FEDMA - Federation of European Direct and Interactive marketing
You are here: Home > Inform > Glossary

Glossary

The following alphabetical table has been created to answer frequently asked questions from both members and non-members. If you feel there are areas of information we have not yet covered, please let us know at info@fedma.org

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Z

A

Access
With a username and password FEDMA members can access the restricted membership area of the FEDMA website etc.
including FEDMA publications, exclusive membership information, newsletters, policy papers, meeting agenda and minutes. (If you have forgotten your password please contact Jørgen Nygaard Andreassen)

Addressed Mail
For a full overview of addressed mail volumes within the European Union we would recommend you to read the "2003 Survey on Direct and Interactive Marketing in Europe" (FEDMA Publication)

Advertising
FEDMA is working closely with several advertising groups
, such as EGTA (European Group of Television Advertising) http://www.egta.com, EASA (European Advertising Standards Alliance) http://www.easa-alliance.org, IAA (International Advertising Association) http://www.iaaglobal.org, and IAB (International Advertising Bureau) http://www.iabuk.net

Application Membership
You can apply for FEDMA Membership online

Asia
Please see the trade portal http://www.tdctrade.com for assistance overseas to do business with Hong Kong and with the Chinese Mainland/Asian region through Hong Kong. Please also see the EU funded office
Asia Invest http://www.asia-invest.com which offers programmes and funding for the development of EU-Asian relations and business.

 

 

 B

Banner, FEDMA
See Web banner


Best of Europe
FEDMA has assembled a number of national award winning Direct Marketing campaigns in one collection: The Best of Europe 2006. For further information, please contact
info@fedma.org

Board
The FEDMA website features a complete listing of the FEDMA Board here.

Business Information
This is one of FEDMA’s exclusive membership services, including a range of publications – such as the FEDMA Statistics Report, Global Guide to Preference Services/Robinson Lists, Legal Fact Pack, Postal Fact Pack, Data Protection in the European Union, Best of Europe and the List Council Fact Pack – as well as seminars and work shops.

Business Services
EUROSTAT has published a report on Business Services in Europe which gives an overall description of the business services sector in Europe. For further information on EUROSTAT publications, please go to
http://europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat

  

 C

Call Centre, Project 
In the framework of an EU funded project
, FEDMA and its partners have developed a recognised set of qualifications and training standards for call centres in Europe. Please bear in mind that this project ended in December 2000 and that FEDMA, without further funding, is not able to continue the project.

Cancellation, FEDMA Membership

FEDMA Membership (runs from 1 January to 31 December) needs to be cancelled 6 months in advance for the following year, i.e. by 30 June for the next year, otherwise it is automatically renewed.

Children
When it comes to direct marketing for or towards children. I
t would be useful to read through our Code of Conduct for e-Commerce and Interactive Marketing where we refer to children on page 11.

Codes of Conduct
As an alternative to strict and inflexible legislation and to enhance the image of direct marketing
, FEDMA has adopted a Code of Conduct for e-Commerce and Interactive Marketing, European Principles for Telemarketing, a Code of Practice for Listbroking, and a Code of Conduct on Data Protection.
Read the FEDMA Codes of Conduct at
here

Code of Conduct for e-Commerce and Interactive Marketing
FEDMA adopted its code of conduct for e-Commerce and Interactive Marketing at its Board meeting on 5 September 2000
, in response to the EU Directive on e-Commerce. The code, which is based on existing international, European and national codes, and relevant European Union regulations, covers commercial offers, contractual information, the need for financial security, data protection, the protection of children, redress mechanisms, monitoring and enforcement.

Commercial Communications
Sales promotion is a major marketing technique often used in direct marketing to attract and establish long-term relationships with their customers. Sales promotion
, among others, includes premiums, discounts and lotteries.
Commercial communications rules differ widely between Member States. These differences often create obstacles for companies offering commercial communications across national borders. In October 2001 the European Commission proposed a Regulation on Sales Promotion
, which in 2002 was discussed in the European Parliament,
but in 2005 was withdrawn due to opposition by a minority of the Member States. FEDMA supports the idea of one pan-European legislation for sales promotion.

