad
Where most projects go wrong
The usual mistakes:
- Customer data copied between tools untracked
- Retention decided by default settings
- Vendors added without review
- Privacy requests that miss marketing systems
What good looks like instead
- Map where customer data lives across tools
- Record lawful basis per use
- Set retention periods and enforce them
- Review vendor data sharing
- Include marketing tools in privacy request processes
Why it matters
Marketing tools accumulate personal data quickly, and governance is what keeps that lawful and manageable.
The specs that matter
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Inventory | you cannot govern data you have not mapped |
| Lawful basis | each use needs a basis |
| Retention | data should not be kept indefinitely |
| Sharing | vendors and partners extend the data footprint |
Knowing when to hand it over
Tip: Bring in help when marketing data spreads across many tools.
Where this comes from
- California Privacy Protection Agency — CCPA regulations
- Information Commissioner's Office — Lawful basis for processing
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
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Where to go next
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