Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) 2012

On 15 October 2012, The Personal Data Protection Act sets out the law on data protection in Singapore. Apart from establishing a general data protection regime, the Act also regulates telemarketing practices. Came into force on 2nd January 2013, Singapore Government statutory body Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) was established.

The PDPA applies to the private sector in Singapore but does not apply in public sectors.

What is Personal Data?

• Any data which can identify an individual whether or not it’s an electronic form.

Is there an exception?

Below are the exceptions:

• Business contact information relating to an individual’s name, position, business address, number, email or similar information.
• Individuals who have been dead for over ten years (subject to some exceptions).
• Individual who has been on record for over 100 years.

How are we going to market our product and services to them?

• Organisation are required to obtained the individual’s consent before collecting their personal data for used or disclosed.
• There must be an opt-out option for an individual should they want to stop receiving calls/sms/fax.
• You are still allowed to promote  related products and services to individuals with whom you have an  ongoing relationship.
• You are required to check DNC Registry.

DNC Registry

The DNC became operational  on 2 January 2014. It allows individuals  to opt out of receiving unsolicited marketing messages. This includes  voice calls, text messages and multimedia messaging services but excludes email and post.
Organisations are obliged to check through DNC Registry before sending out marketing messages. The PDPC has issued guidance on  the new rules. You may visit dnc.gov.sg for more information.

Enforcement

Organisations can be fined up to S$100,000 for obstructing the PDPC from carrying out its duties and S$50,000 for certain breaches of the PDPA.

Remember, it is your job and responsibility to treat your generated leads right and with respect once you get their information. Do not spam them.

The highest recorded open rates on text messages is about 98% and that is extremely high compare to e-mail marketing. Your consumers doesn’t need internet access in sms marketing!

Wide Demographic

Reach more people from all walks of life! There are 4.53M smartphone users in Singapore, that’s in addition to those who haven’t upgraded their basic phones. You can also customise your target audience to save you some cost and time.

Can Combine with Other Marketing Strategies

According to Statista.com, in Singapore, there are 4.6M mobile internet users in 2019. That means higher chance of opening your online website from a discount offer through SMS.

Fast Delivery

Short and sharp SMS are time effective. You can reach thousands of customers in just a day. Instantly getting responses too.

Opt-in/Opt-out

SMS still have an easy way out if customers do not want to hear from your business. Under the Do-Not-Call registry, with effect from 2 January 2014, Singapore consumers are now able to start opting out from advertisement messages and telemarketing calls. This is to ensure that either parties would cause any inconveniences.