Jupiter Research found that 31 percent of email marketers claim their biggest concern is not anti-spam legislation but blacklists and client spam filters. Only 8 percent mention legislation as a serious concern. In reaction to concern over blacklists and other deliverability problems, 27.7 percent of email marketers have changed email delivery methods and processes. About a quarter are deploying ISP-specific strategies, 22 percent plan to outsource email delivery and 13.5 percent are looking to switch technology service providers.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 4:31 PM  |  Permalink

After months of negotiations, congressional leaders have reached an agreement on legislation that will enable Americans to block spam. The anti-spam agreement would enable U.S. consumers to opt-out of all unsolicited commercial e-mail and provide the Federal Trade Commission with authority to set up a “do-not-spam” registry based on the “do-not-call” registry for unwanted and unsolicited telemarketing phone calls.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 4:29 PM  |  Permalink

As e-mailers, we know about blacklists, blocklists, and whitelists and their impact on e-mail delivery. What about the areas in between? A critical dialogue between e-mailers and ISPs takes place not before or after, but during the messaging process -- through bounce codes.

Bounce Linguistics

Different browser platforms have different coding standards. Nonconformity can lead to unviewable pages. Browser manufacturers rationalize this as a competitive advantage that can provide a better, or unique, online experience.

The same can be said for ISPs and their competitive advantage in the war against spam. Every ISP now promotes its spam-fighting prowess. What they don't advertise is each of their processes for replying to e-mail offers a unique set of codes to determine message deliverability. This process for bouncing e-mail is a critical part of the spam-fighting repertoire. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 4:25 PM  |  Permalink

The United States Senate expects to pass before Thanksgiving the House anti-spam bill, which would lead to the creation of the first national law aimed at slowing the glut of unsolicited commercial e-mail. The White House indicated over the weekend President Bush will sign the bill and its effective date will be Jan. 1, 2004.

That date is important to e-mail marketers and publishers because the bill pre-empts 37 existing state anti-spam bills, including the recently passed California law that carries much tougher restrictions than the House bill. The California law goes so far as to effectively ban ad-supported e-mail newsletters.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 4:24 PM  |  Permalink

"It's the biggest turkey the President will see all week and he should stuff it the moment it lands on his desk." That's how California State Senator Debra Bowen (D-Redondo Beach) described the anti-spam bill which cleared the U.S. Senate floor Tuesday.

Bowen authored California's 1998 anti-spam law and this year, she introduced SB 12 to repeal California's "opt-out" statute and replace it with the nation's first "opt-in" law to require e-mail advertisers and marketers to get people's permission before sending them unsolicited commercial advertisements.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 4:23 PM  |  Permalink

Not a single United States senator voted against the anti-spam bill wending its way toward the White House. In the House of Representatives, 392 members clamored forth to support the nation's first legislation to combat unwanted, unsolicited commercial e-mail.

Only five said no, with two of those coming from technology-savvy Silicon Valley lawmakers.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 4:22 PM  |  Permalink

Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates will use his keynote address Sunday at the Comdex 2003 trade show in Las Vegas to announce plans to make the company's Exchange e-mail server better at stopping spam, according to information obtained by IDG News Service. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 8:06 PM  |  Permalink

Besieged by anti-spam laws and rising consumer mistrust, e-mail marketers and list professionals say that despite it all, prospecting isn't dead.

Several e-mail veterans gathered recently at Direct's offices to discuss the issues and challenges they face. Those in the consumer space have adapted to falling response rates by prospecting through additional channels and becoming hyper-concerned about consumer privacy. Meanwhile, business-to-business e-mailers have enjoyed steady response rates as long as they continued to invest in sustaining quality.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 8:04 PM  |  Permalink

As vice president of outbound marketing solutions for San Francisco-based CNET Networks, Markus Mullarkey oversees tens of millions of retention e-mail and prospecting messages. He's on the front lines devising tactics to cope with spam and developments like the new anti-spam law signed into law in California in September. The law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, has marketers buzzing anxiously and the Direct Marketing Association considering a legal challenge (see story on page 11). But this gigantic e-mail marketer's strategy is business as usual — as long as business includes upholding the highest standards. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 8:01 PM  |  Permalink

AOL shifts e-mail graphics policy

AOL is creating a "whitelist" of email marketing companies that agree to abide by its policies, and it will allow them to send graphic-laden emails directly to AOL subscribers. Right now the practice is banned, except for some companies who have struck marketing deals with the giant Internet service provider. Most versions of the AOL software make sending pictures via email much more difficult than typical email client software.

