Observed Signal · Aug 27, 2026 · Opinion / Analysis · Source: https://martech.org/feed/ · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Negative
Better data begins with treating people like people
An opinion piece argues that richer data and more precise profiling have increased marketers' confidence without improving understanding of people. Examples include a 132-field data broker profile, a reported 515-page McDonald’s loyalty dossier, and alleged MSG surveillance and risk-scoring. The author calls for greater consumer participation: the ability to inspect, correct, and control inferred attributes, clearer distinction between disclosed and inferred data, and organizational candor to reduce harms. Research from MotivationMetrics is cited showing directly measured emotional needs predict behavior better than traditional demographic/behavioral signals. The article urges the industry to prioritize data agency, consent, and governance over automated inference and volume-driven profiling.
Highlights systemic profiling, biometric and customer-data exposure, and lack of consumer control—issues that affect data governance, identity infrastructure, consent, and reputational/regulatory risk across AdTech and MarTech.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- The author requested a profile from a major data broker that contained 132 fields describing them and found much of it incorrect.
- WIRED journalist Reece Rogers reportedly received a 515-page dossier from McDonald’s loyalty data describing predictive metrics about his future visits and spend.
- Reporting based on leaked data alleged an MSG internal surveillance database with more than 39,000 entries and a separate exposed customer database of over 10.5 million entries.
- MotivationMetrics research (Beller and J.D. Pincus) reported that directly measured emotional needs predicted consumer behavior two to four times more accurately than traditional demographic and behavioral approaches.
- MarTech (the publisher) is owned by Semrush (noted in the article footer).
Connected Companies & Entities
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“At Fanatics Fest NYC, I examined sweepstakes and activations from brands including Fanatics, Topps, the NFL, NHL, Honda, American Express, P...”
“At Fanatics Fest NYC, I examined sweepstakes and activations from brands including Fanatics, Topps, the NFL, NHL, Honda, American Express, P...”
“At Fanatics Fest NYC, I examined sweepstakes and activations from brands including Fanatics, Topps, the NFL, NHL, Honda, American Express, P...”
“MarTech is owned by Semrush (noted in the article footer)....”
“At Fanatics Fest NYC, I examined sweepstakes and activations from brands including Fanatics, Topps, the NFL, NHL, Honda, American Express, P...”
“WIRED journalist Reece Rogers requested the information McDonald’s had collected about him through its loyalty program; separate WIRED repor...”
“At Fanatics Fest NYC, I examined sweepstakes and activations from brands including Fanatics, Topps, the NFL, NHL, Honda, American Express, P...”
“At Fanatics Fest NYC, I examined sweepstakes and activations from brands including Fanatics, Topps, the NFL, NHL, Honda, American Express, P...”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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