The Board of Directors of the Direct Marketing Association announced Jan. 28 that it has revised its Guidelines for Ethical Business Practice regarding the collection and use of data and in marketing to children. The updated guidelines recommend that marketers inform consumers about material policy changes before the rental or exchange of such information. It also says that marketers should tell who provided the consumer's name if the consumer asks. “The changes are designed to keep pace with consumer expectations and concerns with the way marketers use information,” said H. Robert Wientzen, president and CEO. A new provision includes DMA's recently implemented principles for collection and use of children's data online. The revisions were recommended by the Ethics Policy Committee, which is led by Steve Leighton, vice president of marketing services at Fingerhut Corp. The last major changes to the guidelines were in 1994.
