US industry body rebrand ditches 'direct marketing'

The US Direct Marketing Association has ditched its DM roots by rebranding to become the Data & Marketing Association in a pointer to its UK counterpart, which is also understood to be considering a new name.
Although the DMA acronym will remain, the move has been seen as an attempt to distance the industry body from the negative perceptions around the term “direct marketing”, first coined by Lester Wunderman in the Sixties, and appeal to the wider marketing and advertising community.
The UK DMA is also believed to be considering a rebrand. Formed in 1992, following a link-up of a number of like-minded trade bodies – including the British List Broking Association and the British Direct Mail Marketing Association – it finally merged with the IDM last year.
It is understood that UK DMA bosses want a new name which will allow it to promote its data-driven marketing ethos. The IDM rebranded as the Institute of Direct & Digital Marketing in 2011.
The US rebrand comes on the eve of the group’s 100th anniversay and chief executive Tom Benton said: “This is a fascinating time for the advertising and marketing industry, as the ability to leverage the power and insights of data has become ubiquitous to companies large and small.
“These steps reaffirm that DMA represents the entire marketing ecosystem of brand marketers, agencies, media companies, data companies and tech companies and is uniquely positioned to protect marketers’ ability to access, exchange and refine data to improve lives and to grow the US economy.”
Lindsay Hutter, senior vice president of communications and PR, said the timing was intended to allow the DMA to roll its rebrand out over the next year. “We wanted to capitalise on the excitement of turning 100 and keep that going throughout the year and culminate with our centennial event in October [2017].”