Direct Marketing Association (DMA)

Who We Are:

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA), founded in 1917, is the leading global trade association of business and nonprofit organizations using and supporting multichannel direct marketing tools and techniques.
Direct marketing is defined as an interactive process of addressable communication that uses one or more advertising media to effect, at any location, a measurable sale, lead, retail purchase, or charitable donation, with this activity analyzed on a database for the development of ongoing mutually beneficial relationships between marketers and customers, prospects, or donors. (Source: The Power of Direct Marketing, 2009 – 2010 Edition)
DMA today represents members from the US and 48 other countries, including nearly half of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as nonprofit organizations.
Some for profit members include: Google, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Time Warner/AOL, Xerox and Yahoo! Some nonprofit members include: American Red Cross, American Institute for Cancer Research, Habitat for Humanity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, North Shore Animal League America, and The Nature Conservancy.

What We Do:

DMA advocates with legislators and regulators, provides reputation management, cutting-edge research and education, as well as networking and market making opportunities to improve results throughout the end-to-end direct marketing process.
DMA’s goal is to keep all marketing channels open and economically viable, as well as to maintain the flow of data that fuels multichannel marketing.

Why We Do It:

Direct marketing is part of the backbone of the American economy. In 2009, marketers — commercial and nonprofit — spent $149.3 billion on direct marketing, which accounted for 54.3 percent of all ad expenditures in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures generated approximately $1.783 trillion in incremental sales. In 2009 direct marketing accounted for 8.3 percent of total US gross domestic product. Also in 2009, there were 1.4 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly supported 8.4 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 9.9 million US jobs.

Where And How We Do It:

Government Affairs

DMA represents its members’ interests in each of the 50 states as well as on Capitol Hill, at the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and other agencies such as the United States Postal Service (USPS). Each year DMA tracks thousands of proposed laws and regulations in Washington, DC and across the nation. We address key Federal and state policy issues that affect the direct marketing community such as behavioral marketing, data security, privacy, postal reform, Do Not Mail legislation (DNM), the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SSUTA), and others.

International

We are increasingly active in international government relations, including the Federation of European Direct and Interactive Marketing (FEDMA), the Universal Postal Union (UPU), and have forged partnerships with the China Direct Marketing Association (CDMA) and the Arab Direct Marketing Association (ADMA).

Social & Corporate Responsibility

DMA members are committed to self-regulation and sound environmental practices including the Commitment to Consumer Choice (CCC) Program, part of our continued emphasis on empowering consumers and strengthening their trust with the direct marketing community, where members follow specific practices to protect consumer preferences and privacy, as well as preserve self-regulatory actions; our Guidelines for Ethical Business Practice which provide marketers of every type with generally accepted principles of conduct; RecyclePlease.org, a consumer program which offers useful recycling tips and resources; and a professional certification program in Environmentally Responsible Marketing (ERM). We have also created numerous comprehensive eco-action tools and resources including a Paper Pledge and an Environmental Planning Tool and Policy Generator. DMA’s green initiatives have earned international kudos; they continue to lead the way and provide a solid foundation for communicating with policymakers about the effectiveness of self-regulation and eco-responsible marketing.

DMAchoice

In October 2008 DMA launched DMAchoice.org, a site empowering consumers to opt-out of commercial mailings they would prefer not to receive and opt-in to get commercial mailings they do want, all from a single, free, Web-based account. DMAchoice is a portal for all channels, enabling marketers to reach audiences with maximum efficiency, and effectively communicate with people who are interested in their products, services, or messages. DMAchoice is a key component of DMA’s commitment to sound environmental practices and is one of the strongest weapons against Do Not Mail legislations, as we believe consumer empowerment and self regulation are the answers.

Internet Alliance

The Internet Alliance (IA), a DMA subsidiary, is the only advocacy organization of Internet policy professionals representing the Internet online industry in all 50 states. Its mission is to promote confidence and trust in the Internet so it can reach its potential as the most dynamic market medium of this century. It advocates for the Internet industry on issues important to consumers and businesses, and takes a positive approach to the policy dialogue by developing consistent and strategic core messages in policy areas affecting consumers and businesses’ bottom lines. E-commerce is one of the most vibrant sectors of our economy, therefore DMA believes the Internet must remain free from unnecessary taxes and has been working with policymakers and Congressional leaders to ensure that it remains an open and viable marketing medium that is free from burdensome taxation. DMA believes the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SSUTA) is streamlined and simple in name only and would be a significant cost burden to marketers, and that eventually that cost will be passed on to consumers. DMA also believes that for the Internet channels’ continued growth it must remain free from legislation that undermines the advertisement-supported structure of providing free content. For that reason, DMA strongly opposes the creation of a Do Not Track list believing it would limit benefits to consumers, stifle innovation, and eliminate the valuable and effective advertising-supported free content that citizens now expect. We work with lawmakers to strike the proper balance between establishing data security measures that protect consumers and nurture their trust, and preserving the free flow of information essential for legitimate business purposes.

Do Not Mail Legislation

DMA believes it is essential to educate policymakers and the general public about the detrimental effects of DNM legislation on both businesses and consumers. Both DMA and the mailing community recognize that consumers want choices in how they manage their mail, are more environmentally conscious, and want to secure their personal information. DMA actively opposes all threats to the viability of commercial mail. The Mail Moves America coalition (MMA), led by DMA, is a broad based coalition designed to achieve two purposes: defend against Do Not Mail legislation and develop a more positive message and image for advertising mail. Advertising mail is a large and diverse economic engine that would be adversely affected by even just one DNM bill becoming law. More than 3 million jobs are dependant on advertising mail. Online commerce is reliant on package delivery and a competitive postal system helps keep shipping rates affordable. Legislation is not needed to provide consumers with options for removing their names from marketing lists — they simply register their name with DMAchoice.

Conference & Events

DMA hosts numerous conferences and exhibitions including the Retail Marketing Conference (RMC); Digital Marketing Days New York Conference & Expo; The Email Evolution Conference; the National Center for Database Marketing Conference & Exhibition (NCDM); the National Conference on Operation & Fulfillment (NCOF); multiple Nonprofit Conferences; and the largest gathering of cross-media/channel marketing professionals, the DMA Annual Conference.

Education & Research

DMA provides best-in-class education and professional development including specialized seminars; webinars; in-house training; certificate programs; access to direct marketing databases and information; a library and resource center; as well as case studies; white papers; in-depth analyses; performance benchmarks; thought-leader trend briefings; and research reports. DMA’s comprehensive education programs have content available online through virtual seminars and self paced e-Learning modules. The programs are delivered in collaboration with thought leaders from across the community and top experts in the appropriate fields including the newly expanded Search Engine Marketing certification program and the DMA Certified Marketing Professional Program.