Company Listing
FEDMA can provide you with a list of member companies for a specific DM segment (mailing house
, list broker, DM agency, etc) and for a specific country.
NB! As an association
, FEDMA represents all its members and does therefore not present lists of "top" companies according to turnover, employee account, etc.

   

 

 D


Direct Mail Expenditure
For a full overview of direct mail expenditure within the European Union we would recommend you to read FEDMA's "2003 Survey on Direct and Interactive Marketing in the Europe" (FEDMA Publication).
For direct mail information see also the Direct Mail Information Service at
http://www.dmis.co.uk

Direct Marketing, definition
Direct marketing is a collection of methodologies for communicating a message to individuals with a view to obtaining a measurable, cost-effective response. The most important communication channels for direct marketing are direct mail, mail order, door-to-door, SMS, tele-services and call centres, direct response TV, radio and posters, and the Internet.

Directive, EU
A directive is a piece of European legislation which is addressed to Member States. Once such legislation is passed at the European level
, each Member State must ensure that it is effectively applied in its legal system. The directive prescribes an end result. The form and methods of the applications are a matter for each Member State to decide for itself. In principle, a directive takes effect through national implementation of measures (national legislation).

Distance Selling of Financial Services
FEDMA is in favour of maximum harmonisation of the distance selling of financial services. This will allow consumers to benefit from equivalent protection regardless of the Member States in which they bought the services.

DMA's
You can find contact details for National Direct Marketing Associations (who are members of FEDMA) on the FEDMA website.


 

 

 E

eCommerce and Interactive Marketing, Code of Conduct
See Code of Conduct
, E-Commerce and Interactive Marketing

eConfidence
FEDMA has initiated a mosaic of self-regulatory schemes - the FEDMA Ring of Confidence - with the aim of increasing consumers' confidence in e-commerce. The FEDMA Ring of Confidence includes the FEDMA Codes of Conduct, FEDMA's involvement in the Global Trustmark Alliance (GTA) and the Global Business Dialogue on e-Commerce (GBDe), as well as FEDMA's projects on consumer confidence (a Consumer Complaints Resolution Mechanism/CCRM)) and on education (a certification procedure of courses in direct marketing, interactive marketing, e-business, CRM, authenticity and white lists for e-mail marketing,and database marketing). For further information contact Alastair Tempest .

Education
In 2001
, with the support of the European Commission, FEDMA developed a certification procedure for courses in direct marketing, interactive marketing, database marketing, CRM, and e-business. Training institutes and universities can now apply for their courses to be certified by an expert committee on education and research (the FEDMA Pan European Education and Assessment Committee/PEEAC), and if positively assessed, hand out a European Diploma to its students, as an addition to their local diploma.
The main objective of the project is to help training institutes and universities improve their programmes and make them more responsive to the concerns of our industry. Institutes are certified as much for a philosophy of constant self-improvement and constructive collaboration, as for specific course content. It is FEDMA's role as a trade association to encourage the raising of standards to the satisfaction of an industry facing constant changes,
and to accredit and promote courses that meet these standards.
For further information please contact us at
info@fedma.org or go to European Certification.

eEurope
This is a Commission Action Plan, endorsed by the EU Member States at the Feira (Portugal) European Council in June 2000, including measures to help all European schools (eLearning), governments (eGovernment) and SMEs to go digital. The eEurope Action Plan is part of the 2000 Lisbon Strategy of making the EU (Europe) the most dynamic, competitive, sustainable and knowledge based economy in the world by 2010.

Electronic Retailing
ERA is the trade association for companies who use the power of electronics to sell goods and services to the public. The purpose of ERA is to foster the growth, development and acceptance of the rapidly growing electronic retailing industry worldwide. Please go to http://www.retailing.org for further information on this association.

eProjects
FEDMA has been involved in several e-commerce projects which are key elements in the FEDMA Ring of Confidence: The CCRM Project (Consumer Complaints Resolution Mechanism - http://ccform.interbyte.be/); Europac (identification of problems related to privacy compliant marketing); and Ecodir (Electronic Commerce Dispute Resolution). For further information contact FEDMA.
EU funding
The EU "Community Research & Development Information Service", CORDIS, offers a wide range of information on European R7D and innovation, including funding opportunities (http://www.cordis.lu/fp6/), news, technology, business support and assistance.

