Email marketing abuse is rampant

CDMS a data firm has carried out a survey of the top 200 companies in the UK and has examined compliance with the EU Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications. 

The companies examined well-known players in banking, insurance, retail and mobile telecoms. 

Accordingly to CDMS almost one third of companies failed to comply with the basic requirement of offering non-customers “opt-in” or “other consent” to further marketing emails. Promotions occurred through their own website, in a third party newsletter, as advertising or by way of direct mail. 

To date there have only been two reported judgements which suggests that some marketing departments and organisations are flouting the rules knowingly whilst others are doing so through ignorance of the rules. Critically compliance is not difficult or challenging in fact and can be achieved by way of an opt-out option on collection of the email address and an unsubscribe option with each email.

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