Know-How Exchange : E-Marketing

Dear Jo

The law in the UK is unclear and appears to be decided on a case by case basis depending on the complaints lodged after the event. If you want a recent example, look at the humiliation of the Liberal Democrats for attempting to phone 250,000 UK voters and being reprimanded by the regulator, the Office of the Information Commissioner. You can usually get further information on https://www.ico.gov.uk , except that their site appeared to have been hacked into last night when I wrote this!!!

Well, would you have liked to have your dinner interrupted by Nick Clegg-Over (Pun on him claiming to have slept with “only” 30 different women!(For the elucidation of our American Buddies!))

The good news is that because of the uncertainty, the regulator is unlikely and even unwilling to exact a penalty on the first offence and only starts to get heavy with repeat offences after they have ruled. In this case they told Mr Clegg to stop phoning a quarter of a million lonely housewives within 30 days of face prosecution, so they stopped, pronto. The Conservatives abandoned a similar email blast for the same reasons as well as being a bit passe, but both they and Labour have used SMS texting and emails on specific subjects – for example, I’ve never given my MP permission to email me, but he does – regularly. Likewise, I appear to get regular badly conceived email / auto-call phone calls, mainly from an international number, so that they circumvent the powers of the information Commissioner.

I suggest that in conjunction with Tom’s local sales contact, you call on the Office of the Regulator to get clarification for some specific proposed campaigns. They should offer their advice for free, but expect them to invent reasons to be cautious. Remember, their jobs are seen not to be the protection of the citizen and the assistance of business but the discovery and implementation of many nit-picking bits of law that they can invent in order to justify their non-jobs.

Happy hunting and Tom, once you’ve brought your profile page up to date, please drop me a line – I’d be delighted to hear more of what you do.

Sincerely

Steve Alker
Xspirt – the soon to be producers of Singing Spreadsheets – see the last question I asked!

Thank you both Tom and Steve,

Tom, if you are able to put me in contact with a local agent here in the UK, it would be really helpful. I am really keen to get this working for me in a fashion that is both effective and professional. I have made a few messages, and have only today started test them out, so it's very early days. I do recall seeing a direct email from you when I subscribed, so perhaps we can pick this up off line.

Thanks again
Jo.