EU Glossary
Please go to http://www.europa.eu.int/scadplus/leg/en/cig/g4000.htm for a complete EU glossary.

europe Direct
See Newsletters

 
Events
FEDMA has collected a list of international DM events on its website at NewsRoom 
Expenditure, DM
For a full overview of direct marketing expenditure within the European Union we would recommend you to read the "2003 Survey on Direct and Interactive Marketing the Europe" (FEDMA Publication). Please also see Direct Mail Information Service http://www.dmis.co.uk for further details on the British direct mail market.
 

  F

 

FEDMA
The Federation of European Direct and Interactive Marketing was created in 1997 as the single voice of the direct marketing industry at the European level. Its national members are direct marketing associations (DMAs), representing users, service providers and media/carriers of direct marketing throughout Europe. FEDMA also has over 200 direct company members. FEDMA’s mission statement is to protect, promote and inform about the direct marketing industry in Europe.

FEDMA Membership News
See Newsletters


Fraud
This website http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com provides information on telemarketing fraud, investment schemes and consumer scams

Funding
See EU Funding

 

 

 

  G


Go Digital
This is a Commission Communication adopted in March 2001 with the aim of helping European SMEs to enter e-business. The Communication is part of the Commission’s overall eEurope Action Plan. GoDigital has eleven action points according to the following three action lines: Favourable environment for electronic business and entrepreneurship; take-up of electronic business; and ICT skills. Under the GoDigital programme the European Commission is developing Euro Info Centres (Technical Assistance Offices) to inform SMEs of the practical benefits of eBusiness and the implications of cross-border trade. Euro Info Centres campaigns are scheduled for EEA and some CEEC countries with a kick-off in the middle of May 2001. For further information please go to
http://europa.eu.int/ISPO/ecommerce/godigital
 
Green Paper, European Commission
Commission Green Papers are documents intended to stimulate debate and launch a process of consultation at the European level on a particular topic (such as social policy, the single currency, telecommunications). These consultations may then lead to the publication of a White Paper, translating the conclusions of the debate into practical proposals for Community action.

  

H

 

 
 

 

 I

IFDMA
This is the abbreviation of the International Federation of Direct Marketing Associations
, of which FEDMA is an active member.

Implementation Tables, of EU Directives

FEDMA tracks the implementation of all the EU directives with relevance for the directive marketing industry. This is an exclusive membership service for the Corporate Members and the tables are accessible on the restricted area of the FEDMA website.


Information Service
See Request
The Intellectual Property Rights Helpdesk (IPR-Helpdesk), a project funded by the European Commission Innovation Programme of Enterprise DG, offers help with intellectual property (IP) issues to all persons engaged in EU-funded Research. Please go to http://www.ipr-helpdesk.org for further information.

Intellectual Property, Help Desk
The Intellectual Property Rights Helpdesk (IPR-Helpdesk), a project funded by the European Commission Innovation Programme of Enterprise DG, offers help with intellectual property (IP) issues to all persons engaged in EU-funded Research. Please go to http://www.ipr-helpdesk.org for further information.

ISDN
This is the abbreviation for the EU Directive for Telecommunications and Privacy which was adopted in 1997 and which was partially revised in 2002 (the EU Directive on Electronic Communications and Privacy). The revision intensified the so-called spam controversy (opt-in/opt-out debate)
, in response to the European Commission’s proposal for a soft opt-in system for unsolicited emails.

 

  

J

 

 
 

 

 

K

 

 

 

Legal Fact Pack
A comprehensive information pack containing country-by-country fact sheets on direct marketing legislation throughout Europe: Advertising Law, Data Protection, Gifts and Premium, Sales Promotion, Distance Selling and Telemarketing. This publication is available on-line, free of charge for members, and can be purchased on-line by non-members.

