Direct Marketing Association Guidelines for Ethical Business Practice

Abstract

"The Direct Marketing Association’s Guidelines for Ethical Business Practice are intended to provide individuals and organizations involved in direct marketing in all media with generally accepted principles of conduct. These guidelines reflect DMA’s long-standing policy of high levels of ethics and the responsibility of the Association, its members, and all marketers to maintain consumer and community relationships that are based on fair and ethical principles. In addition to providing general guidance to the industry, the Guidelines for Ethical Business Practice are used by DMA’s Committee on Ethical Business Practice, an industry peer review committee, as the standard to which direct marketing promotions that are the subject of complaint to DMA are compared. These self-regulatory guidelines are intended to be honored in light of their aims and principles. All marketers should support the guidelines in spirit and not treat their provisions as obstacles to be circumvented by legal ingenuity. These guidelines also represent DMA’s general philosophy that self-regulatory measures are preferable to governmental mandates. Self-regulatory actions are more readily adaptable to changing techniques and economic and social conditions. They encourage widespread use of sound business practices. Because dishonest, misleading or offensive communications discredit all means of advertising and marketing, including direct marketing, observance of these guidelines by all concerned is expected. All persons involved in direct marketing should take reasonable steps to encourage other industry members to follow these guidelines as well."