DMA News May 2010

Welcome to the DMA news for May 2010.

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!

The Information Commissioner Christopher Graham has called for political parties and candidates to follow privacy rules when promoting themselves on the election campaign trail, and warned them of the consequences of their failure do so.

In his keynote address at the Direct Marketing Association's annual Data Protection Conference, Mr Graham announced that the Information Commissioner's Office will be issuing to political parties and candidates guidance on communicating through direct marketing media including direct mail, SMS text, emails, telemarketing and automated phone calls.

The guidance covers all aspects of direct response campaigning, such as encouraging support for a particular political party or candidate and appeals for donations.

Political parties are subject to the same data privacy rules and punitive sanctions as the marketing industry when it comes to promoting their parties through direct marketing to voters.

Mr Graham's comments come at a time when the DMA has been focused on raising awareness within the marketing industry of the importance of data privacy.

In January, the DMA launched DataSeal, the first data security standard to be produced specifically for the direct marketing industry.

Working in conjunction with BSi, the DMA has produced the private security standard to help boost consumer confidence in sharing their personal details with commercial organisations.

Certification in the standard will provide direct marketing services suppliers with an accessible and cost-effective means of meeting their business's data security responsibilities and obligations.

Commenting on Mr Graham's address, Robert Keitch of the DMA said "marketers must heed the Information Commissioner's warning that there's no excuse for breaching data privacy regulations."

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