DMA in DC Starts Tuesday

The Direct Marketing Association will kick off DMA in DC 2013 on Tuesday, March 12, a three day event designed to educate marketers on critical issues affecting the data-driven marketing industry.

The event kicks off with a one day policy briefing about the legislative issues that should be top of mind, for marketers says Rachel Thomas, vice president of government affairs for the DMA, noting that the event will also include a primer on how to be your own best advocate on the hill.

Sessions will include a briefing from the DMA’s government affairs team, a roundup of where marketing regulation and enforcement is headed, a panel discussion on the costs of fundraising, threats to the data-driven way of life, a discussion of whether “do not track” still matters, a look at the impact of marketing on politics and a keynote by Doug Gansler, attorney general of the state of Maryland and president of the National Association of Attorneys General.

The second day is entirely on the hill, where DMA members will meet with Congressional policy leaders. On the third day, marketers will get briefings on data best practices.

Last fall, the DMA launched the Data-Driven Marketing Institute, an initiative it hopes will help the industry educate consumers about the way data-driven marketing helps consumers and boosts the economy. “We still have plenty of work to do, but we’re delighted by the response so far,” says Thomas.

“The whole point was to engage the industry and educate consumers about how our industry works,” she continues. “We think that’s where a lot of the concerns are coming from, regarding what is and what isn’t done by consumer marketers, and how the industry self regulates itself.”