What PDPL Compliance Really Means for Sales and Marketing Teams in Saudi Arabia
In a recent Q&A on LinkedIn, Leslie Bradshaw (VP of Research & Growth at Pyxos) spoke with Jonathan Kass (Co-Founder & COO) about how sales and marketing leaders can take the lead in privacy-first growth strategies. Leslie has adapted this Q&A for our blog below.
Why should marketing and sales teams care about PDPL?
Sales and marketing teams are on the front lines of customer engagement. PDPL compliance isn't just for legal and IT—it’s for everyone who touches personal data. Respecting user privacy is a way to earn trust and differentiate your brand.
Any company can say they’re trustworthy. Proving it through privacy-conscious operations is what matters.
How does PDPL reshape day-to-day marketing practices?
PDPL is an opt-in law. That means explicit, documented consent is non-negotiable. This has fundamentally changed how we collect and use personal data in the Saudi market.
For example, here are some of the privacy-first practices we’ve built into our workflows at Pyxos:
Honoring LinkedIn Event consent: Only 35% of attendees to a recent webinar opted-in to receive future marketing communications. That means we respect the choice of the remaining 65% by not contacting them.
Designing our consent forms with a privacy-first lens: Clear consent language is now standard on our event pages and research recruitment forms.
Tracking consent with precision: We log the timestamp, consent language, and privacy policy version shown at the time of form submission. This gives us a clear, auditable record that honors each person’s choice.
Limiting data use to its original purpose: When someone signs up for a research interview, we use their data only for that purpose—not for future marketing—unless they’ve explicitly agreed otherwise.
Ditching outdated tactics: Buying lists or enriching leads without consent is off the table.
What is an example of PDPL risk in common marketing workflows?
Let’s take the recent webinar referenced above as an example:
Risk: Following up with the 65% of people who didn’t explicitly opt-in via LinkedIn violates PDPL.
Solution: Only follow up with the 35% who opted in. For broader coverage, use your own registration page with clear consent language—and make sure to log that consent. For example, here’s how we communicate it: https://www.pyxos.ai/may-5th-webinar).
What does a privacy-first mindset look like in practice for sales and marketing teams?
It’s about slowing down and asking the right questions:
Where is this data stored?
Do we have consent to use it?
Are we honoring what the user signed up for?
Said another way, here’s what privacy-first engagement looks like in practice:
Giving people clear, meaningful choices over their information.
Being transparent not just about how data is used—but also where and how it’s stored.
Designing forms and messaging that prioritize clarity and consent over conversion.
What shifts should sales and marketing leaders make under PDPL?
From → To
Purchased contact lists → Engaged audiences built through consent
Opt-out mechanisms → Opt-in approach with clear, documented consent
Broad, untargeted campaigns → Personalized outreach based on expressed interest
Compliance as a legal formality → Compliance as a trust signal and brand differentiator
Untracked or scattered data storage → Centralized, auditable systems with clear access controls
Siloed vendor management → Vendors treated as accountable data processors under PDPL, with clear contracts and controls
In a world where consumers are increasingly skeptical of how their information is used, PDPL is a fantastic opportunity to show that your brand genuinely respects and protects their data.
Is PDPL something marketers can delegate?
Absolutely not. As a Growth leader, you should:
Own the data flow. Know where and how personal data enters and is used in your systems.
Partner with compliance and tech teams. Manual compliance isn’t realistic anymore—you need system-wide visibility and tracking.
Lead by example. Set high standards and help your team understand why privacy matters.
Final Advice: What should growth-focused executives do about PDPL?
Don’t wait for a regulator or a customer to ask hard questions. Be proactive:
Audit your tools and data sources.
Update your forms and consent processes.
Educate your team.
Get curious—not just compliant.
Become a Privacy Champion and help drive culture change in your every day actions.
The future of marketing belongs to companies that treat privacy not as a burden, but as a brand strength!
How AI was used in this post:
Editing human-written responses for clarity
Brainstorming headlines
Help in adapt our LinkedIn Q&A for Answer Engine Optimization