Listing, Company
See Company Listing

List Council
A FEDMA special interest group headed by a List Council Committee liaising closely with the FEDMA Secretariat. FEDMA organises List Council Breakfasts and seminars/workshop for the List Council Members with the aim of providing business information and network opportunities for this business segment. For further information about the FEDMA List Council go to http://fedma.custompublish.com/index.php?cat=60055


List Link Service
This is the one-stop solution for sourcing international lists free of charge. For further information go to http://fedma.custompublish.com/index.php?cat=60064

List Rental
See List Link Service

Lobbying
FEDMA closely monitors all EU initiatives which may have an impact on the direct marketing sector; to address and defend the interest of its members at the EU level, for instance via written position papers, briefing papers, press releases and participation at EU Institutions hearings.

Logo, FEDMA
The use of the FEDMA logo and banner is an exclusive membership service.

 

 
 

  

Magazines, DM
FEDMA provides you with a listing of DM magazines and portals at the FEDMA website. 

Membership Categories
The national Direct Marketing Associations constitute the backbone of FEDMA membership and are represented by a Vice-Chair in the FEDMA Board. In addition, there are two levels of direct FEDMA membership for companies: Corporate Associate Membership and Company Membership.

Membership Fees
The FEDMA membership fees are as follows: Corporate Associates EUR 9400; and Company Members EUR 1545.

Membership Period
The period for FEDMA membership is from 1 January to 31 December. For cancellation details see Cancellation.

Membership Services
Please see Join FEDMA  for a complete overview of FEDMA Membership Services. For further information on FEDMA Membership, do not hesitate to contact FEDMA Membership Manager Jørgen Nygaard Andreassen

Model Contracts
For further information see Data Protection.

 

Newsletters, FEDMA

FEDMA publishes two monthly newsletters: europeDirect (mainly reporting on FEDMA activities and EU issues) and FEDMA Membership News (mainly reporting on events, publications, new, etc, of an international interest, in the various DM markets in and beyond Europe).
Both newsletters are an exclusive membership service, i.e. they are sent to members only and archived on the restricted membership area of the FEDMA website.

 

Opt-in/Opt-out, debate
See Spam Controversy

 

Password
Paid-up FEDMA members receive a username and a password to the restricted membership area of the FEDMA website. If you have not received or have forgotten your password, please contact Jørgen Nygaard Andreassen .

Preference Services
Preference Services (also known as Robinson Lists) offer protection for consumers who do not wish to be contacted by companies for DM purposes. Most European countries have preference services for mail, phone and/or fax, while an e-mail preference service has been set up at a global level, with the ability for national portals. There are 4 types of preferences services in place: Mailing Preference Service (MPS); Telephone Preference Service (TPS); Fax Preference Service (FPS); E-mail Preference Service (EPS); and SMS Preference Services (SMSPS).
FEDMA has conducted a survey with the objective of identifying existing procedures and contact points in European countries for individuals to register to preference services lists and for companies to use these lists. Please see Preference Services for further information

Press Information
Please visit the Newsroom or contact us at info@fedma.org

Publications
You can order all FEDMA publications on-line.
FEDMA has also entered into partnerships with several publishing houses and magazines throughout Europe which offer FEDMA members reduced prices on their publications. For further information, please contact us at info@fedma.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

Renting, of data to third party
See Third Party

Request (Information Service)
One of many services offered by the FEDMA Secretariat is the follow-up of requests from members and non-members. This is not considered as an exclusive membership service since we also respond to non-members. However, members do have priority and their requests will be handled in more detail by FEDMA staff. Please send your request(s) to info@fedma.org stating whether you are a member or not.

Ring of Confidence, the FEDMA
See eConfidence

Robinson list
See Preference Services in Europe

Rome II
For further information see eCommerce

  

 

 

 

Safe Harbor
For further information please see Data Protection.

Sales Promotion
See Commercial Communications

Self-Regulation
See eConfidence and Codes of Conduct

Smart Cards
News and information on the eEurope Smart Card activities and the development of common requirements can be found at http://eeurope-smartcards.org

SMEs
FEDMA is tracking the EU action plan for SMEs (Small and Medium sized Enterprises) in Europe, specifically the Go Digital programme with the aim of helping SMEs to enter eBusiness. See http://europa.eu.int/ISPO/ecommerce/godigital

Spam
Unannounced, illegal harvesting of email addresses from Internet chat rooms etc, followed by illegal untargeted emailings.

