Just over a half ( 53%) said they are prepared and 5% did not consider it their responsibility according to the Direct Marketing Association’s ‘GDPR and you’ report. However more than two thirds ( 68%) did think their companies would be GDPR compliant by the May 2018 deadline.

Top priorities for marketers were ‘conducting impact assessments’ ( 42%), ‘giving data subjects greater control of their data’ ( 36%) and ‘revising your data policy’ ( 31%).

Marketers believe consent ( 70%), profiling ( 50%) and legacy data ( 37%) would be the biggest concerns when the GDPR comes into force.

Chris Combemale, CEO of the DMA group, said: “May 2018 should be a date that is in every marketer’s diary, giving us around 16 months before the GDPR comes into force. It is concerning that only half of our industry feels their businesses are prepared for the new rules and not that many more believe they will be ready in time. The finish line for GDPR readiness is fixed and the risk to businesses of not being compliant is significant. Our advice is to continue preparations in earnest over the coming year. Not making it across the line in time is not an option.”

He added: “The data-driven creative industries are the engine that will continue to drive growth in the UK economy post-Brexit. The status of our relationship with Europe does not change the need for UK businesses to prepare for GDPR and it’s concerning to see that only two-thirds of the industry currently expects to be ready for May 2018.”