The ICO has launched a Direct Marketing Advice Generator, designed to help organisations quickly understand their obligations under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and the UK GDPR. By answering a few simple questions, businesses can receive tailored compliance advice in minutes, covering everything from email and SMS marketing to social media, telemarketing, and direct mail.

Why Does This Matter?

Failure to comply with marketing laws doesn’t just lead to disgruntled customers—it can result in hefty fines and reputational damage. In recent enforcement action, the ICO fined Money Bubble Ltd and Breathe Services Ltd a total of £290,000 after they collectively made over 4.5 million nuisance phone calls to people who had opted out. Another investigation led to Quick Tax Claims Limited and National Debt Advice Limited being fined £150,000 for sending over 7.5 million spam  messages, many without an opt-out option.

One of the biggest takeaways from these cases? Poor data hygiene was at the heart of the issue. These companies had sourced their marketing data from third-party suppliers who failed to obtain valid consent. In other words, they were using bad data—and it cost them dearly.

The Link Between Data Hygiene and Compliance

A well-maintained marketing database isn’t just about accuracy; it’s about legality. Without a robust data hygiene process, businesses risk:

  • Sending marketing messages to people who have opted out, leading to complaints and legal trouble.
  • Using outdated or incorrect contact details, which wastes time and resources.
  • Falling foul of ‘soft opt-in’ rules, where consent is required to market to customers.

One of the best ways to demonstrate compliance is to start with clean data. Our industry-leading data cleansing and suppression services help businesses:

  • Identify and remove incorrect or outdated contact details.
  • Screen against suppression lists to avoid contacting individuals who have opted out.
  • Maintain a clean, compliant, and high-performing marketing database.

 

Compliance Made Easy

For many businesses legal compliance can feel overwhelming. That’s why the ICO’s Direct Marketing Advice Generator is a fantastic new resource. The free online tool takes the guesswork out of compliance, allowing organisations to spend less time figuring out what’s legal and more time engaging the right audience.