agency:2 article exploring the 4 things your business needs to do to comply with the EU ePrivacy Directive which have set out changes in cookie and privacy legislation. It's a complex subject. Where do you start? How can you abide by the new laws without too much disruption to your marketing activity? Here are our top four recommendations.

1. May 2011 www.agency2.co.uk 0207 775 5608
Are you flying blind to changes in cookie laws?
The 4 things your business needs to do to comply with the May 26th change in
cookie and privacy legislation.
As pointed out in my previous article How the change in cookies law will affect your business, UK
businesses need to act now to comply with the new changes in privacy laws. But where do you
start? How can you abide by the new laws without too much disruption to your marketing activity?
Here are our top four recommendations.
1. Transparency
Businesses using cookies must be completely transparent in how they collect, store and use data.
Make sure your privacy policy is up to date and that you've provided information on how to reject
or delete cookies. By making it clear you're using them, what they are being used for you and how
users can control them, you'll educate people about how they are essential for personalisation.
2. Responsibility
Data must be used responsibly. There has been very little misuse of cookies by B2C and B2B
companies and this must continue.
Businesses must be aware of all cookies utilised within their website - the legislation includes both
your own cookies as well as cookies set by a third party. So remember, you are responsible
for all cookies on the site and ensuring they comply with the legislation.
3. Intelligence
There needs to be innovation within the industry. Businesses need to become smarter in their use of
cookies as well as developing new uses for them.
Retargeting - display advertising which incorporates user intent - is the hot topic within the industry
at the moment. It means ads can serve reminders to users as they move on to other sites by using a
tracking code which has saved the details. It's been seen as a game changer by many.
4. Social Media
There are other examples, perhaps through behavioural advertising for mobiles or cookies which
form part of social media tagging. The mix of these tags and cookies would provide a uniquely
personalised insight into consumer behaviour.
Due to the amount of time people spend on sites like Facebook and Twitter, social media will prove
vital to those in the industry. With their ability to understand and classify the information a person

2. May 2011 www.agency2.co.uk 0207 775 5608
posts on the social networking sites, such as their name, gender, date of birth, their photograph and
other personal information, marketers will be desperate to utilise social media to really understand
consumers.
Cookies’ fortune?
The impending law changes have provoked much debate within the industry about how to deal with
them. It is a complex topic and one that will be difficult to enforce, whatever the outcome.
It's clear that the challenges posed require the industry to come together to develop a robust and
workable solution to deal with the new legislation. The Privacy Icon is a step in the right direction
and shows that self-regulation can work. It has been developed by a broad coalition of advertising,
marketing and online businesses, including Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) Europe, the World
Federation of Advertisers, the European Advertising Standards Alliance, the Direct Marketing
Association and the Incorporated Society for British Advertisers (ISBA).
It must also be remembered that when used responsibly and effectively, cookies are an invaluable
way of enhancing the user experience and customer satisfaction, as well as providing marketers with
a vital tool to improve conversion rates. The ultimate solution will safeguard these benefits for both
parties.