IEEE GlobalSpec, a provider of digital media solutions to help industrial marketers connect with t engineering and technical
professionals, has launched a re-engagement campaign to obtain the consent required under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
As specified by GDPR, the global firm is
offering specific opt-in choices for each of its many informational products, from email newsletters to white paper and webinar announcements. Its multi-tiered campaign includes email, content on the
website and a video.
This puts the firm ahead of the curve, according to GlobalSpec CEO Patrick Mahoney.
“Some companies just
didn’t take it seriously,” he notes. “Now their lawyers are telling them, you have four weeks to get it together. “
In contrast, IEEE GlobalSpec has been working on
this issue for at least six months, taking a methodical approach and relying on proprietary systems to ensure compliance.
Patrick cautions that GDPR is “not limited to residents of the
EU — it applies to EU citizens regardless of where they live.” That includes the U.S.
IEEE GlobalSpec is offering the opt-in only to EU citizens, but will change that to cover the
U.S. if such legislation is passed here.
“We spent three months understanding the law and how it applies to us and affects customers,” Mahoney says. “We then articulated a
strategy.”
The requirement is simple, he continues: If someone doesn’t opt in, they’re off the list.
“Some companies are a little hesitant — they fear the
risk of losing people,” Mahoney says. “We don’t have that concern because we have a high degree of customer intimacy.”
How does this differ from consumer opt-ins?
It’s largely the same, he says. “If they give us a corporate email address for company A, then go to Company B, they have to re-opt in,” Mahoney explains.
In the video,
Mahoney advises clients to review their own mailing lists and re-engage customers, working with legal counsel.
The company has just under 9 million registered users, including 1.3
million in the EU.