Firms struggle to reinvent marketing as DNC kicks in

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Consumers have been celebrating the end of spam SMSes and pesky phone calls since the Do Not Call (DNC) Registry kicked in five months ago.

But some businesses are struggling to reinvent the way they market their products or services to customers as they rack up the cost of alternative forms of marketing.

And ahead of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) coming into full force on July 1, companies, especially those relying on mass marketing methods to reach consumers, have been gearing up further.

Last month, for instance, Singapore Telecommunications set up a portal to allow its customers to opt out of receiving certain advertising material and decide how their data is going to be used.

Some organisations and individuals, such as property and insurance agents, have resorted to growing other marketing tools as they battle slowing business.

Top3 Media, which does search engine optimisation and other forms of digital marketing, did just that after it closed down its SMS blast services six months ago.

Similarly, Tele-centre, which shut down its telemarketing services at the end of last year, now focuses on providing customer support services for companies.

Property agents are hit by a double whammy, as they have to contend with a slowing real estate market after the Government introduced cooling measures and loan curbs to tame housing price growth.

Propnex's marketing costs have been much higher than before. They have spent S$100,000 to set up a system that screens calls on agents’ phones, allowing only numbers not in the DNC Registry to connect.

The company has also gone back to doing “old-school” marketing, recently printing 300,000 copies of consumer guidebooks on the real estate market and holding more seminars.

Banks — which traditionally relied heavily on marketing calls and SMSes — are shifting to digital channels to reach their prospects.

OCBC Bank has augmented its efforts with video walls and interactive touch screens to showcase the latest products at its branches, where staff are on hand to help if customers wish to know more.

A DBS spokesman said the bank has been increasingly engaging customers through social media channels and mobile apps, which allow for “deeper engagement”.