The UK DMA is a trade organization which seeks to advance all forms of direct marketing

Direct marketing

Direct marketing is a channel-agnostic form of advertising that allows businesses and nonprofits to communicate straight to the customer, with advertising techniques such as mobile messaging, email, interactive consumer websites, online display ads, fliers, catalog distribution, promotional...

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It is based in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

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but its members include companies from other countries as well.
The DMA promotes direct marketing, informs consumers of the safeguards that exist,
and promotes the DMA as their protector, contact point and regulator.
The DMA also tries to ensure that its members create consumer confidence.
It gives advice how companies should use information by operating within the terms of the UK Data Protection Act.

The UK DMA manages the industry's preference services:
e.g.: the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS)
These services are designed to make consumers aware of the services that stop mail, email, telephone and fax marketing to them as individuals

Members of the Direct Marketing Association (UK)

• 960 corporate members made up of major brand clients, charities, advertising and digital agencies and suppliers of direct marketing. The DMA has a London office and three regional offices and represents the whole of the United Kingdom, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Agency/Broker vs Direct clients

• An agency is defined where there is a third party involved in the decision making process, typically an agency/broker will source the whole of market for the best available opportunities for the client, and will take receipt of the data and forward onto the end user, and will take a negotiable commission typically 10-20%, agencies are ultimately not the decision maker but a strong influence in this process, market research agencies fall into agency/broker where the data is to be used by an end user.

• A Direct client is defined where there is a direct relationship between the data owner and the decision maker, this is further defined that there is no commission payable in these circumstances, market research agencies can be classified as direct only where the results of a campaign are shared but not the data, call centre's are defined as a direct client, although the data is being used on behalf of client(s), or the call centre owner, as long as there is no commission due, and the relationship is direct between them and the data owner.

External links

• The UK DMA's website
• Mailing Preference Service (MPS)
• Baby Mailing Preference Service (BMPS)
• Telephone Preference Service (TPS)
• Fax Preference Service (FPS)
• Postwatch The UK's watchdog for postal services
• Mailing Preference Service An Opt-out
  Opt-out
  The term opt-out refers to several methods by which individuals can avoid receiving unsolicited product or service information. This ability is usually associated with direct marketing campaigns such as telemarketing, e-mail marketing, or direct mail. A list of those who have opted-out is called a...
  
   or Robinson list
  Robinson list
  A Robinson list or Mail Preference Service list is an opt-out list of people who do not wish to receive marketing transmissions. The marketing can be via e-mail, postal mail, telephone, or fax. In each case, contact details will be placed on a blacklist...
  
  service which allows UK residents to control access to their addresses