Catalog Choice was created because we believed that consumers deserved choice over what comes in the mailbox. We are pleased that the DMA followed our lead and created the Commitment to Consumer Choice (CCC). You can read all about it at DMACCC.org. Simply stated, the new policy is:
The CCC requires that you notify consumers of the opportunity to modify or eliminate future mail solicitations.
The DMA’s CCC launched shortly after Catalog Choice in late 2007. It originally gave marketers 12 months to comply. They increased the phase in period to 24 months – October 2009.
There are four specific elements of the CCC that everyone should be aware of:
- A marketer should proivde existing and prospective customers and donors with notice of an opportunity to eliminate or modify direct mail solicitations from their organization. It effects consumer and nonprofit mailers. The notice should:
Appear in every marketing offer and be easy to read, find, understand, act upon. - Upon request by a consumer, a marketer should disclose the source from which it obtained personally identifiable data about that consumer.
- Use the DMA’s Mail Preference Service file on a monthly basis.
- A marketer should establish internal policies and practices in support of the CCC. Specifically, a senior level executive should be responsible for making sure that your organization implements its policies and practices, and reviews and updates them as necessary.
If your company does not have a spot on your website where you can refer consumers to in order to set their mail preference, you should consider Catalog Choice’s new hosted Contact Preference Center. Learn more about our solution. If you want to offer opt-down options rather than just opt-out, we can make that happen. If you want to sending the consumer somewhere other than your privacy policy to set their mail preference, we have a solution for you.
