Frequently Asked Questions
Getting Started
It’s our business to help companies reach consumers who are interested in their products or services. We’re committed to balancing the information needs of businesses with the privacy concerns of individuals.
datadecisions Group was formed in 2016 when Mike Hail and Steve Lerner, the respective founders of Web Decisions Group and FGI Research & Analytics, merged these entities to enable “voice-of-consumer” marketing.
Companies seek DDG’s assistance to get more information about their current customers or to obtain information about potential customers who may be interested in their products or services. This information helps make the advertising more relevant and enables a company to send you offers more tailored to the things that interest you.
What types of consumer information are processed?
Consumer Information related to household purchases, demographics and interests, and self-reported information about consumers and their households. We obtain information from a number of sources, and we use quality-control procedures to help identify inaccurate or out-of-date information.
Our household purchase database contains consumer names and addresses, along with generalized household purchase information, to help understand the types of purchases people make. Our clients (mostly catalog and retail companies, but also nonprofit organizations, publishers and others) contribute information about their customers in exchange for information about prospective customers who may be interested in their products.
We filter household purchases into categories. For example, if you buy children’s clothing, your household will likely be in the category of children’s apparel and merchandise, and you may receive catalogs of children’s clothing in the mail.
How did I get selected for the contact audience?
We use the information described above to group consumers who have similar interests into market segments, of thousands of consumers who share similar buying patterns or interests. The information is then modeled with sophisticated mathematical algorithms, based on informed guesses about what the segment of consumers might be interested in buying next.
To view privacy opt-rights, click here.
What kinds of information are not processed?
Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, bank account numbers or other financial accounts, credit card numbers or password information. We also don’t have health-related information, unless you voluntarily provided health-related information through the customer surveys mentioned earlier.
How can I opt-out of DDG’s information sharing?
Contact DDG and fill out the Request to be Removed Form.
By opting out with us, you’re opting out of DDG’s marketing databases only, not databases belonging to other companies. Other companies similar to DDG provide consumer information to marketers for marketing purposes, and you should also opt-out with them if you don’t want your information shared for marketing purposes.
It’s important to understand that when you opt-out with DDG, we don’t delete your information. We mark it on our databases as “Do Not Share.” We do this because if your information is deleted, in the future, we would have no way to know that you requested that your information not be shared. When you’re marked as “Do Not Share,” we’ll know that you didn’t want your information shared in case your information is later resubmitted. We want to be sure that consumers’ requests are honored until we’re told of a change.
How can I see my information on the database?
We’re happy to provide you with information that DDG has in our databases about your household. If you have questions about this information, you can submit a Personal Information Request.
For your protection, we’ll first need to verify your identity, as we want to make sure information is not shared with someone else. Similarly, we can’t provide unverified access to another household’s information. If you’re receiving mail for someone who doesn’t live at your address, please contact DDG and we’ll opt that person out of our databases. Or you can register them with the DMA Mail Preference Service discussed above.
For additional information about DDG’s privacy and information practices, please contact us.
DDG MARKETING FAQs
How can I see what information DDG has?
If you have questions about the information DDG has about your household, you can contact us or complete the Personal Information Request form. We’ll give you a summary of the information DDG has about your household in our marketing databases.
What does DDG do with marketing data?
Companies may come to DDG to get more information about their current customers or to obtain information about potential customers. This information helps make the advertising more relevant, based on an individual’s interests. DDG is able to help companies ensure that their marketing communications are sent to the most interested individuals. When companies are able to market directly to you, you benefit by potentially receiving special offers and promotions, free services and offers that marketers think are more relevant to you.
What does DDG not do with marketing data?
DDG doesn’t use marketing data for any purpose other than marketing. This means that we only help companies use data from our databases for the purpose of providing existing and potential customers with opportunities to buy products or services or to contribute to charitable causes. We never provide our data for individual consumer use. DDG doesn’t provide individual look-up products or services and doesn’t allow clients to use marketing data for activities such as granting credit, performing employment background checks or obtaining health insurance rates. Additionally, we don’t knowingly allow marketing to children under the age of 18.
What types of consumer information are used?
The databases have consumer information related to household purchases, demographics and interests, and self-reported information about consumers and their households. It obtains information from a number of sources.
What kinds of information are not part of these databases?
Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, bank account numbers or other financial accounts, credit card numbers or password information. Also, no health-related information is present, unless you voluntarily provided health-related information through customer surveys.
How do I opt-out of information sharing?
If you decide that you aren’t interested in the benefits of direct marketing, you can opt-out of DDG sharing your information with other companies, Request to be Removed form. There are a number of ways to opt-out, but no universal way to do so.
By opting out of information sharing, will I stop receiving all unwanted marketing offers?
By opting out of our databases, you should see a reduction in unwanted marketing offers you receive, but you won’t stop receiving all unwanted marketing offers. It may take several weeks or months for your opt-out to go into effect, depending on the planning cycle for the marketing offer. Advertisers begin their process several months in advance of actually sending a mail piece, so names and addresses that later opt-out may already have been provided.
By opting out with DDG, you’re opting out of DDG’s marketing databases only, not databases belonging to other companies. There are other companies similar to DDG that provide consumer information to marketers for marketing purposes, and you should also opt-out with them if you don’t want your information shared for marketing purposes. You can also ask the companies you do business with not to share your information.
The simplest way to opt-out of information sharing and to reduce the number of unwanted marketing offers in the U.S. is to register with the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA’s) mail preference service. When you enter your name and address on the site, companies that are members of the DMA and non-member companies that use this service will remove consumers whose names and addresses are present.