DMCNY board member Chet Dalzell is an enthusiastic advocate for data-driven marketing, as well as helping marketers to better understand the tools that enable it and the data privacy ramifications that go along with it. Dalzell began his career in marketing working as a media relations officer for the State of Connecticut. He then moved on to Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and worked at Harte Hanks before offering his talents in PR as an independent consultant. Now, he serves as senior director of communications and industry relations for Digital Advertising Alliance.

Dalzell has been a member of DMCNY for almost 30 years and has advised the club from a PR standpoint since 2005. In 2015, he was named a Silver Apple Honoree.

In a conversation with MKTGinsight for DMCNY, Dalzell shares the funny, serious, and inspiring aspects of his career, as well as his take on the industry.

Why marketing?

I wanted to find my way in New York City, having grown up in Massachusetts, Nebraska, and Connecticut.  I had just accepted a job with a PR agency in New Jersey, with a longing, far-away view of the Manhattan skyline. That’s when I landed a last-minute interview with the DMA—now part of ANA—in Midtown Manhattan. I didn’t even know what direct marketing was, but I was offered a job then and there, and I had made it to “Bright Lights, Big City.” I’ve never looked back.

What is the biggest accomplishment of your career so far?

At DMA, I took more than a few television interviews on a range of consumer and business shows, often taking on the controversies around privacy, environmentalism, postal issues, and more. It really helps when you believe in what you do, and I love how we generate commerce, create customers, and move the economy. But early in my career, I really got a kick when someone I never knew came up to me and said, “Hey, you’re that guy who was defending sweepstakes on the news last night!” Yes, I proudly have defended so-called junk mail, dinner-time calls, spam and surveillance advertising; funny how politicians attack it and still make sure they’re allowed to use it.

Do you have a favorite customer story?

On a dark night in Miami, I was hand-delivering a press kit to the Miami Herald. A slasher jumped out of the bushes and demanded all of my valuables while pointing a knife at my chest. I calmly told him, “I only have a couple of bucks, but I’d be happy to buy you a meal.” He returned my bracelet and watch, but took the money I had. He also thanked me for being so kind to offer him a meal. Humility and gratitude—if only all the world knew better!

If you could work for any business other than your current one, what would you choose?

Truth, justice, and the American way. Our nation’s standing in the world has taken a global beating. Trust levels in our institutions are at an all-time low. The pursuit of the American Dream was, and to a degree remains, under fire and question. Yet through all of this, we have incredible opportunities in ourselves, our systems, and our society to make positive change, and be the change we desire for all our citizens.

What advice would you give to your younger self as you entered marketing?

Find a mentor so you never stop learning and improving. Thankfully, in our business of data-driven marketing, there’s a bias toward exchanging insights and growing the practice of what we do overall, so I’ve had many mentors in my marketing and public relations career.

What is the biggest challenge facing data-driven marketing right now?

Privacy. Not one policymaker gets it right. The GPDR and CCPA, well intended as they may be, are huge steps backward, since they tend to treat most data the same and don’t recognize fair information use for societal and economic gain. I’m hopeful we can fix this in a new federal privacy law that focuses on real consumer harms like identity theft, not imagined ones like advertising.

What do you enjoy the most about being a member of DMCNY?

DMCNY brings information, professional development, and networking to my New York work life, and does it at a very reasonable price. I have met much smarter people than myself and continue to learn from them. Even when I lost a job just ahead of the Great Recession, I was “rescued” by caring colleagues who steered business my way. We thrive together.

About the Author

Chris Tolve is an editorial intern for DMCNY, as well as for The Drum. He attends Ithaca College.