small print BIG PRINT
One of the easiest ways for companies to legally pass on your details to third parties, or to get you to sign up to things you don’t want is through small print. And to us, it’s a big problem.
Our aim
In a nutshell, we wanted to encourage consumers to read small print more closely, and to make them more aware of their rights, so that they can demand a more transparent service from organisations. This went hand-in-hand with our launch of the Privacy Notices Code of Practice – making organisations aware of their obligations.
A big campaign
So, we launched our ‘small print BIG PRINT’ campaign to heighten awareness of the issue. Extensive media coverage included national press and over 10 radio and TV interviews syndicated to around 90 regional radio stations. We also had interviews on Radio 4’s Today programme, BBC Breakfast, ITV Lunchtime News and GMTV’s news bulletins. No small achievement. And a campaign that made a big impact.
The small detail
As well as high profile media coverage, our campaign involved:
- Providing examples of best and worst privacy policies, as well as collecting and emailing direct marketing opt outs to the media.
- Asking consumers to decipher what is meant by the opt in/out boxes. We recorded how difficult it was to work out and whether they knew what they were agreeing to.
- A ‘consumer champion’ was enrolled to provide a quote in support of the campaign for the consumer media.
- A representative from Vodafone provided a quote in support of transparent and clear privacy policies and marketing opt ins/outs, highlighting how they are good for business.
- A YouGov research poll was conducted. Two targeted press releases were then issued to consumer, national and trade/business media.
