WASHINGTON: The American Teleservices Association, a telemarketers' organization that represents about 650 companies, has enlisted The MWW Group for public affairs and PR work. Dan Klores Communications had worked on media relations for the ATA earlier this year. An executive there said the agency hadn't worked on the account for a few months.
The ATA declined comment through MWW.
Telemarketing is currently facing an onslaught of public opposition, mainly in the form of the Do Not Call Registry, a national list set up by FCC that consumers can join to avoid telemarketing calls. The ATA is fighting this with a PR campaign that calls attention to the plight of the people who work as telemarketers.
"Our goal is to educate members of Congress and the public about the organization, its members, and its members' employees," said Bob Sommer, EVP at MWW. "There's been a lot overlooked about who works in the teleservices industry. It is a large employer of the disabled and single mothers. It has jobs that pay well, typically with full insurance coverage."
Sommer acknowledged the registry's popularity, which has already been joined by tens of millions. In October, a federal appeals court ruled that the list could be enforced despite challenges to its constitutionality.
"There's another side to the story, and that's what we're undertaking here," Sommer said.
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