This is the key finding of a new report by DM services firm DPS Direct Mail. Just over 71 per cent of marketers and DM agencies surveyed have doubts about the accuracy of goneaway files. Ninety-three per cent of those respondents highlighted unclear validation processes and undisclosed data sources.
David Laybourne, technical director at DPS, said: "A lot of customers can see a pack is direct mail - it may be part of a series of credit card offers for example - so they will simply scribble 'goneaway' on the envelope and send it back."
He added: "I think everyone is confident about the integrity of deceased files, but it's products such as GAS where it's difficult to understand who has contributed to that data pool. Until you have clarity, clients will be suspicious of its content."
Suppliers say this confusion is a knock-on-effect from the growing number of data bureaus in recent years. Mark Roy, chief executive at The REaD Group, said: "More companies have entered the marketplace and there has become a lack of clarity on how a product is put together."
He added that The REaD Group is launching later this month a project to address this issue and provide greater clarity for clients and bureaux.
For their part, bureaux say they would welcome such transparency. Acxiom's European services group leader Jon Cano-Lopez commented: "The only way owners could justify their files is to create a statement on how accurate they are. Bureaux could then prove to customers that they have invested in the accuracy of their files."
_1.jpg)
.jpg)
