Not long ago, when I was running my start up, BeMarketed, I remember pitching to a local Peshawar-based business that was hesitant about social media campaigns. “Why do you want our Facebook login?” the owner asked me. “What will you do with all that customer data?” At the time, I thought it was simply unfamiliarity at play. Now, I realise it was foresight. He was not resisting digital marketing; he was trying to understand where his customers’ privacy stood in the equation. That question stayed with me, and then in 2025 I realised it had become central to the way consumers relate to brands online.

Today, consumers no longer view privacy as an abstract right. It is personal. It is political. It is power. From Meta’s frequent headlines to the creeping unease around TikTok and third-party cookies, consumers have woken up to how often they are being watched, profiled and targeted – not just by governments, but by brands too. Nowhere is this awakening more visible than in the world of digital marketing.

Having worked in both the US and Pakistani business environments – whether at Paradigm Business Brokers in Dallas or covering commerce trends as part of my editorial role at Sunrise Today – I have noticed that the one universal element is trust – and that digital trust is no longer easily earned. Brands may have fancy analytics dashboards, but consumers have learnt the cost of convenience – their data trails are more valuable than the products they buy.

These concerns did not happen overnight. In Pakistan, the early digital campaigns of the 2010s often involved mass SMS or poorly targeted Facebook ads. There was limited understanding of segmentation or data privacy. However, things changed quickly. With the explosion of e-commerce platforms like Daraz and social sellers across Instagram and WhatsApp, users began to notice how eerily accurate product suggestions became. The ‘I just mentioned it and it popped up’ effect was no longer funny. It felt invasive, and people started asking: “How did they know I wanted that?”

At FF Steel, where I was involved in internal research and strategic marketing, even B2B players began to discuss data protection as part of the overall brand value. Vendors, partners and institutional buyers began asking which platforms we used, where their purchase histories were stored and how we handled the data. Privacy had gone from being a tech issue to a marketing one.

Globally, the writing was already on the wall. The turning point was the 2018 European General Data Protection Regulation that forced even Pakistani businesses operating overseas to reconsider the way they handled customer information. In Pakistan, we saw the emergence of the Personal Data Protection Bill (still in legislative limbo), but its very presence has signalled change. Brands that used to think in terms of ‘reach’ now have to think about ‘rights’ and marketers can no longer hide behind third-party tools. If you know your customer is a woman in her thirties living in Lahore with an interest in skincare, you have to justify how you obtained that information – and why you are using it.

When I was working at IMSciences as an intern in the publications and media department, I saw how educational branding began to shift. Admissions campaigns went from simple poster drives to digital funnels, complete with remarketing, cookies and data forms. Yet, although all this was effective, students began to ask, “Where is this data going?” Universities, once seen as trustworthy, began to receive the same scepticism afforded to banks or online stores.

Here is the paradox. Personalisation works. It increases conversion, and it feels relevant. Having helped craft campaigns for diverse clients through my start-up, I understand why brands chase personalisation. However, the tension arises from the fact that personalisation and privacy sit on opposite ends of the spectrum. The more you know, the better you sell – but the more uncomfortable your customer may feel about being known. To fix this, marketers must pivot from covert data extraction to transparent value exchange. Let the customer know what it is you are collecting and why, and what they will get in return. If you are offering a discount for signup data, say so clearly. If you are tracking preferences in order to improve their user experience, spell it out. The age of manipulative fine print is over.

Another concern is the overuse of third-party platforms. Too many Pakistani brands rely on international ad tech without understanding how the data is stored or shared. When I worked with clients in Dallas, we spent weeks vetting CRMs and email tools. However, in Pakistan, privacy audits are rare, and this needs to change. Local solutions – or at least localised standards – must emerge if we are to win back consumer trust.

Younger audiences, in particular, are hyper-aware of digital manipulation. Gen Z are not only ‘tech savvy’; they are privacy conscious, sceptical and vocal. They use ad blockers. They read privacy policies. They use temporary email addresses and VPNs. Marketing to them requires honesty, not tricks. If you try to reach Gen Z with fake urgency or tracking pixels, they will ghost you – and probably post about it on X.

A way forward is for companies to appoint a dedicated privacy officer within their marketing departments. This is not just a legal function; it is a brand function. A privacy officer can serve as a bridge between customer expectations and marketing practices and ensure that every campaign and ad funnel respects consent and data boundaries. By embedding this role in their marketing strategies, brands can proactively avoid missteps rather than reactively apologise for them.

Another important solution lies in education. Brands should invest in transparency, not only through their policies but also through their storytelling as well. They should explain how they use data in plain language – even through short videos or infographics. Show users the journey of their data, from collection to deletion. The more people understand, the more likely they are to participate willingly. Ignorance breeds mistrust; clarity, on the other hand, can become a competitive advantage.

Ultimately, rebuilding digital trust is not just about compliance; it is about culture. Companies need to embed privacy in their brand identity, not only in their policy pages. This requires marketing teams to collaborate with their legal, tech and customer service departments and make consent a feature, not a formality. It also means shifting the conversation from “What can we get away with?” to “What would we want if we were the customer?”

As someone who has worn many hats – business broker, marketer, journalist and start-up founder – I have come to the conclusion that trust is the only currency in digital marketing. Algorithms change, platforms come and go and trends fade. However, if your customers believe you respect their privacy, they will stay loyal long after the campaign ends. In a world where everything is trackable, traceable and transactional, this kind of loyalty is priceless.

Zeeshan Wasim is Editor, Sunrise Today. zeeshanwasim@yahoo.com