DMA adds deceased, prison suppression files

To help members bolster list hygiene, the Direct Marketing Association has introduced two suppression files, a Recently Recorded Deceased File and a State and Federal Prison File.

The files add to the DMA's services that help direct marketers working with mail, e-mail or telephone channels improve list management, save marketing dollars and strengthen relationships with customers and donors.

The Recently Recorded Deceased File, which launched in November, contains 4.6 million recorded deaths for the past 12 months. Unlike the Deceased Do Not Contact preference service, which is comprised of information provided directly from family members, friends and caregivers, the RRDF is constructed from various sources including the DDNC.

The State and Federal Prison File, created at the request of DMA members, consists of about 2,000 addresses of federal and state prisons and correctional facilities. It is available to companies for the sole purpose of removing names and addresses from their marketing lists. It is not intended as a record of all prison facilities.

These suppression files, like all DMA suppression files, are not driven by consumer registration, nor is their use mandatory for DMA members. They are intended to help marketers conduct list hygiene and comply with some of the state and federal laws that govern DM practices.

Other suppression files include the Wireless Ported Numbers File, which identifies 1.6 million ported numbers, including numbers that appear to belong to wired land lines but are now assigned to wireless telephones, as well as numbers that appear to belong to wireless telephones but are now assigned to wired land lines; the Wireless Block Identifier, which identifies 475 million phone numbers that are currently, or will be, assigned to cell phones; and EasyComply, a service to help marketers manage state do-not-call lists and stay in compliance.