Ruf Strategic Solutions provides certain online marketing services to its clients, including (but not necessarily limited to) hosting of customer data collection webpages & applications, deploying of email campaigns, hosting unsubscribe, opt-out, & preference management webpages & applications, and collecting, storing, & processing email addresses, permission data, preference information, and opt-out requests. Specific services may vary by client.

Ruf Strategic Solutions is committed to respecting consumer privacy and marketing preferences, and optimizing our clients’ abilities to respect their customers’ privacy and marketing preferences. To assist our clients with, and assure Ruf’s own compliance with, applicable laws, regulations, and DMA best-practices guidelines, including but not limited to the CAN-SPAM act of 2003, Ruf has established certain policies & practices related to online marketing services.

Ruf only deploys email campaigns using our clients’ own opt-in email address files; we do not deploy email campaigns to third-party, compiled, or “rented” email lists.

Ruf requires that the subject line & content of any email campaigns that we deploy for our clients are compliant with CAN-SPAM requirements, and with DMA online marketing guidelines and ethical standards.

Ruf requires that all emails we deploy for our clients contain opt-out mechanisms in compliance with CAN-SPAM, including functional electronic means to opt-out (generally, a hyperlink to an unsubscribe and/or preference management page or application); as well as a client’s physical address for delivery of hard-copy opt-out requests.

For clients where Ruf is providing email opt-out electronic methods such as unsubscribe or preference management applications, Ruf assures that the method of opt-out will remain functional for no less than 30 days after the deployment of the email campaign in compliance with CAN-SPAM requirements.

Ruf only deploys email campaigns for clients who contract with Ruf to manage their customer email marketing databases, including management of permission (opt-out) transactions. Ruf does not provide e-mail service on an “ad hoc” or “a-la-carte” basis for potential clients who may wish to provide one-time email lists.

When Ruf is hosting email data collection webpages or applications for clients, Ruf requires that the data collection interface provide consumers with clear and conspicuous means to grant or deny permission for the client to use any provided email address for subsequent marketing emails. For clients who may share collected information with third parties, Ruf requires that the data collection interface provide consumer with clear and conspicuous means to grant or deny permission for the marketer to share their information. Ruf advises clients to provide links to the client’s privacy policy directly on any data collection interfaces.

When Ruf is hosting unsubscribe/opt-out or preference management webpages & applications, Ruf requires that the data interface provide consumers with a clear, simple and straightforward means to opt-out of any future marketing communication, regardless of whatever other permission or preference questions or controls may be present on the interface. Ruf advises clients to allow consumers to reach any opt-out/preference management pages or applications independently from hyperlinks in delivered emails, so that consumers can control permission with regard to their email data at any time.

When Ruf is hosting unsubscribe/opt-out or preference management webpages & applications for clients, any opt-out requests received are processed and effective by the second following business day after receipt (barring any unexpected, temporary technical problems, corrected within reasonable time, in compliance with CAN-SPAM requirements).

When clients provide Ruf with email addresses of their customers that have been collected via means other than services provided by Ruf (where permission-at-collection is mandatory), Ruf secures clients’ affirmation that the email addresses have been provided to the client with the understanding that they are permissible for use for subsequent email marketing; and Ruf requires that the email address data records be accompanied by clear indication of opt-in/opt-out status or that the source provide only the “opt-in” consumers’ email addresses.

Ruf allows clients to determine their own business rules for handling & disposition of customer email addresses that “bounce,” provided that the clients’ rules regarding hard-bounce handling meet Ruf’s policy standard. Ruf will not continue to attempt to send messages to email addresses that generate “hard” bounces in 3 of a client’s sequential email deployments without any open or click activity on the same address.

If you have any questions, concerns or feedback regarding Ruf’s policies for online marketing services, please direct them to:

Matt Hussey
matt@ruf.com
Ruf Strategic Solutions
1533 E. Spruce
Olathe, KS 66061