Privacy Notice

Specialists Marketing Services, Inc. (“SMS”) values the privacy of its customers and consumers.  We’ve created this resource to help you understand what personal information we collect, how we use it, and what choices you have about it.  We strive to provide consumers with transparency and choice.

Introduction to SMS’s Services

At SMS, we help businesses better understand and connect with their customers by collecting and sharing data in a responsible way. We gather and organize information about consumers and businesses, like demographics, interests, and buying habits and provide this data to companies across multiple industries such as retail, insurance, finance, and nonprofit.

Our customers use data to support marketing, advertising, and research efforts to assist with helping businesses find new customers, send more relevant promotions, improve their customer records, and understand marketing trends. We help our clients show you relevant ads and messages through direct mail, email, online marketing and social media to deliver consistent messages across multiple platforms.

Information We Collect

SMS does not collect personal information about visitors to our website unless such information is voluntarily provided. Personal information may be collected through submitted forms, subscription sign-ups, or direct inquiries.

In practice, the personal information we collect through our website is primarily limited to information submitted by individuals exercising their privacy rights or contacting us with inquiries. This may include name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, and similar identifiers necessary to process and respond to such requests.

Personal information used in SMS’s marketing data products and services is not collected through this website.

Marketing Data Products and Services

The personal information included in SMS’s marketing data products is not collected directly from this website. Instead, SMS obtains personal information from a variety of sources, including publicly available information, census data, and information provided by data compilers, aggregators, and other partners.

SMS maintains and processes the following categories of personal information about consumers:

    • Identifiers (such as name and postal address)
    • Demographic and census-derived information
    • Date of birth and age-related information
    • Interest-based or marketing segment data
    • Commercial or transactional indicators (such as purchasing activity or interests)
    • Online or technical identifiers (such as device type, browser, or IP address)
    • Contact information (such as email address, including hashed email, and telephone number)
    • Inferences regarding consumer preferences, characteristics, or likely interests (which may, in limited circumstances and where permitted by applicable law include inferred demographic attributes)
    • Other information linked or reasonably associated with the categories above (for example, indicators related to life events or consumer activities)
 

In limited circumstances and where permitted by applicable law, SMS may also maintain certain data elements that may be considered sensitive personal information under applicable law (such as information relating to race, ethnicity, or religion). Such data is handled in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

SMS does not knowingly include personal information about individuals under the age of 18 in its marketing data products.

Sources of Personal Information (Last 12 Months)

SMS has collected personal information from the following categories of sources in the preceding twelve (12) months, which may include:

  • Advertising and marketing partners
  • Business-to-business data providers
  • Data compilers, aggregators, and resellers
  • Publicly available and government sources
  • Publishing
  • Telecommunications providers
 

Categories of Third Parties (Last 12 Months)

SMS has shared or sold personal information to the following categories of third parties in the preceding twelve (12) months, which may include:

  • Advertising and marketing companies
  • Advertising networks
  • Business services and agencies
  • Business-to-business companies
  • Consumer data compilers, aggregators, and resellers
  • Data analytics providers
  • Data exchange platforms
  • Data onboarding companies
  • Marketing data and marketing service providers
  • Service providers and processors that support our business operations
  • Companies across various industry sectors, including but not limited to:
    • Automotive
    • Consumer packaged goods
    • Financial services and insurance
    • Telecommunications
    • Technology and software
    • Retail, apparel, and general merchandise
    • Travel, leisure, and entertainment
    • Health and wellness
    • Education
    • Nonprofit organizations
 

How We Use and Share Personal Information

SMS collects, processes, shares, and licenses consumer and business data to support a variety of legitimate business purposes, primarily related to marketing, advertising, and analytics across digital and offline channels.

