Senior executives from Wegener Direct Marketing, Thomson Directories and Think Direct argue that emails should only be sent to business people who give prior consent.
Steve Cook, commercial director of business data solutions at Wegener Direct Marketing, says that the only way to avoid government legislation that will damage legitimate players from using B2B emails is to recommend opt-in as best practice. "It'll go the same way as fax marketing -- once hugely popular, then legislated out of existence. If it needs to be controlled, it's best that we do it ourselves -- and it's up to the DMA to show a lead," he said.
Robert Dirskovski, head of interactive media at the DMA, said the draft best practice guideline was only released a month ago and that the consultation period has not ended.
"It has taken a year to come up with this draft," Dirskovski said. "It is still open for members to comment on."
The draft reflects current regulations that allow companies to email people at business addresses without prior consent, except for people working in partnerships or operating as sole traders, who can opt-in, according to Dirskovki.
The DMA has discussed B2B opt-ins and will review all comments during the consultation period, before publishing the final best practice guidelines later this year, he said.
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