DMA signs up first founder members

As the first founding members for the DMA, RCS Group and FNB are playing an active role in supporting the DMA and its responsibilities. "Direct marketing is a key channel used for RCS to communicate and target customers for its personal and home loans, general purpose and private label cards. Considering our current regulatory environment, it is vital that the direct marketing industry has one body communicating the interests of the entire industry to government. This will ensure the prioritisation and tabling of key industry issues rather than individual company ones, assisting the development of the industry in a manner that supports both sustainable business and the protection of the consumer," says Nicola Byers, sales and marketing executive, RCS Group.

FNB spends a significant amount on direct marketing and, along with its agency Action Ambro's, won three awards at the recent Marketing Excellence Awards for direct marketing campaigns.

Strong leadership

"We believe it is in our best interest to ensure that the direct marketing industry gets a strong leadership and self-regulatory body. Direct Marketing is an effective means of communicating new product developments to our customers and serving their financial and life stage needs. FNB also supports and recognises the need to protect customer's privacy and personal information as described by the various current and pending legislative acts and bills and hence we are actively working towards promoting best practices and operational efficiencies within the direct marketing field. FNB fully supports the new Direct Marketing Association of South Africa to lobby on behalf of the industry against adverse legislation and to protect the industry against unethical direct marketing practices," says Diederick Potgieter.

Matshepo Majola of the SA Post Office adds: "Our organisation is totally committed to the growth of direct marketing in South Africa and we believe that it is through active involvement with an organisation such as the DMA that we will be able to make a significant difference to the industry and its key stakeholders. Our traditional activity as a business has always been the provision of postal services inside and outside South Africa. It does however extend beyond just the delivery of letters as we provide other services to the SA public, government and the business sector.

"International statistics continue to point to the decline or some stagnation in the growth of mail volumes, however South Africa seem to paint a different picture. The economic conditions we operate in and the moderate absorption of technology point to opportunities for growth of mail."

Majola says opportunities are particularly seen in the field of direct mail. "The partnership with the DMA is aimed at best serving the needs and expectations of the direct marketing industry, while influencing growth and enhancing the reputation of the industry both locally and internationally."

For more information log onto www.dmasa.org, or call the DMA on +27 11 789 6770. Corporates interested in Founder Membership should contact Colin Hudson, DMA founder negotiator on +27 11 706 1657.