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Direct mail now more impactful than ever!

By |2024-06-26T11:48:42+00:00June 26th, 2024|

The latest quarterly results from JICMAIL reveal another surge in the effectiveness of mail marketing in Q1 2024. The research finds that six percent of all mail types prompted a purchase, two percent higher than the same period in 2023. This increase underscores the growing impact of mail in driving consumer actions, with 46% of these purchases fulfilled online and 32% in-store, reflecting the omnichannel nature of mail. Increasing Mail Interaction and Attention Direct Mail, Door Drops, and Partially Addressed Mail saw a year-on-year increase in interaction frequency, resulting in more ad impressions in Q1 2024 compared to the previous year. Mail's attention efficiency stands out, with Direct Mail garnering 134 seconds of attention per piece across household members over [...]

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A Data Protection Update

By |2024-06-04T08:32:56+00:00June 4th, 2024|

Last week marked the sixth anniversary of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a landmark in data protection that revolutionised how personal data is handled across Europe. However, as many people reflect on GDPR's impact, the future of data protection regulation in the UK hangs in the balance following the recent mothballing of the Data Protection & Digital Information Bill (DPDI). The Demise of DPDI The Government’s decision to exclude the DPDI from its “wash up” process, a fast-track mechanism for essential legislation before Parliament is dissolved, has led to significant uncertainty. Initially introduced in 2021, the DPDI aimed to modernise the UK's data protection framework. However, it was still navigating the committee stage in the House of Lords when [...]

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Top 10 sectors that fail to report data breaches revealed

By |2024-05-24T11:34:57+00:00May 24th, 2024|

As we ‘celebrate’ the 6th birthday of GDPR a new study finds that over half of all data breaches in the UK in 2023 were not reported within the required 72-hour window. The report from Hayes Connor revealed the sectors with the worst track record. These were: Local Government: 51.32% General Business: 49.16% Marketing: 47.50% Justice: 47.06% Regulators: 46.81% Membership Associations: 46.67% Online Technology and Telecoms: 45.37% Media: 45.16% Central Government: 44.57% Retail and Manufacture: 43.94% Failing to report a breach within this timeframe can result in significant fines of up to £17.5 million or 4% of global turnover, whichever is higher. However, in practice, most firms receive minimal penalties. A key finding of the research is that in the [...]

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Direct mail set to grow… again

By |2024-04-24T08:55:10+00:00April 24th, 2024|

According to the latest IPA Bellwether Report, the UK's marketing landscape is witnessing a notable increase in direct marketing budgets – the 8th consecutive period of growth. This uplift is part of a broader positive adjustment in overall marketing spend, indicative of an improving economic backdrop and a proactive approach to recession recovery. However, as one of only two channels that posted significant uplifts the inference is that confidence in direct marketing, particularly direct mail, continues to flourish. Tangibility and Trust Direct mail possesses a unique attribute that many modern advertising channels lack: tangibility. This physical nature of direct mail creates a sensory experience for the recipient. It’s something you can touch and feel, often encouraging a more memorable connection [...]

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Handling Sensitive Deceased Data

By |2024-04-15T10:54:56+00:00April 15th, 2024|

E.On has been criticised for sending a personalised marketing letter to a deceased customer, urging him to reconsider leaving for another supplier. The letter was addressed to the man's executor and sent to a recently sold home in Brighton, highlighting a significant lapse in data management. This case is not isolated; similar reported instances involve the TV Licensing Authority and NHS mistakenly sending communications to the deceased, causing distress to families and raising questions about data accuracy and respect for privacy. The executor of the deceased pointed out the insensitivity of using personalisation techniques in such a context, where the letter addressed the deceased by his first name to persuade him to remain a customer. This situation underscores a critical [...]

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Embracing Automation for Growth and Innovation in the Direct Marketing Industry – a pro-people approach

By |2024-04-05T11:14:05+00:00April 5th, 2024|

The direct marketing industry, traditionally slower to automate compared to other sectors, is standing on the cusp of a transformative era driven by technological advancements. With new research from Pearson predicting a net increase of 390,000 jobs by 2027 in England alone, due to automation and augmentation, the industry faces both challenges and opportunities. The Role of Automation in Direct Marketing Automation in direct marketing is not about replacing human tasks with machines. It's about enhancing the efficiency, accuracy, and reach of marketing campaigns through the use of tools that automate data processing and cleansing, significantly reducing the time and cost associated with manual interventions. From postal sortation to address data enhancement, automation can streamline operations, improve compliance, and open [...]

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EU passes AI Act

By |2024-03-19T10:18:06+00:00March 19th, 2024|

The European Parliament has passed the AI Act, the first major AI regulatory framework to become law. It is being seen by experts as potentially setting an international benchmark akin to the impact of GDPR on data privacy standards back in 2018. The framework aims to ensure transparent development and utilisation of AI within the EU, establishing guidelines for AI systems deemed high-risk. In response to concerns from the tech industry about potential restrictions on innovations like ChatGPT, the legislation adopts a risk-based, tiered regulatory strategy rather than a broad, one-size-fits-all approach. It also specifies varying compliance timelines based on the perceived risk level of AI applications. The legislation categorises AI according to its risk level, delineating prohibited uses, essential [...]

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Direct Mail Continues to Deliver

By |2024-03-05T08:06:41+00:00March 5th, 2024|

The latest data from JICMail reinforces our recent article about the resurgence of print (which you can read here: https://www.thesoftwarebureau.com/print-the-comeback-kid/) The research shows that direct mail is not only holding its ground, but is playing a pivotal role in driving significant commercial returns for businesses. The Power of Mail in Numbers The Q4 2023 data reveals that 6.5% of direct mail prompted a purchase, marking a notable increase from 4.8% in the same quarter the previous year. This surge underscores the evolving consumer behaviours, particularly the increasing regard for direct mail as a communication channel and the shift towards e-commerce, with 3.3% of mail driving online purchases directly. The digital footprint of mail extends further, with 8.4% of recipients visiting [...]

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The Curious Case of AI-Generated Data Hacking: A Cautionary Tale

By |2024-02-05T09:30:28+00:00February 5th, 2024|

In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, a bizarre new trend has emerged, blurring the lines between reality and fiction. Picture this: a hacking forum on a quiet Sunday, buzzing with the advertisement of a stolen data cache from Europcar. The claim? Over 48 million customers' personal information up for sale. The twist? The data might just be a figment of artificial intelligence's imagination, specifically conjured up by ChatGPT. Europcar's response was swift, with spokesperson Vincent Vevaud debunking the claim after a meticulous examination. The inconsistencies were glaring: The purported number of records didn't match Europcar's database. Sample data was likely AI-generated, featuring non-existent addresses, mismatched ZIP codes, and bizarre email domains. None of the email addresses were found in Europcar's [...]

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2024: A year for data protection regulation reform?

By |2023-11-27T12:14:35+00:00November 27th, 2023|

Following its airing at the recent King’s Speech the much-discussed Data Protection and Digital Innovation Bill (DPDI) will have its ‘remaining stages’ in the House of Commons on 29 November. There are 21 possible amendments to the Bill all most of which have been referred to as ‘common-sense’ and it is expected to fly through parliament, meaning it is likely to become law early next year. The DMA supports the ratification of the Bill having been heavily involved in shaping many of its elements. Key differences to GDPR include: How personal data is defined Under DPDI information will only be considered as identifiable by a person other than the controller or processor if that other person obtains the information as [...]

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