Jan. 22, 2008
COMMENTARY: Thank You, DMA, for a No Junk Mail List
By Rene A. Henry
Seattle, WA (Special to HNN) -- For years I have complained about getting too much mail I didn’t want. Especially catalogs. Some companies even sent me two or three identical copies. And, even when I moved to another city they still found a way to catch up with me and clutter my mailbox. For years I have advocated what I call a “No Junk Mail Registry.”
But now, thanks to the Direct Marketing Association, you and I can now decide what catalogs and other mail we want or do not want to receive. I congratulate the leadership and membership for its DMA Choice which allows us to decide what we want in our mailbox. Equally as important is the fact that the trade organization, which represents businesses and nonprofits that use direct marketing tools, took the initiative rather than being forced to do so by the federal government.
In order to reduce unwanted and unsolicited telephone calls, it took an Act of Congress to create the National Do Not Call Registry on June 27, 2003. When the telemarketing industry didn’t chose to self regulate, Rep. Billy Tauzin (D-La.) and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) sponsored the bill. Calls still get through at the most unwanted times because politicians and some nonprofits are excluded.
“DMA Choice is now the most effective and secure way for consumers to only receive the mail they want and to express their preferences for mailings they do not want,” says John A. Greco, Jr., the organization’s president and CEO. Consumers can register on line at www.dmachoice.org and there is no charge. However, for verification, a credit card is required.
I also applaud DMA for understanding that telemarketers and e-mail spammers also are major annoyances to the American public. On its website under “Consumer Information and Preference Services,” DMA has information how to get your name off telemarketing lists and e-mail lists. It also gives people the chance to remove the names of deceased individuals.
DMA goes well beyond unwanted mail and offers tips on how to protect from identity theft and what to do it you are a victim, as well as suggestions regarding what you should know before entering sweepstakes. “Our long-term vision is to build a community where consumers can interact with marketers and learn about opportunities, offers, coupons and special events,” Greco adds. “We will include tips on how to be a smart shopper with advice on how to protect yourself online through fraud alerts.”
Founded in 1917, DMA represents nearly 3,600 companies in the U.S. and 50 foreign countries. In 2007, commercial and nonprofit marketers spent $173.2 billion on direct marketing – approximately 10.2 percent of U.S. gross domestic product -- and these advertising expenses generated approximately $2.025 trillion in incremental sales.
Now if we could only get the U.S. Postal Service to be as responsible and practice what it promises and live up to its slogan, “We deliver we deliver.”
Rene A. Henry lives in Seattle, Washington and is the author of six books. He writes on a variety of subjects and many of his commentaries also are posted on his website at www.renehenry.com. Born in Charleston, WV, he was Sports Information Director at West Virginia University where he is a Lifetime Alumnus. On Nov. 5, 2006, Huntington News Network published Henry's commentary "It's Time For A 'No Junk Mail Registry."
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COMMENTARY: Thank You, DMA, for a No Junk Mail List
By Rene A. Henry
Seattle, WA (Special to HNN) -- For years I have complained about getting too much mail I didn’t want. Especially catalogs. Some companies even sent me two or three identical copies. And, even when I moved to another city they still found a way to catch up with me and clutter my mailbox. For years I have advocated what I call a “No Junk Mail Registry.”
But now, thanks to the Direct Marketing Association, you and I can now decide what catalogs and other mail we want or do not want to receive. I congratulate the leadership and membership for its DMA Choice which allows us to decide what we want in our mailbox. Equally as important is the fact that the trade organization, which represents businesses and nonprofits that use direct marketing tools, took the initiative rather than being forced to do so by the federal government.
In order to reduce unwanted and unsolicited telephone calls, it took an Act of Congress to create the National Do Not Call Registry on June 27, 2003. When the telemarketing industry didn’t chose to self regulate, Rep. Billy Tauzin (D-La.) and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) sponsored the bill. Calls still get through at the most unwanted times because politicians and some nonprofits are excluded.
“DMA Choice is now the most effective and secure way for consumers to only receive the mail they want and to express their preferences for mailings they do not want,” says John A. Greco, Jr., the organization’s president and CEO. Consumers can register on line at www.dmachoice.org and there is no charge. However, for verification, a credit card is required.
I also applaud DMA for understanding that telemarketers and e-mail spammers also are major annoyances to the American public. On its website under “Consumer Information and Preference Services,” DMA has information how to get your name off telemarketing lists and e-mail lists. It also gives people the chance to remove the names of deceased individuals.
DMA goes well beyond unwanted mail and offers tips on how to protect from identity theft and what to do it you are a victim, as well as suggestions regarding what you should know before entering sweepstakes. “Our long-term vision is to build a community where consumers can interact with marketers and learn about opportunities, offers, coupons and special events,” Greco adds. “We will include tips on how to be a smart shopper with advice on how to protect yourself online through fraud alerts.”
Founded in 1917, DMA represents nearly 3,600 companies in the U.S. and 50 foreign countries. In 2007, commercial and nonprofit marketers spent $173.2 billion on direct marketing – approximately 10.2 percent of U.S. gross domestic product -- and these advertising expenses generated approximately $2.025 trillion in incremental sales.
Now if we could only get the U.S. Postal Service to be as responsible and practice what it promises and live up to its slogan, “We deliver we deliver.”
Rene A. Henry lives in Seattle, Washington and is the author of six books. He writes on a variety of subjects and many of his commentaries also are posted on his website at www.renehenry.com. Born in Charleston, WV, he was Sports Information Director at West Virginia University where he is a Lifetime Alumnus. On Nov. 5, 2006, Huntington News Network published Henry's commentary "It's Time For A 'No Junk Mail Registry."
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