This means that my Internet-challenged relatives will be able to receive more unwanted marketing messages, but still won't be able to directly view the pictures of my dogs that I regularly send them.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 7:58 PM  |  Permalink

The other day, I read the results of yet another poll on the HTML vs. Text preference debate. As a marketer, it occurred to me that what I really wanted to know was WHY some people prefer Text vs. HTML or vice versa. If I knew how the look of the email impacted people's perception of the email (and therefore of the sender), then I should be able to improve email effectiveness regardless of format. If I knew for example that people prefer Text because they hate the ads that are more obvious in HTML, perhaps I could tone down my ads and people would be more receptive. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 7:57 PM  |  Permalink

With House and Senate leaders hoping to close this year's congressional session on Friday (Wednesday at the latest), debates over other issues may not allow time to pass legislation on spam, or the Internet access tax moratorium, which expired Nov. 1.

Negotiators have unsuccessfully met for weeks to resolve differences on the Internet access tax ban and to craft an anti-spam bill. With two of the president's pet policies, health care reform and a sweeping new energy bill, and unresolved budget bills consuming congressional debates this week, time may be running out for this year's two major technology initiatives. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 7:51 PM  |  Permalink

With recent passage of the Do Not Call Registry, over 50 million people said, "Don't call me." Outbound telemarketing firms and their clients have no choice but to comply. As much as $20 billion spent on unsolicited outbound calling needs a new home. Is it enough to say it will be redirected to other media, including digital, direct response TV (DRTV), and direct mail? Will outbound telemarketing be a thing of the past? Although some loopholes exist, including certain entities that may continue to call, there are plenty of prospects telemarketers need to reach.

There's an opportunity to use e-mail and the Web to identify people who don't mind being called, at least for specific products and services. Smart companies will look into this immediately.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 7:49 PM  |  Permalink

E-mail is a dream medium for small businesses. We've used it ourselves for self-promotion and seen amazing results in terms of new clients, opportunities, and marketplace exposure.

As the medium is relatively young, entrepreneurs often don't quite know how to start marketing with e-mail. Or they don't take full advantage of all available, inexpensive, effective e-mail marketing approaches.
Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 7:48 PM  |  Permalink

Conventional wisdom says sex sells. Here in the United States, we see it on television in advertising for everything from beer to razors to cars. We're seeing more of it online, too, and I'm not talking about unsolicited e-mail guaranteeing an improved love life or the soul mate you've been searching for. I'm referring to a voluptuous woman selling a distinctly unsexy item, such as a piece of computer software.

That leads me to wonder whether sex really does sell. Online, seemingly, it would be possible to prove the theory, as we can track recipient response. Today's case study delves into this very topic. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 8:50 PM  |  Permalink

Three groups representing advertisers, direct marketers and ad agencies have sent an open letter urging Congress to immediately pass national anti-spam legislation.

In the letter, the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA), the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) urged Congress to pass the Can Spam Act (S. 877) or the Reduction in Distribution of Spam Act (H.R. 2215) to "avert a crisis that will bring legitimate electronic commerce to a screeching halt." The letter was published Thursday in the Roll Call newspaper. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 8:49 PM  |  Permalink

Now that email rentals are increasing out, newsletter sponsorships are back in fashion. But, to get the big clicks, you have to avoid the big mistakes that nearly everyone makes:
- Media Buying Without Enough Research
- Inadequate Frequency
- Bad Design
- Horrible Copy
- Links that Strand People
This detailed article includes loads of practical tips you can put into use right away:
Read Article >>
(Open access until 11/22)
Posted by: DTB at 8:46 PM  |  Permalink

Underscore's Tom Hespos writes a glowing commentary on Emerging Interest's new email campaign tracking tool, Competitive Email Tracking System (CTES), announced last week. Using a database of email addresses created to represent multiple demographic profiles, the system automatically joins e-mail lists and tracks the usage of that specific email address. Based on messages sent to these email profiles, the system can determine whom the marketer is trying to reach. The systems grows on itself seeding lists and building the database which also includes copies of the emails so creative can be reviewed.

Email marketers have never had such a tool at their disposal, and to say this will revolutionize email marketing is not an understatement. It will provide email marketers with a wealth of information to hone the focus of their campaigns as well as clearly identify those list and newsletter companies that let their lists knowingly or unknowingly slip into the hands of others. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 4:32 PM  |  Permalink

Hans-Peter Brøndmo advises companies that there are no instances in which it makes sense to rent or sell customer email lists. He says that the practice happens because companies vastly underestimate the value of their list. Unstated in the article is the fact that there are also enormous liabilities in letting this information out. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 8:29 PM  |  Permalink

Remember the days before HTML e-mail? They're back. The latest release of Microsoft Outlook turns off graphics as the default setting. The user determines whether to view images in any HTML message not from a personally-approved sender.

