… to help you get it right
You’re probably aware of the ICO’s Direct Marketing Guidance, providing insight into the ICO’s view on using personal data for your marketing and advertising efforts.
It’s had various incarnations since the first in 2016, with the latest version issued in December 2022.
It has remained guidance instead of the expected Code of Practice, due to the proposals to update data protection law following Brexit which are currently going through Parliament, so the ICO has issued the draft Code to assist businesses in understanding their legal obligations now.
The guidance covers the various aspects of a direct marketing campaign, starting with what is direct marketing and why it’s important to comply with the rules.
There is help with using personal data in your marketing, the different types of marketing channels and the rules that apply to them, and the lawful bases that can be used.
Additionally, as lead generation has featured in the work of the ICO, the guidance looks at what you need to do if you either want to collect data to sell for lead gen purposes or you are looking to buy or rent a data list.
Personal data is also used in the planning of marketing campaigns, to find new customers for example, so rules for profiling and updating customer records with information you may not have are covered.
Although there are still a few grey areas, I find the guidance to be helpful, and I’m interested to see the final Code when it is finalised.