Purposes for Processing Personal Information

Personal information may be shared or sold for the following purposes:

  • Customer Acquisition
    To help businesses identify and connect with potential customers who may be interested in their products or services, including through the development of audience segments and prospect lists for marketing campaigns.
  • Targeted Marketing and Advertising
    To enable businesses to deliver advertising and promotional content to audiences based on shared characteristics, interests, or behaviors across various channels, including direct mail, digital advertising, and social media platforms.
  • Data Enrichment
    To enhance the accuracy and completeness of client data by appending additional information, enabling more informed business decisions and improved customer engagement.
  • Analytics and Market Insights
    To support analysis of consumer trends, campaign performance, and market opportunities, helping organizations refine strategies and improve products and services.
  • Multi-Channel Marketing Enablement
    To support coordinated marketing efforts across multiple channels to improve consistency, reach, and engagement.
  • Interest-Based Advertising
    To support interest-based advertising (also known as targeted advertising), which involves using information about consumer characteristics and interests to deliver more relevant advertising content. This may include enabling advertising across websites, applications, and other platforms, as well as supporting measurement and attribution of marketing campaigns.
 

In connection with these activities, SMS may use or provide pseudonymized identifiers (such as hashed email addresses or device identifiers) to help facilitate data matching across platforms while maintaining reasonable privacy safeguards.

SMS may also provide data hygiene services to help maintain the accuracy of client data and support consistent engagement across channels and devices.

Sensitive Personal Information

SMS may, in limited circumstances, maintain certain data elements that may be considered “Sensitive Personal Information” under applicable law. The definition of Sensitive Personal Information varies by jurisdiction.

Sensitive Personal Information may include certain inferred characteristics, such as inferred race, ethnicity, or religious beliefs, where such information is maintained and where permitted by applicable law.

SMS only maintains such information where permitted by applicable law and does not process Sensitive Personal Information in circumstances that require opt-in consent.  SMS does not use Sensitive Personal Information for purposes that require additional restrictions under applicable law unless such requirements are satisfied.

Residents of California may have the right, subject to applicable law, to request that SMS limit the use and disclosure of their Sensitive Personal Information. To exercise this right, please click here or email [email protected]. Please note that eligibility for this request depends on your state of residence and applicable law.

Cookie Notice

SMS does not use first-party cookies for cross-site tracking or advertising purposes.

We do permit Third-Party cookies on our website. We use Google Analytics cookies to assess performance and analytics or to perform business research.

Managing and refusing the use of Cookies

Most browsers allow you to choose whether you wish to accept cookies.  Generally, your browser will offer you the choice to accept, refuse, or delete all cookies, or third-party cookies on a website.  Controls will vary by browser.  We’ve provided links below to some popular browser instructions:

 

General Privacy Choices Available to All U.S. Consumers

The choices described below are available to all consumers residing in the United States of America regardless of state of residence and reflect SMS’s general business practices. These choices are separate from any rights that may be provided under applicable state privacy laws.

Opt-Out of SMS Marketing Communications

SMS maintains contact lists to communicate with our prospects and clients.  All email messages sent to these contact lists include an unsubscribe or opt-out mechanism.  This allows you to opt-out of receiving future marketing and promotional communications.  You may also request to unsubscribe or Opt-Out of our marketing email communications by contacting us at [email protected].  Please include full name, company name, address, email address, and telephone number in your request.

Opt-Out of our Marketing Data Products and Services

To Opt-Out of our Marketing Data Products and Services Databases, please email us at [email protected]. Please include full name, address, email address, and telephone number in your request. Please note that by opting out of our marketing database, it will not prevent other companies from sending you marketing promotions through various channels, including but not limited to direct mail, email, social media and display ads.

Other Privacy Choices and Opt-Out Solutions

In addition to the choices described above, consumers may utilize third-party tools to manage certain types of marketing communications and data use.

DMAchoice (https://www.dmachoice.org/) offers a step-by-step process that allows consumers to manage preferences for receiving marketing mail. DMAchoice also provides services such as the Deceased Do Not Contact list and caregiver registration options.

Consumers may also register with the National Do Not Call Registry (https://www.donotcall.gov/) to limit telemarketing calls.

For digital advertising and certain data broker-related activities, consumers may use industry opt-out tools such as:

 

These tools allow consumers to opt out of certain interest-based advertising and data collection practices by participating companies.

Please note that these tools are independent of SMS and may not cover all data collection or use practices. Their effectiveness may vary based on factors such as browser settings, device usage, and whether companies participate in these programs. We encourage consumers to review each service’s terms and limitations.

