DMA News June 2011

Welcome to the DMA news for May 2011.

The DMA News is updated regularly to bring you up to speed on the latest developments at the Direct Marketing Association. Please check back often so that you don't miss out!

Cookies regulations come into force The cookies law comes into force this month. From the 26th of May 2011, UK businesses and organisations will have to get informed consent before storing or retrieving information on users' computers. The Information Commissioner's Office has published a set of guidelines on actions businesses need to take to comply with the new regulations. It will also issue separate guidance on how it plans to enforce the regulations in the near future. The DMA will continue to keep members up to date with all the developments as they unfold and advise on what action they need to take.

[The localisation marketing revolution Consumers' mistrust of big brands, government and globalisation has made the pull towards local much stronger in recent years and has seen the growth of localisation marketing. Localisation marketing started out as a form of brand policing, a way of ensuring local campaigns were on brand and on message. Brands are now using it to add a layer of relevance beyond the national message. Nick Davies is the managing director of EMO and a localisation marketing expert. In a recent interview with the DMA he explained the concept of localisation marketing and how organisations are using it to connect with local audiences.

The value of social media A new report from the DMA Social Media Council provides an insight into marketing professionals' attitudes to social media. The Value of Social Media report asked UK marketers what they thought about social media. The results reveal a cautious market but one which is set to take off in the next 12 to 18 months. Marketers are preoccupied with campaign measurement and determining whether spend on social media is producing results. And while marketers are confident with basic ROI measures such as number of fans on Facebook they are less familiar with powerful new metrics available which show how active consumers are on the brand's social media channel.

That's all for now, see you next month.