What the Cambridge Analytica Scandal Means For Brands

Facebook’s data breach has major implications for how social networks use our data, but will this be the end of Facebook? Probably not. According to Global Web Index, 98% of internet users are social media users, Facebook is just too big to abandon. The real implication for brands is how consumer behavior will shift as a result.

In recent years we have seen a shift on consumer behavior on major platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Instead of using the platforms primarily to share content, consumer are leveraging them more to consume it.  To understand the consumer reaction to Facebook’s breach, we have to take a look at why, and how people use Facebook.

While some are abandoning the platform, there most likely won’t be a mass exodus. The primary reason people use Facebook is to stay in touch with loved ones, it’s also the platform with the broadest reach. The next reason, to stay-up-to-date on news and current events. The desire to stay in touch with loved ones, and stay current is not going to change, breech or not.

What will change? How people engage with the platform, and what information they are willing to share. We’ve already seen calls from consumers to check which apps have access to their Facebook data, and to cut those off. This will translate into consumers be less likely to mindlessly share data on the platform, for the sake of a fun quiz or an easy log-in. Consumers are becoming more wary of what they share, and where they share it. 

For brands, we can no longer assume we can just plug into Facebook get the consumer data we want for a campaign or activation. Consumers are already sharing less, that trend will continue. As marketers we must be more cognizant than ever, that the experiences we create must provide real value, if we want to leverage consumers data to get there. We have to police ourselves, and focus on the consumer benefit and behavior.