State-Specific Privacy Rights

The following rights are provided to consumers who reside in certain states with applicable privacy laws. These rights apply only where required by law and are subject to applicable limitations and exceptions.

The availability and scope of the rights described below vary by state and may not apply to all consumers.

Tennessee Residents

The Tennessee Information Protection Act (Tenn. Code §§ 47-18-3201–3213) (“TIPA”) provides certain privacy rights to Tennessee consumers with respect to businesses that qualify as “controllers” under the statute.

As of the date of this Privacy Notice, SMS does not qualify as a controller subject to TIPA because it does not meet the statutory revenue threshold required for the law to apply (annual gross revenue exceeding $25,000,000, as amended by TN HB 1181). Accordingly, SMS is not legally obligated to comply with TIPA’s consumer rights provisions.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, SMS respects the privacy of all individuals, including Tennessee residents, and will make reasonable efforts to respond to privacy-related inquiries consistent with its applicable legal obligations and business practices.

Tennessee residents who wish to submit a privacy request may do so by contacting us at [email protected].

Nevada Residents

Nevada residents have the right to opt-out of the sale of certain personal information as defined under Nevada law (NRS 603A.340).

To exercise this right, please submit a Do Not Sell My Personal Information request.

Residents of Certain States

Residents of the following states may have additional rights under applicable privacy laws: California, Virginia, Colorado, Utah, Connecticut, Oregon, Texas, Montana, Maryland, Delaware, New Hampshire, Nebraska, New Jersey, Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, Kentucky, and Rhode Island.

Eligibility to exercise these rights depends on your state of residence and applicable law.

Right to Know, Access, and Portability

Residents of the states listed above may have the right, subject to applicable law, to request access to the personal information we maintain about them.

Depending on the state of residence, this may include:

  • Confirmation of whether we process personal information about you
  • Access to personal information we maintain about you
  • Access to categories of personal information
  • Access to categories of sources from which personal information is collected
  • Access to categories of third parties to whom personal information is disclosed
 

In certain states, residents may also have the right to obtain a copy of their personal information in a portable format.

Click here to submit a request or email [email protected]. Please note that eligibility for this request depends on your state of residence and applicable law.

Right to Know Data Shared or Sold

Residents may have the right, subject to applicable law, to request information about our disclosure of personal information to third parties.

Depending on the state of residence, this may include:
• Categories of personal information disclosed or sold
• Categories of third parties receiving such information

The scope of this right varies by state and may not include disclosure of specific third parties or a defined lookback period.

Click here to submit a request or email [email protected]. Please note that eligibility for this request depends on your state of residence and applicable law.

We may limit our response to repeated requests as permitted by applicable law. In certain states, this may include limiting the number of requests we are required to fulfill within a twelve (12) month period or charging a reasonable fee for excessive or repetitive requests.

Right to Delete

Residents may have the right, subject to applicable law, to request deletion of personal information we maintain about them.

This right is subject to certain exceptions under applicable law, including where retention is necessary for legitimate business purposes or to comply with legal obligations.

Click here to submit a request or email [email protected]. Please note that eligibility for this request depends on your state of residence and applicable law.

Right to Opt-Out of Certain Processing (Sale, Sharing, Profiling, and Targeting Advertising)

Residents may have the right, subject to applicable law, to opt out of certain types of processing of their personal information.

Depending on the state of residence, this may include the right to opt out of:
• The sale or disclosure of personal information
• Targeted advertising
• Profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects

SMS may, in certain circumstances, apply additional measures, such as deletion or suppression, to help ensure that opt-out requests are effectively honored across our systems and data products.

Click here to submit a request or email [email protected]. Please note that eligibility for this request depends on your state of residence and applicable law.

Right to Correct

Residents may have the right, subject to applicable law, to request correction of inaccuracies in the personal information we maintain about them.

Click here to submit a request or email [email protected]. Please note that eligibility for this request depends on your state of residence and applicable law.

Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information (California Residents)

California residents may have the right, subject to applicable law, to request that we limit the use and disclosure of their Sensitive Personal Information.

