Crossed off the list

Patrick Brown, Director: Delivery at Knowledge Factory, says: "Direct marketing campaigns can be costly and as such, need to generate the best possible returns from the resources and capital invested."

As a response to this, Knowledge Factory has announced the availability of an up to date "Exclusion List" that claims to be capable of delivering both reduced costs and better returns to marketers by excluding redundant names from companies' databases or acquired lists.

Currently this Exclusion List comprises details of approximately 110 000 deceased individuals and 2000 individuals who have 'opted-out' from direct marketing.

This information is sourced and updated on a regular basis from Sabinet (which contains detailed information on the deceased estates listed in the government gazette) and The Marketing Federation of South Africa (MFSA).

"In a nutshell, an Exclusion List is a list of individuals' ID Numbers and Names, which can be compared to the list of individuals in a company's own marketing campaign list and customer records. This list will assist the company in identifying individuals that would probably not respond to a marketing campaign or individuals who have passed away," Brown says.

"One indirect benefit of updating your customer records with these details is to protect your interests against potential fraudulent activities, since fraudsters are prone to using the ID numbers and credentials of the deceased for conducting illegal transactions."

Brown advises companies to begin compiling their own lists, along with using Knowledge Factory's Exclusion List, based on feedback received from customers no longer wishing to participate in direct marketing activities.

"Companies can then take ownership of passing this information back to the MFSA, thereby contributing positively to the practice of direct marketing," Brown says.

"Marketers are also urged to keep up with this practise, since it will bring advantages in the long run. Consistently marketing to people who don't want to be marketed to affects the success of future campaigns and the overall sentiment towards direct marketing campaigns in general."