DMA ramps up advice for marketers on EU reforms

The DMA has unveiled a five-point plan to help members find their way through the maze of the new EU data laws, although group chief executive Chris Combemale has urged marketers not to take their eye off what they should be doing – delivering useful products and services and growing their business.
Speaking at last week’s Data Protection 2016 conference, Combemale said he is often asked: “What is the minimum standard that I must adhere to?”
He added: “I always give the response: ‘That’s the wrong question for a marketer to ask. You should ask how do I engage my customer in the best way and deliver the kind of products, value proposition, service and experience that persuades customers to do business with you and to keep on doing business with you for a long period of time’,” he said.
“In short, if the information is stored and used to improve the efficiency of service then it provides the benefit of convenience and the value proposition works. If your privacy is breached you lose trust and choose a different option,” he said.
The DMA plans a series of initiatives to help members stay on the right side of the EU Data Protection Regulation and build their businesses, all planned to supplement the DMA Code.
“Our guidance and advice will be detailed and comprehensive,” he said. As part of this strategy the industry body is launching a new dedicated GDPR website; a programme of webinars and events; new IDM Certification courses in GDPR, a one-day IDM course held by Rosemary Smith of Opt-4; and a new data compliance process.
Combemale added: “Marketers’ focus should be on defining and embedding the culture of how their customer’s privacy should be treated and integrating that fully as a core component of the brand proposition.”