“Today’s CMO needs to be part reality-checker and part soothsayer, helping the board accept new realities,” explains MarTech Boston speaker Kristina Podnar of NativeTrust.

"This is an ongoing issue from the brand perspective. It degrades the Target brand.” - explained Kristina Podnar, a digital policy consultant, when asked about Target’s weekend cash register snafu.

Of course, we’re now getting equivalent regs in California and Washington. Kristina Podnar says, “No need to fear yet another data privacy regulation” - Security Boulevard

"Many think of digital policies as restrictive, bureaucratic red tape that slows things down and makes their jobs harder," says Kristina Podnar, principal of NativeTrust Consulting. "It doesn't have to be that way. In fact, digital policies are liberating! Once everyone knows the rules, they can stop worrying -- and focus that energy on being creative and productive within the established guidelines."

Podnar outlines how to apply this new thinking to developing digital policies in her latest book, The Power of Digital Policy. She defines effective digital policies as "simple, clear statements on how your business will conduct its digital operations," providing guidance to all digital workers and contractors, with "a level of detail that translates the digital strategy into actions." Forbes

There may be hope. Kristina Podnar, a digital governance advisor, said she’s seeing more organizations improve their marketing processes by asking questions as part of the campaign process. CMSWire

"In many ways, GDPR is forcing organizations to adopt sound governing practices that should already be in place. For example, naming an individual accountable for understanding business-wide data collection and management practices should be the norm and not a struggle." CMSWire

"Today we see very informed and demanding customers, who equate brands with experiences. That means that if the customer digital journey is a good one, the customer is willing to pay for the excellent experience, even when it comes at a premium. Conversely, if the customer digital journey is a poor one, it can quickly anger customers, lead to unfavorable reviews and social media shout outs, damage the brand and company financial performance." CMSWire

"This is not to say it is the Wild West for US digital marketers. The legal environment and compliance issues matter, for some companies more than others granted, but they do matter." CMSWire

"Organizations that are serious about getting it right and ensuring they are aligning digital to the organization’s business objectives start by creating a sound digital governance framework" CMSWire

“Policy is intended to create a framework for behavior that is aligned with the governing body of an organization. If you want people to read (and follow!) your policy—whether they be website visitors or employees working on digital content—you should keep it short and written in plain language. You should state the “what” and “why” within several sentences, or a paragraph at most. Your goal is to clearly and quickly explain to the reader the impact on them as a result of using the digital content (for the website visitor) or how they should behave in creating the digital content (for the digital worker). If you find it necessary to document additional details, such as the “how” to execute within the context of a policy, you should develop a companion operating procedure.”  Managing Chaos: Digital Governance by Design by Lisa Welchman

“Just because you say governance to me 5 times in a sentence, won’t make me believe you have it!”  Project Agency