The Responsible Electronic Communication Alliance, has formally announced its formation as a coalition to promote professional standards for online communication and marketing.
Chris Wolf, an Internet attorney with the law firm, Proskauer Rose LLP, has been named president of RECA. Peter Arnold, a former spokesman for The Internet Tax Fairness Coalition, has been named executive director.
The following companies are founding members: Acxiom Corp., American List Counsel, Bigfoot Interactive, ClickAction Inc., Digital Impact, DoubleClick, E-Dialog, EmailChannel Inc., FloNetwork Inc., Netcentives Inc., Phase2Media, Responsys Yesmail and Radical Mail.
“There is a legitimate concern among Internet users about the e-mail they’re receiving,” Wolf said in a statement. “RECA is a conscientious attempt by our members to address that concern in a positive way.”
RECA has a logo and a registered Web site, http://www.responsibleemail.org, which is under construction. The coalition is incorporated and collects annual dues of between $10,000 and $20,000, Wolf told DIRECT Newsline last night.
RECA has been working to establish best practices for e-mail marketing and plans to announce those standards by month’s end. At an earlier meeting the discussion focused on a confirmed, or verified, opt-in model for acquisition marketing.
Wolf said RECA’s work complements that of the Direct Marketing Association, which supports an opt-out business model.
“The DMA has a much broader mandate,” Wolf said last night. “We are focused on one thing, setting standards and best practices for companies in e-mail marketing and that would be our only focus.”
Geoff Smith, director of client programs for ClickAction Inc., added, “I think [the DMA] is still grappling with how to approach the e-mail space.”
Two groups, RECA and the E-mail Standards Working Group, had formed over the summer to address the issue of setting standards following growing concern about Internet privacy and intense action from anti-spam groups. The Working Group has a similar mission to establish best practices for e-mail marketing and actively encourages participation from anti-spam groups such as Mail Abuse Prevention System, Junkbusters and CAUCE.
“I think in the long term, there will be one organization,” Smith said. “It’s more productive in trying to tackle the same issues.”
Rosalind Resnick, CEO of NetCreations and an unofficial leader of the Working Group said, “We hope to have a productive working relationship with RECA. They have worked very hard and they are going to make a tremendous contribution in the establishment of best practices and standards for e-mail marketing on the Internet.”
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