MPS just got personal
Submitted: 08 November 2007
Let Data8 take the strain!
The Direct Marketing Association has recently made 2 important changes to the Mailing Preference Service (MPS), a popular service that has been in existence for over 20 years.
Historically, subscriber details were registered on the MPS under surname and address; this effectively meant that if one person registered his/her address, the entire household who held the same surname would be registered. However, from September 2007, details about the subscriber have changed from household level to individual. In other words, an individual can register themselves onto MPS and other members of that household who wish to continue to receive unsolicited direct mail can continue to do so. An individual, with the permission of others, can still register the entire household but this is now done on an individual basis.
For example, Mr David Jones lives with his wife and his 2 grown up children. Mr Jones does not wish to receive unsolicited direct mailings so can register 'Jones' and his address. This, in essence, stops direct mail campaigns going to anyone living at that address with the surname of Jones, which in this case is the entire household, even if other members of the household wish to continue to receive direct mailings.
However, since September 2007, Mr David Jones can choose to register himself on to MPS by using his forename together with his surname and address. His wife and 2 grown up children will continue to receive direct mailings if they do not register.
How will this affect the way organisations conduct direct marketing campaigns?
The number of records held at surname level at a given address will remain constant over time. All new registrations will be added to a new file at individual level at a given address and the number of records of this format will increase over time.
This is where Data8 can help. Instead of holding two separate record files (for surname/household and individual levels), Data8's online service will search in both files guaranteeing your database is up-to-date and saving you the time and expense of managing the monthly updates. With the option to purchase either as you go or as a one-off unlimited annual usage basis, we can ensure your direct marketing campaigns are highly targeted and profitable whilst your database remains up-to-date and compliant.
Richard Hartland, Data8’s technical director comments: "We have been experiencing an increasing number of enquiries from database and marketing managers following the MPS changes in September. They are unsure about whether to maintain two separate files or merge them into one, how often to update them and whether their current systems comply with the MPS regulations". He continues "with our data8online solution you can rest assured that you are fully compliant with the DMA's best guidelines on MPS suppression".
The second change to the MPS file will be a 5-year period for all subscribers who register after September 2007. So there is no need to set 5-year time-limits on each record; getting regular updates from Data8 is a long term investment and represents excellent value for money.