50% of individuals who get advertising materials on the net or by telephone say that it is never of relevance to these, according to the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).
Of the 2,000 UK adults surveyed, 42% say that they get marketing material via websites. 36% report getting telephone calls once a week or longer.
A high proportion of this material is immaterial to the person. While 35% get offers 61% have been sent materials for a hobby or interest they don’t have.
55% of respondents thought that the majority of the organisations had obtained their contact details .
Data management is an issue of customers, with only 1 percent of respondents deeming companies involved in fast moving consumer goods (such as packaged goods). On the flip side, people were positive about the information management of fiscal services (34%), healthcare (25 percent) and professional and business services (16%).
CIM has established a campaign calling on companies to be more accountable with the way they manage data.
Chris Daly, chief executive of the CIM, said:
“What is most worrying about these results is that they’re unsurprising. In our interconnected, ‘always on’ world, being bombarded with irrelevant materials has been the expected or the norm. It’s not good and it’s eroding the trust between businesses and customers.
“Businesses have a responsibility to their customers to be transparent, respectful and transparent about how they use their private info. Not merely is this data practice that is best, but it helps consumers feel confident and revel in the advantages of sharing personal data. The more data is shared, the simpler it is to provide relevant, targeted communications to consumers. However, until businesses step up and show their commitment to best practice, they risk alienating their customers and damaging their brand”