Click here to submit a request or email [email protected]. Please note that eligibility for this request depends on your state of residence and applicable law.

Right to Appeal

Residents of Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Oregon, Texas, Montana, Maryland,  Delaware, New Hampshire, Nebraska, New Jersey, Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, Kentucky, and Rhode Island may have the right, subject to applicable law, to appeal our decision if we decline to take action on a request to exercise their privacy rights.

If you wish to appeal a determination, you may:
• Email us at [email protected] within thirty (30) days of receiving our response
• Include “DSR Appeal” in the subject line
• Provide sufficient information for us to identify your original request

We will review and respond to your appeal within the timeframe required by applicable law.

If you are a New Jersey resident and are not satisfied with the outcome of your appeal, you may file a complaint with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs at https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/ocp.

Right to Non-Discrimination

You may have the right, subject to applicable law, not to receive discriminatory treatment for exercising your privacy rights.

Verification of Identity

To help protect your personal information, SMS takes reasonable steps to verify your identity before processing a request to access, delete, correct, or otherwise exercise your privacy rights.

At a minimum, we require certain information to verify your identity, such as your full name, address, email address, and telephone number.

Once your identity has been verified, we will respond to your request and, where applicable, provide access to the personal information we maintain about you in a portable format, subject to applicable law.

If we are unable to verify your identity based on the information provided, we may request additional information or decline to process your request.

Links to Third Party Sites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services that are not operated or controlled by SMS. SMS does not endorse and is not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or policies of such third-party sites.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies and terms of use of any third-party sites you visit.

Security

SMS maintains administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect the personal information we aggregate, license, and process from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or disclosure.

We implement measures intended to help ensure that personal information is accurate, complete, and up to date for the purposes for which it is used.

SMS also maintains physical security controls for its facilities and restricts access to systems and areas containing personal information to authorized personnel with a legitimate business need.

Data Retention Policy

SMS retains personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill our business purposes, including those described in this Privacy Notice, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by applicable law.

SMS periodically reviews and deletes or updates information that is determined to be inaccurate or no longer reliable.

Authorized Agent

Residents of specific states may have the right, subject to applicable law, to designate an authorized agent to submit a request on their behalf.  Please refer to your state’s specific requirements for properly authorizing an agent.

Annual California Consumer Request Reporting

2025 Delete Correct KnowOpt-OutLimit Use of Sensitive PI
Number of requests received 311,883 0 4 3,076 6
Number of requests complied with in full 53,833 N/A 0 1,501 1
No consumer records found 246,686 N/A 4 1,487 5
Number of requests complied with in part 0 N/A N/A 0 N/A
Number of requests denied due to incomplete information provided/inability to verify consumer 11,364 N/A N/A 88 0
Mean number of days we took to substantively respond to requests 5 N/A 22.5 5 5
Median number of days we took to substantively respond to requests 3 N/A 22.5 3 3

 

Data Broker Statement

SMS is considered a data broker under Texas law. To conduct business in Texas, a data broker must register with the Texas Secretary of State (Texas SOS). Information about data broker registrants is available on the Texas SOS website.

SMS is also registered as a data broker in other jurisdictions where required by law, including California, Vermont, and Oregon.

Purchaser Credentialing Process

SMS takes reasonable steps to verify the identity of its clients and to confirm that personal information is used for the purposes represented at the time of collection.  SMS also requires clients to use such information in accordance with applicable laws and contractual obligations. For more information on our credentialing process, please contact [email protected].

Privacy Notice Updates

SMS may revise this Privacy Notice at our discretion. Any future version of the Privacy Notice generally becomes effective at the time of posting. We encourage you to periodically review the website for the latest changes.  You can determine when this Notice was last revised by checking the “Last Revised” date at the bottom of this Notice. By using, and continuing to use the site, you agree to this Notice.

Questions about this Privacy Notice may be submitted by mail to the address below or via email to [email protected].

Specialists Marketing Services, Inc.
Attn: Data Privacy Team
250 Pehle Avenue – Suite 200
Saddle Brook, NJ 07663-5830

This notice was last updated March 26, 2026.

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