Spam Controversy (Opt-in/Opt-out debate)
This debate intensified as a result of the revision of the EU Directive on Telecommunications and Privacy and the European Commission proposal of introducing opt-in system for unsolicited e-mails. FEDMA wants to distinguish between illegal, untargeted e-mailings (spam) and serious, targeted and legal e-mailings (direct marketing). FEDMA feels an opt-out system is the best system for the healthy development of direct marketing. For further and more detailed information please contact Sofia Tabau 

Spam related websites
A compilation of laws related to unsolicited bulk and commercial email can be found at http://www.spamlaws.com/index.html
The website of the European Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email includes a comparative table on Opt-in and/or Opt-out laws existing all around the world.

Special Interest Groups
FEDMA has one special interest group at the moment: the List Council, representing the list broker industry in Europe. The FEDMA secretariat is liaising closely with the Chair of the special interest group regarding seminars, workshops, networking and publication. For further information contact Jørgen Nygaard Andreassen.
or go to List Council.

Stagiaire
FEDMA regularly employs stagiaires to work on a number of tasks for a minimum period of three months. If you are interested in applying, please send your CV to info@fedma.org

Staff
The FEDMA Secretariat, based in Brussels, consists of 7 fulltime employees.  See a list of FEDMA Staff here.

Student requests
FEDMA is happy to hear from and help students with their requests for information. Students are kindly asked to send their requests to
info@fedma.org with information on their school and on their direct marketing related course.

 

 


Telecommunications and Privacy, EU Directive on (ISDN)
See ISDN

Telemarketing, European Principles for
As an alternative to strict and inflexible legislation and to enhance the image of telemarketing, FEDMA adopted European Principles for Telemarketing and has recently revised this code

Third Party, renting and selling of data to
The person in charge of renting data to a third party has to ensure that data subjects are informed of: their right to opt-out from disclosing their data for direct marketing purposes; recipients or types of recipient of the data; and the purpose for which the data will be disclosed. This information should be given at the time of collection, and every effort should be made to do so, but where this is difficult or impossible, for instance in the case of small space advertisements, and where it is permitted by national legislation, this information may be withheld if it has already been given through appropriate mechanisms (e.g. an appropriate collective notice which is generally accessible and sufficiently targeted to a specific public). Such mechanisms must be permitted by national legislation and should be carried out in accordance with the legal requirements contained in the relevant national legislation.

According to data protection legislation in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Finland, and Italy, the data subject must give his/her approval (opt-in) before data is passed on to third party.
For further information on data protection issues please contact FEDMA at
info@fedma.org

Trade, Fairly
See Fair Trade

 

 U

Useful Addresses
Please click here.

Web banner
If you are interested in purchasing banner space on the FEDMA website, please contact Jørgen Nygaard Andreassen  for further information.
If you are interested in placing the FEDMA banner on your website, please contact Jorgen N. Andreassen

 

 

V

 

Website, the FEDMA
The FEDMA website consists of an open and a restricted membership area: the former features general information about our association, such as membership services, lobby activities, and events, as well as useful information on the direct marketing industry, including relevant addresses/links, FAQs, and press information; The restricted area features exclusive membership information, such as meeting agendas, minutes, working documents, policy papers, newsletters, and publications. The Legal Fact Pack, Postal Fact Pack, List Council Fact Pack and Statistics, and Membership Directory, are all accessible online. If you have any comments or corrections to make regarding your on-line contact details, please contact us at jandreassen@fedma.org

White Paper, European Commission
Commission White Papers are documents containing proposals for Community action in a specific area. In some cases they follow a Green Paper published to launch a consultation process at European level. Examples include the White Papers on the completion of the internal market, on growth, competitiveness and employment and the approximation of the laws of the associated states of Central and Eastern Europe in areas of relevance to the internal market. When a White Paper has been favourably received by the Council, it can become the action programme for the Union in the area concerned.

 

 

X

 

 

Z

 

 

 

U