Re: DMA Cites Five Companies for Ethics Violations, DIRECT Newsline, April 9
C’mon DMA…stop the hypocrisy! Look at member ethics violations first.
The DMA announced with great flourish and fanfare the fact that it had cited five companies for ethics violations. All five companies were not DMA members (which raises the question as to if, or how these companies would have known about the DMA’s Code of Ethics). While this is certainly a commendable action, I find it just a little too self-serving.
Within the past few weeks Citibank just paid out over $1.5 million for using, or allowing its agents to use, a negative option credit card billing practice, if a call recipient agreed to receive information. Last year Publishers Clearinghouse acknowledged wrongdoing and in a settlement with the Attorneys General from a couple dozen states agreed to penalties in excess of $25 million for practices that the Attorney General of Pennsylvania called “shameless acts of deception against all consumers, especially senior citizens…”
One practice was a pretty clear-cut violation of the DMA’s Ethical Guidelines. For years the DMA’s “Guidelines for Ethical Business Practice” concerning sweepstakes stated that “Promotions should clearly state that no purchase is required to WIN (my emphasis) sweepstakes prizes.” For many of those years Publishers Clearinghouse mailings stated “No purchase necessary to ENTER (again, my emphasis).” As we all know, there’s a world of difference between entering a sweepstakes and winning one, and this does seem to be a clear-cut violation.
But in both of these situations I don’t recall hearing or seeing anything from the DMA (or its Ethics Committee) citing these companies for ethical violations. Could it be that there exists a double standard within the DMA when it comes to ethics violations – – One standard for small, non-members businesses and another for large, well known, dues paying member companies ? Even when the member companies acknowledge wrongdoing ? Nah, can’t be! Next you’ll be telling me there’s no such thing as a tooth fairy!
Robert Borders
President
The TM Group
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
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