Oracle and DMASA join forces

“For almost 30 years Oracle has been helping organisations to manage systems and information by means of reliable, secure, and integrated technologies. The vast range of database and CRM solutions that are available from Oracle forms the cornerstone of a direct marketer's daily regime. Aligning with the DMASA to drive best practice is therefore not only the logical next step, but also offers the opportunity to form a closer alignment with an organisation that is actively steering the dynamic South African direct marketing industry into the 21st century,” says Martin Dhlamini, Marketing Director of Oracle South Africa.

“The pivotal focus of the partnership is to expose DMA members to the thought leadership and extensive solutions offering from Oracle. Traditionally, Oracle has been positioned as an enterprise-focused company. The database and CRM solutions offered by Oracle are however often utilised for applications in the direct marketing industry, opening a number of doors to our member base who can greatly benefit from the processes and functionality on offer,” explains Brian Mdluli, CEO of the DMASA. “As direct marketing is heavily under the spotlight in terms of legislative issues and increasing pressure for disciplined self-regulation in terms of consumer protection, it makes sense for direct marketers to ensure they have the best possible technology solutions at their fingertips. In this regard the DMA plays an important role in facilitating information sharing between our members and suppliers to the industry,” adds Brian.

Oracle has been on an aggressive acquisition streak over the past two to three years, with the latest acquisition of Siebel bringing the customer relationship management (CRM) sphere of business into the Oracle offering. “Consumer communication is evolving into a fast-paced information super highway that is greatly attributable to the introduction of the worldwide web. These changes provide consumers with an environment in which they are more inclined to investigate an offering or a statement as they are not content with believing communication messages at face value. This change in mindset flaunts a rather profound challenge at marketers to establish customer loyalty and satisfaction programmes amidst a communication era that is changing the way in which business is done,” adds Martin.

“From a marketing perspective, aligning with professional industry organisations such as the DMASA gives us an opportunity to demonstrate our product offering through a trusted and respected industry body and to position through thought leadership rather than just hard sell.

The DMASA's strong stance on professionalism within the direct marketing industry, which is coupled with adherence to legislation and best practice processes is exactly the partnership we look for. Oracle in turn will provide the DMASA members with invaluable insights into the actual processes that will make the governing and execution of these processes much easier,” concludes Martin.