Navigating this guidance
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Due to the Data (Use and Access) Act coming into law on 19 June 2025, this guidance is under review and may be subject to change. The Plans for new and updated guidance page will tell you about which guidance will be updated and when this will happen.
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?
- 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 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?