direct marketing association the power of direct relevance. responsibility. results direct marketing...
TRANSCRIPT
Direct Marketing Association
The Power of DirectRelevance. Responsibility. Results
DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION
Not Just Mail
Jerry CerasaleSenior VP, Government Affairs
Direct Marketing Association
Change Your Name?
At a recent fundraiser a U.S. Senator asked DMA’s
President and CEO, “Have you considered changing
your name. You’re not just a mailing industry group.”
Direct Marketing Association
What is the DMA?• Over 5,000 corporate members
– 55% marketers– 45% suppliers
• Internet Alliance is a subsidiary• DMA Non Profit Federation• Direct Marketing Education
Foundation• Co-owner of Interactive Marketing
Solutions
Direct Marketing Association
More on What We are!
• Ethics– Guidelines– Enforcement– Best Practices
• Events– Seminars– Conferences– Networking
Direct Marketing Association
• Research– 9 million, $900 billion– Remote selling reduce prices?
• Councils– Catalog– List– Teleservices– IMAB-Internet– ISEC-Compilers– Directo– Direct TV– etc.
Direct Marketing Association
DMA’s Issues
• Protect the process for remote selling– State and Federal– Privacy front– Postal front– Telemarketing front– Interactive front– Tax front– International front
Direct Marketing Association
Privacy
• Too high postage rates will put some of you out of business
• Inability to share data to find new customers will close all of you
Direct Marketing Association
Basic Privacy Position• Customers have choices
– A choice to not receive more messages from you
– A choice to not have information shared with others
– Opt-out– Not Opt-in—as in Europe
• Italy went opt-in and saw a 33% reduction in DM in one year!
– Opt-in for very sensitive data—medical, financial account numbers, SSN?
Direct Marketing Association
Taste of Privacy Issues
• Security Breach– Information on customers and prospects is
lost• via hackers• via physical loss• via employee theft• via fraud
– Notify those individuals
Direct Marketing Association
What Data?
• Any information?• Jerry buys baseball tickets?• Financial account data?• SSN?
Direct Marketing Association
DMA Position
• Only name, contact AND – SSN– Driver’s License– Financial Account Numbers
• Only if there is a significant risk of ID theft
• No access and correction– If access—not to all data—just that listed
above
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Spyware or Adware• Programs placed on computers to
learn your interests to send you ads• DMA guidelines for notice and easy,
complete removal• Some legislators want opt-in• Relate to postal
– How do you obtain my interests?– Opt-in by me?
Direct Marketing Association
Postal Issues• Reform—YES w/ hard cap• Military Retirement—to taxpayer not
mailers• CSRS escrow—some for rate relief• Rate case—upper single digits is
outrageous– Join with others to parcel issues to reduce costs of
our members– Concerned w/ flats vs letters
Direct Marketing Association
More Postal• Members want DMA to focus on
policy, but enter the mail prep regulations when needed and asked
• DMA believes that US economy is based upon computer manifests for shipment of goods– Why not the mail– USPS needs to learn KISS!
Direct Marketing Association
DNM• DMA fought do-not-call registry
– Laughed at by some mailer associations
• NOW! Do-Not-Mail bills in 4 states– Why?– Success of DNC
• Mailers live in a fantasy world thinking that’s the phone or that’s the Internet
• DMA’s Mail Preference Service—4 million• DMA and Postcom have gathered a DNM
Coalition that uses DMA’s state lobbyists’ information
Direct Marketing Association
Telemarketing Issues• DNC—discussed• Inbound call and upsell• Call center outside US
– Must tell where you are– DMA wants only if asked– Must immediately switch to an American– DMA wants able to have American call back
• Wireless• States—can’t call your customers in
Indiana!
Direct Marketing Association
Interactive Issues
• E-mail marketing—keep it opt-out• Do-Not-E-mail
– Worked with FTC to try to prevent such a registry
– Utah & Michigan have DNEM registries for kids e-mail addresses for items kids can’t buy
– 3 cents per address sent to be scrubbed every 30 days
– Is mail next?
Direct Marketing Association
• AOL and Yahoo charging for guaranteed e-mail delivery– Nothing to worry about?– DMA is neutral as long as a free channel
remains open– One supplier member favors the charge
• We’ll send marketing messages as free e-mail• We’ll go after invoices and bills in the US Mail
now and go into the guaranteed e-mail delivery
Direct Marketing Association
Online Ad PlacementAffiliate Marketing
• 3 US Senators ask Ad Associations:– Do your members’ know where their on-line
ads are seen and by whom?
• FTC is concerned that marketers do not know or claim not to know that their ads are “supporting” fraudulent and porn sites
Direct Marketing Association
Establish the Parameters• It is your brand
– Once trust is lost, it is difficult to gain back
• Establish the parameters of where your ads will be placed
• Get it in writing• Monitor it• It is YOUR brand!
Direct Marketing Association
Taxes• No seller becomes an unpaid tax
collector for a state where they are not located– Think of car rental taxes—usually out-of-staters
• States have not simplified– 7,000+ jurisdictions– No uniform definitions– No single audit, registration or payment
procedure– $15 billion uncollected is not true!
Direct Marketing Association
Tax on Postage
• State simplification project allows taxing delivery charges (postage)
• If paid directly to USPS, states cannot tax
• If paid to your printer or mailing house, who entered the mail on its permits, then sales tax applies
Direct Marketing Association
• Expensive to fight state-by-state • Far from guaranteed victory• USPS should change how postage
can be paid to avoid this problem• DMA to MTAC—GET IT FIXED
SOON!
Direct Marketing Association
International Issues
• Coalition of International DMAs meet every year at DMA Annual Conference
• International Department involved in the privacy, postal and tax issues abroad
Direct Marketing Association
THANKSI hope I haven’t put you
to sleep or, worse, frighten you
Remember, my soon to be PhD son says,
“Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!”
Direct Marketing Association
You have my permission to contact me
Jerry Cerasale202.861.2423