Navigating this guidance

Identify direct marketing

• What is direct marketing?
• What are direct marketing purposes?
• What are service messages?
• How can we decide if what we want to do is direct marketing?

Plan direct marketing

• Why it is important to plan our direct marketing activities?
• What type of information do we want to use?
  • Can we use special category data for direct marketing?
  • Can we use children’s information for direct marketing?
• What direct marketing activity do we want to do?
  • Can we use ‘live’ calls for our direct marketing?
  • Can we use automated calls for our direct marketing?
  • Can we use electronic mail (including emails and texts) for our direct marketing?
  • Can we use post to send our direct marketing?
  • Can we use online advertising for our direct marketing?
  • Can we use social media for our direct marketing?
  • Is there any information we must give people when we send direct marketing to them?
  • Can we share information for direct marketing purposes?
• Can we work with others on our direct marketing?
• How do we decide what our data protection reason (“lawful basis”) is for direct marketing?
  • How does consent apply to direct marketing?
  • How does legitimate interests apply to direct marketing?
• How do we make sure the information we use for direct marketing is accurate?
• How long should we keep information for direct marketing purposes?

Collect information and generate leads

• What is collecting information and generating leads for direct marketing?
• What do we need to tell people if we collect their information directly from them?
• What do we need to tell people if we collect their information from other sources?
• Can we use publicly available personal information for direct marketing purposes?
• Can we find out additional contact details for people from other sources?
• Can we get new contact details for people from other sources, if their details are no longer correct?
• Can create profiles of people for direct marketing?
• What do we need to consider when buying or renting information for direct marketing?

Respect people's preferences

• Why is it important to respect people’s preferences?
• What do we do if someone objects to our direct marketing?
• What do we do if someone opts out of our direct marketing?
• What do we do if someone withdraws their consent?
• What are direct marketing suppression lists?
• What do we do if someone asks us to delete their information?

Enforcement

• What is the role of the ICO?
• How does the ICO deal with complaints?
• What are the ICO’s enforcement powers?