The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has launched a free online tool to help organisations ensure their direct marketing activities comply with UK law – namely the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations (PECR), and the UK GDPR.
By using the direct marketing advice generator, small organisations will get reliable compliance advice, tailored to their own direct marketing activities, in minutes.
This allows organisations to reach out and promote their products and services to both new and existing customers, as well as share their aims and ideals – and can assist in making sure they’re contacting people who are happy to hear from them. Ultimately, it saves them time and money and protects their reputation.
The tool, which covers email, SMS, direct mail, social media, telemarketing and more, makes it quicker and easier for small organisations to access the right advice for different types of direct marketing.
By answering a few simple questions, the tool will bring the relevant guidance together in one place. So organisations can spend less time figuring out which advice applies to their particular direct marketing activities, and more time getting on with running their business.
Why is the tool so important?
It’s crucial that organisations follow the rules for direct marketing, not only to avoid receiving complaints from their customers, but also to avoid fines from the ICO.
Last year, the ICO took action against Money Bubble Ltd and Breathe Services Ltd, both based in Greater Manchester. The companies were fined a total of £290,000 and issued with enforcement notices after an ICO investigation found they’d collectively made in excess of 4.5 million nuisance phone calls to people who’d opted out of receiving marketing calls.
A fine totalling £150,000 was additionally issued to two companies, Quick Tax Claims Limited, and National Debt Advice Limited, for sending in excess of 7.5 million spam text messages to people resulting in over 70,000 complaints – 93% of these stating there was no ‘opt out’ option. During this investigation, it transpired that both companies had purchased personal information from third-party suppliers that did not obtain valid consent.
Who is the direct marketing advice generator for?
The tool has been designed with small organisations in mind, who might have less time and resources. However, it is available for anyone to use – whether the organisation is a sole trader, start-up, a small or medium sized organisation, or a charity, group or club.
The ICO’s Head of Business Services, Faye Spencer, said: “Direct marketing can be a great asset to any organisation when it’s done correctly and lawfully. This new tool, coupled with our privacy notice generator launched last year, aims to make data protection compliance simple and stress-free for all organisations.
“We’d love for you to try the direct marketing advice generator for yourself, and fill in the feedback form when you’ve used it. We want to make sure all our products and services meet the needs different types of organisations, and your feedback is invaluable in helping us to do this.”