Jordan Moffett, Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Gatton College of Business and Economics, has co-authored new research published in the Journal of Marketing titled “Customer Data Privacy Stewardship.” The study urges companies to stop treating data privacy as a mere compliance obligation and start viewing it as a strategic advantage.
Motivated by a growing divide between companies that address privacy only when required and those that proactively embed it into their strategy, the research explores whether proactive privacy stewardship pays off. The findings show that firms can boost performance by making privacy a core part of their customer strategy, especially high-affinity brands or those with a history of data breaches. By signaling that they care about and protect customer data, businesses can build trust, differentiate themselves, and create long-term value for both the company and its customers.
“In today’s digital world, privacy can create value in its own right,” Moffett notes. “It’s not a trade-off against growth but a driver of trust, differentiation, and performance.”
Read the full journal article here: Customer Data Privacy Stewardship
