The Direct Marketing Association, after securing unanimous board approval, has made several changes to its telephone marketing guidelines.
In some areas, the rules “go beyond the current telemarketing laws,” said president H. Robert Wientzen, in a statement. Following the DMA’s ethical guidelines is a requirement of membership.
The guidelines require that member firms use a wireless suppression service and to use the Federal Trade Commission’s national do-not-call registry. They also mandate that firms observe FTC rules on caller identification and automatic number identification, although they are not effective until January 2004.
The DMA also insists that marketers transmit phone numbers and names—and not block transmission of Caller ID—when the technology is available.
In addition, marketers must not terminate calls or provide misleading information when consumers call. And prerecorded solicitations must include a name and telephone number that the consumer can call to be spared future calls.
Regarding fax machines, the DMA wants members to obey new Federal Communications Commission rules, although they do not take effect until January 2005. The new definition states that faces can be sent only to consumers who have inquired about a product or service within three months of the inquiry, and to customers who have purchased or paid for a product within the last 18 months.
The DMA has also created new rules for viral marketing. All DMA ethical guidelines can be viewed at www.the-dma.org/guidelines/ethicalguidelines.shtml.
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