Big fall seen in marketing complaints to DMC

The DMA said that the Data & Marketing Commission (DMC), the body that oversees the DMA code and complaints about marketing firms, had received 25% fewer complaints about DMA members in the year between June 2021 and June 2022 than the previous year.

Complaints against non-DMA members also fell 44%, with member complaints equating to roughly a quarter of all complaints received by the DMC.

The DMC reported there was an increase in the percentage of customer service complaints from 18% to 31% of the total, although 62% of all complaints still related to data, privacy and quality.

Contractual complaints made up 8% of the total number of complaints against the marketing industry, the DMC added.

Organisations that are not members of the DMA are referred by the DMC to other statutory or self-regulatory bodies.

The DMC is pursuing accredited monitoring body status for the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) with an enhanced remit to enforce the DMA’s industry code, with hopes that monitoring body status will be achieved by early 2023.

Amerdeep Somal, chief commissioner at the DMC, said that the marketing industry must share learnings from investigations to improve industry practices, which he explained would help create an environment where businesses and marketers are encouraged to learn and increase the flow and exchange of information.

Somal added: “Not only have complaints against DMA Members continued to decline year-on-year, but we have also observed a sharp decline against non-DMA Members too.

“This is likely due to growing awareness by organisations about their obligation to their customers to be transparent and respectful. However, with UK data protection laws due to reform soon, businesses must stay vigilant, engaged and responsible – ready to embrace the reforms with the help of regulators like the DMC.”