Direct Marketing Association (South Africa)

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The Direct Marketing Association of South Africa (DMASA) is a Section 21 Company [1] and self-regulatory organization empowered by law to ensure that direct marketers adhere to a strict code of practice, and to protect the rights of consumers when buying from direct marketing organisations. [2]

A self-regulatory organization (SRO) is an organization that exercises some degree of regulatory authority over an industry or profession. The regulatory authority could exist in place of government regulation, or applied in addition to government regulation. The ability of an SRO to exercise regulatory authority does not necessarily derive from a grant of authority from the government.

In regulatory jurisdictions that provide for it, consumer protection is a group of laws and organisations designed to ensure the rights of consumers as well as fair trade, competition and accurate information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent the businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining an advantage over competitors or consumers of a certain product or goods. They may also provide additional protection for those most vulnerable in society. Consumer protection laws are a form of government regulation that aim to protect the rights of consumers. For example, a government may require businesses to disclose detailed information about products—particularly in areas where safety or public health is an issue, such as food.

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The DMA's website carries a national opt-out database where, [3] once registered, users will not be contacted by any member companies of the DMA. [2]

The term opt-out clear now several methods by which individuals can avoid receiving unsolicited product or service information. This ability is usually associated with direct marketing campaigns such as, e-mail marketing, or direct mail. A list of those who have opted out is called a Robinson list.

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Advertising mail

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References

  1. "Enterprise details for 2005/040417/08". Companies and Intellectual Property Commission. Retrieved 2 May 2014.[ dead link ]
  2. 1 2 "Consumer help: direct marketing, junk mail". SouthAfrica.info. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  3. "Database homepage". www.nationaloptout.co.za. Retrieved 10 February 2017.