The 2nd Philippine Direct Marketing Forum had an overwhelming 450 participants, a testimony to the heightened interest in this relatively young industry.
New media such as email and SMS have made direct communication with consumers not only more feasible but more cost-effective as well. While that sounds like good news for marketers like myself, it is also bad news for me as a consumer.
Companies in the Philippines and their over-excited and inexperienced product managers are jumping into 'direct', 'relationship', 'permission', 'customer relationship' or whatever-the-latest-buzzword-is marketing.
Intentionally or unintentionally, this has led to an onslaught of reckless spamming. As we move forward to a more connected world, we ask ourselves: As consumers, what ever happened to respecting our privacy? And as marketers, what are we allowed and not allowed to do?
I did my own research to determine what we can and cannot do in the Philippines.
My research confirmed my suspicions - the Philippines is an open field when it comes to direct contact with consumers due to the absence of laws.
This, however, does not give us licence to do anything we want. Rather than wait for laws to be passed and risk over regulation, which can stifle creativity, practitioners should regulate themselves, abide by a code of ethics and use permission marketing. This will benefit the industry in the long run. Continued spamming will eventually result in declining response rates as consumers become indifferent to what they receive.
It is comforting to know, however, that while Western countries have specific regulations on consumer privacy and private citizens are starting to win the spam battle, a recent survey shows that "privacy-conscious consumers can be more valuable customers than those less concerned with the issue. The privacy-conscious not only spend more money than other online users; they are more likely to open permission messages and to value customised email" (www.quris.com).
More important than making sure that you are not an intruder is to ensure that you are a welcome guest. In addition to measuring the obvious response rates, gains in brand equity are often more reliable. Several usage and attitude studies we have conducted reveal that almost 99 per cent of the non-respondents in my clients' databases "wanted to keep on receiving communication from us".
So before you mail that letter, dial that phone or press the send button, put yourself in your customers' shoes. Don't do unto others what you don't want others to do unto you. Gaining permission is a privilege granted to us by our customers; we should use this permission responsibly.