# One in four businesses is still unprepared for GDPR, says DMA - Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/02/23/one-four-businesses-still-unprepared-gdpr-says-dma/ - Published: 2017-02-23T16:43:56+00:00 - Author: Howard Lake **Research by the Direct Marketing Association reveals that 26% of marketers believe their companies are still unprepared for the introduction of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).** The second edition of the [Direct Marketing Association](http://www.dma.org.uk)‘ s (DMA) ‘GDPR and you’ series of studies into the industry’s awareness and preparedness for the [GDPR ](http://dma.org.uk/gdpr)also found that: * 56% of marketers feel prepared for GDPR * 5% believed it was not their responsibility * 68% said their business would be compliant in time for the GDPR’s full implementation in 2018  The level of preparedness has risen from 49% in June 2016 to 71% now and of ‘good’ awareness from 53% to 66% over the same period. However, the DMA argues that their is “still a clear need for urgency” for marketers to address achieving compliance. ## Advertisement [⌊Posthub advert. You create the campaign. We'll handle the postal journey. Get started at post-hub.co.uk.⌉](https://fundraising.co.uk/ads/posthub-20261007-300x250/) ## Challenges to marketers The research, which did not examine charity sector-specific attitudes, asked marketers what their biggest concerns were under GDPR. The top three concerns of those who responded were:  * consent (70%) * legacy data (50%) * profiling (37%) Consequently the top priorities for the marketers’ businesses were: * conducting impact assessments (42%) * giving data subjects greater control of their data (36%) * revising data policy (31%) * auditing data privacy policy (30%)  Chris Combemale, CEO of the DMA group, commented on the findings, saying: > “May 2018 should be a date that is in every marketer’s diary, giving us around > 16 months before the GDPR comes into force. It is concerning that only half of > our industry feels their businesses are prepared for the new rules and not that > many more believe they will be ready in time. > “The finish line for GDPR [readiness](https://www.curriculosolutions.com/how-do-we-empower-you) > is fixed and the risk to businesses of not being compliant is significant. Our > advice is to continue preparations in earnest over the coming year. Not making > it across the line in time is not an option.” ## Impact of Brexit Negotiations to leave the European Union are not going to affect the implementation of GDPR in the UK, and most companies surveyed recognised that: 83% of have not changed their plans to implement GDPR-related changes, and 7% have even accelerated these preparations. Asked what would be the best data protection policy for the UK post-Brexit, almost three quarters (74%) believe that UK law should simply match GDPR anyway. ## Data Protection Conference The DMA will be hosting its [Data Protection 2017 conference](https://dma.org.uk/event/data-protection-2017) on 24 February. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, fresh from addressing the [Fundraising and Regulatory Compliance Conference](https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/02/21/discussion-fundraising-regulatory-compliance-conference/) on Tuesday, will address the audience on the future for the UK’s data-driven creative industries.   _Image: [padlocks ](http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-171929321/stock-photo-internet-security-concept-open-red-padlock-virus-or-unsecured-with-threat-of-hacking.html) by Brian A Jackson on Shutterstock.com_ * **[[Infographic] DMA on marketing emails in 2017 – the challenge of relevant content](https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/03/15/infographic-dma-marketing-emails-2017-challenge-relevant-content/)**( 15 March 2017) * **[EDM Media UK one of first to pass new DMA data compliance audit](https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/11/17/edm-media-uk-one-first-pass-new-dma-data-compliance-audit/)**( 17 November 2017) * **[JICMAIL launches to provide mail media metrics](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/01/22/jicmail-launches-provide-mail-media-metrics/)**( 22 January 2018) ![Loading](https://fundraising.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/page-views-count/ajax-loader- 2x.gif)