Industry Alert: FTC Lead Generation Workshop

On October 30, 2015 – The FTC held a workshop titled “Follow the Lead” which discussed lead generation and the assorted privacy and consumer concerns that go along with it.

The PMA monitored this workshop, and can provide the following summary for it’s members:

• The focus was mostly on the education and mortgage verticals.
• FTC raised concerns about transparency for consumers.   Conspicuously detailing exactly how data is going to be used and shared is critical – and any consent obtained must properly match the intended use of the data.  Hiding information only in long disclosures is not a good strategy.
• Cross-selling leads can, in fact, be beneficial to the consumer and could be expected – however the above points of consent and disclosure become even more critical in those cases.
• Data minimization is a best practice.  You should only collect, store and transfer what’s necessary.
• Closely Monitor those third-parties with whom you work.
• Both the sellers and the buyers of the data should focus on these issues.

The primary takeaway from the workshop is that lead generators, and everyone involved in the lead funnel, should know that there is a growing interest in this subject among federal regulators.  Should you have further questions on this, please email us at yourboard@thepma.org and we’ll be happy to help you.

The PMA Industry Advancement Council’s mission is to raise the level of knowledge, awareness and opportunities available through performance based advertising/marketing model. This Council will elaborate on best practices and standards that can be leveraged by both internal and external industry professionals.  To participate in this Council, visit https://thepma.org/pma-councils/pma-industry-advancement-council/