Half of UK public ‘bombarded’ with irrelevant marketing

According to the research, 42% of people said they receive marketing via social media at least once a day, and 36% say they receive calls once a week or more. 

But half of those that have ever received this marketing say that it’s never relevant to them. It is reportedly most common to receive marketing about a hobby or interest that they don't have ( 61%), or promotions or offers in areas they neither live in or visit ( 35%). 

Over half ( 55%) of people receiving promotional material believe that the majority of these organisations obtained their contact details without their consent. 

This research comes alongside the launch of The CIM’s Data Right campaign, which calls on business to be more responsible with the way they manage data. 

“What’s most worrying about these results is that they are unsurprising," said Chris Daly, The CIM’s chief executive. "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.”