Demographica already compliant with Protection of Personal Information Bill

South Africa's largest digital database marketing provider, Demographica, has already aligned itself with the requirements of the keenly awaited Protection of Personal Information (PPI) Bill, which is expected to come into effect soon. Demographica’s level of preparedness has been given further credence following a strict data audit by the Direct Marketing Association, which has listed the company as one of the only eight providers on its Centre of Excellence List.

“The Protection of Personal Information Act, when it is promulgated, will change the digital database marketing landscape when it comes to gathering and disseminating personal information without the customers’ consent and we are proud to say that we are fully compliant,” says Warren Moss, Demographica CEO. “Aside from having the largest database, ours is also one of the most responsive due to the stringent measures we have taken to ensure the validity and accuracy of the information we have of individuals who have agreed to receive digital direct marketing messages.”

Moss says Demographica had identified the need to develop an accurate and credible database long before the PPI Bill was conceived, and that its success is based on being able to segment its database to exactly meet advertisers targetting needs.

Demographica provides its database to some of South Africa's leading advertisers for use in mass email and SMS-based direct marketing campaigns. It has developed a database of more than 1,5 million verified recipients since it was established in 2006. The personal details contained in the database include individuals' age, income bracket and geographic location, with each individual having consented to receiving marketing messages.

“People have consented to receiving information directly from the SA Consumer Initiative which is what makes us compliant. In the past, you would see tick boxes on forms where companies would say “can a third party contact you?” or “can one of our partners contact you?”. This was a blanket opt in and not a direct opt in. The new law and best practice says that direct opt in is needed,” says Moss. “Anyone on our database can also contact us to verify exactly what information we have relating to them, which is one of the provisions of the PPI Bill.”

He adds that the Bill also requires database owners to ensure the security of the database against theft, thereby giving consumers peace of mind that their personal information will not be misappropriated and used for purposes other than what they have consented to.

“We have invested heavily in the hardware, software and security measures to ensure that this is not a threat. In fact, only two people within Demographica have direct access to our information so the buck stops with us.”

About Demographica

Demographica is South Africa’s largest online direct marketing agency, speciailising in digital database marketing and lead generation. Demographica’s business proposition, through collective experience and wisdom, both personally and professionally, is to bring value to all who encounter us. Service excellence and flexibility is key to what we offer. Through a combination of design and strategy, we aim to make the ordinary, extraordinary. More information is available at www.demographica.co.za.