ICO Provides Clarity

The following paragraph is taken from the ICO's FAQ's for Charities, but of course it applies to all organisations: At Kudos, our interpretation of GDPR and PECR has always been this, but the clarity from the ICO does make us breathe a sigh of relief!Companies are required to undertake Privacy Impact Assessments and specifically Legitimate Interest Assessments, if you are planning to rely on Legitimate Interests for marketing. Kudos have carried out a number of these, so please contact us if you want a formal or informal chat about the process, documentation or any other aspects.Too many people are ignoring PECR and focussing entirely on GDPR - they need reviewing together! PECR governs the use of electronic marketing (email, text and some calls) and has been in force for a number of years. Unfortunately, many organisations have been unaware of (or ignored) PECR. If that is your organisation - read it and pay special attention to the soft opt-in clause!I'm pretty sure that we will see an increase in Direct Mail and a decrease in email marketing. And I'm pretty sure that both channels will see an increase in ROI as "not interested" customers and prospects get removed from the campaigns. Hallelujah!The marketing industry has moved away from postal ("snail mail") due to the higher costs of creative, raw materials, fulfillment and postage, compared to email ("spam"). But cost is the wrong metric to measure - track ROI and more often than not, postal beats email. (Of course, not all email is spam, but the vast majority that I receive is - I didn't ask for it and I don't have an interest in it!) So why does postal beat email on ROI? Yes it costs more, but direct mail creates a stronger emotional engagement between the sender and the recipient. Royal Mail research found that mail triggers various actions, including driving people to connect with businesses online. As a result of receiving mail:

     · 86% have connected with a business;

· 54% have engaged in social media;

· 43% have downloaded something.

I'd say that 90% of marketing and sales emails received in my household and at work go directly into my Junk or Clutter folders. They stay there for a few hours before I delete them. They don't get looked at!I'd also say that 90% of marketing & sales mail received in my household and work get opened and lie around for a short while, before most get binned. But anything of interest (even slight interest) gets passed around and can stay in sight for a few days.

Direct mail does work!

Kudos have provided Campaign data processing services for a decade - data selection, dedupe, data hygiene, PAF, postal sortation, suppression services and more. We love Direct Mail! We are DMA members, use PRINCE2 project management and have over 60 years of combined experience in data services. Put us to the test and request a quote for your next campaign - you have nothing to lose and much to gain!Contact Us!So if you need to review any aspect of your Direct Mail, GDPR compliance, data processing, analytics, systems - in fact, anything data-related, give James Squires a call on 0330 043 1593, email james.squires@kudos-data.com or visit www.kudos-data.com