Itâs time to explore your new DMA

Your DMA has evolved. Let’s start with what you can see right away – our new website. It’s been designed to have you, the DMA member, at the centre, deciding what content you want to see or save for later as well as who to connect and share content with. And, because it’s very much your website, we’ve also added a facility that allows you to contribute your own content to the website.

Our new DMA Code also came into force on Monday 18 August, ushering in a new era for the one-to-one marketing industry. How so? Well for a start, it takes a different approach to self-regulation, one that focuses on principles that go above and beyond compliance with the law.

Our hero principle in the new DMA Code, ‘Putting the customer first’, recognises how our industry has evolved from one that markets to customers to one that markets with them.

Putting the customer first isn’t just an ethical principle, it also makes good business sense. Today’s always-on, connected customers are very much in the driving seat. They set and manage the rules of engagement and will be quick to move to a competitor and tell all their friends if you don’t treat them fairly and with respect.

By following the five principles in our DMA Code (put the customer first, respect privacy, be honest and fair, be diligent with data, and take responsibility) you will create a true exchange of value between your business, looking to prosper, and your customer, looking to benefit. Abide by the DMA Code and you will provide a consistently positive experience for your customers – it really is that easy.

How did we come up with our new Code? It’s taken 18 months of hard work with input from the ICO, DCMS and Ofcom to produce our new DMA Code, which has also been endorsed by the Advertising Association.
As you can imagine, there is a great deal of legislation around one-to-one marketing – much of it channel-specific – which is why we have replaced our best practice papers with a series of guides to supplement the Code.

Inside these channel- and sector-specific guides you’ll find how-to information, summaries of important legislation, and references to relevant codes of practice from other industry organisations.

The DMA Code, along with these guides, are a gateway to understanding how to do one-to-one marketing the right way – for every channel and every sector – to drive business growth.

I very much hope you enjoy exploring your new DMA and take advantage of all that it has to offer.