Catlett conceded that direct marketers face huge technical obstacles in sifting through all the data, but that these hurdles will be surmountable with increases in computing power. It's time to stop it now, before they start building it. Catlett compared the DoubleClick-Abacus merger to the Intel Pentium III processor number, which could have been used as a unique identifier on the Net. The industry is aware that privacy is a hot-button topic with consumers. The Direct Marketing Association in July will launch its Privacy Promise, which requires its members to let consumers know their data will be used for marketing purposes and requires them to give them the option to opt in or out.
Consumer confidence needs to be bolstered.
One direct marketing executive who spoke on condition of anonymity said the industry is concerned about privacy issues but is dragging its feet because of the lack of outside pressure. Like figuring out where the next buck is coming from. The source also said there is widespread misperception about the kinds of things direct marketers are able to do. While there's an abundance of data, it's difficult to gather what's relevant and how to make use of it. DoubleClick's Ryan said consumers tend to trust big companies like DoubleClick not to abuse their data.