We knew this was coming. Major free e-mail providers and some other e-mail clients planned or began the process during the past year. Until now, turned-off e-mail images didn't reach a critical mass of recipients nor have a perceptible impact on open rate or response. Outlook 2003 will eventually have an impact on those metrics once consumers upgrade and competitors release upgrades with similar features. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 8:27 PM  |  Permalink

Disposable e-mail addresses (DEAs), the latest in anti-spam tactics, let people set up and discard e-mail identities as easily as yesterday's soiled shirt. How will their adoption affect e-mail marketing? Marketers take the trend in stride, as long as they aren't the ones being dumped. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 8:26 PM  |  Permalink

Last Splash we talked about the results of our survey on Email Recipient Preferences - why as many as 45% of people surveyed prefer to receive Text emails vs. HTML emails. This issue we'll look at the reasons some people prefer HTML and then come up with some tips for improving our email effectiveness.

This part of the survey was much more obvious. When people preferred HTML, they preferred it because...

28% HTML email can be laid out more effectively
24% Color can be used
21% Images can be included
20% Ads can be more effective in HTML
Read Article>> Posted by: DTB at 8:29 PM  |  Permalink

I've been doing a lot of work with creative briefs lately. In some cases, clients provide them to my creative team before we begin work; other times, I put them together for my team based on what I know of my client's product and business goals. Either way, a strong creative brief, combined with good feedback, can make or break an e-mail campaign. A few tips on effectively writing and using creative briefs. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 8:28 PM  |  Permalink

I've been doing a lot of work with creative briefs lately. In some cases, clients provide them to my creative team before we begin work; other times, I put them together for my team based on what I know of my client's product and business goals. Either way, a strong creative brief, combined with good feedback, can make or break an e-mail campaign. A few tips on effectively writing and using creative briefs. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 8:28 PM  |  Permalink

Sometimes, you've got to get a little scrappy to achieve great results, especially when it comes to generating leads by e-mail. In this case study, you'll see how three companies teamed up to create a collaborative marketing campaign that significantly reduced lead-acquisition costs and generated a wealth of new leads (it's also a good step-by-step guide to Webinar marketing). Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 8:27 PM  |  Permalink

The Internet Committee of the National Association of Attorneys General say thanks, but no thanks, for the Can Spam Act, passed by the Senate in October. A letter sent to House leaders, including Billy Tauzin, head of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, detailed their complaints.

AGs from California, Kansas, Maryland, Nevada, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Washington signed the letter, which said that the amended act has so many loopholes, exceptions and standards of proof that it won't protect consumers. They also said that the law wouldn't deter spammers, but merely foster more litigation. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 8:26 PM  |  Permalink

The country's up to its ears in well-intentioned, badly misguided legislation intended to staunch the unrelenting flow of spam into inboxes. Included is the proposed Do-Not-Spam registry (chief proponent Sen. Charles Schumer, who swears such a database would be protected by "military-style encryption," last week posted the names and Zip codes of 13,736 of his constituents on his Web site. Oops.).

And there's the new California spam law that will make life a living Hell for legitimate marketers (not to mention California's court system), while doing little to nothing to stop the real, honest-to-goodness spammers. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 8:25 PM  |  Permalink

Over 50% of US e-mail users can directly attribute an online purchase they've made to an e-mail they've received, reports Quris. But before e-mail marketers get too excited, the company also found that 80% stop reading permission e-mails they've been receiving once they're "irrelevant." Read Article >>
Posted by: DTB at 8:18 PM  |  Permalink

The days when brand owners can send emails without declaring that these are commercial messages in the subject field are numbered, warns brand and legal guru Ardi Kolah.

Readers of this column will recall that back in June I warned about the provisions of the EU Privacy Directive that comes into force this month. It's pretty clear that from now on brand owners must behave themselves and not try to clog up our in boxes with spam.

And trying to bend the rules won't work either. This is exactly what Berkshire-based Phone Direct tried to do and fell foul of the Advertising Standards Authority, who has just reprimanded the company for its dodgy marketing practices.

Like many brand owners, Phone Direct is trigger-happy when it comes to email marketing and it launched a campaign to promote its international call rates.

But with a difference. Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 9:20 AM  |  Permalink

Is it just me, or have you also read a plethora of statistics about e-mail performance lately? Reputable sources report everything from open rates to how much e-mail people want to receive. In fact, several of my columns have referenced such stats. How these stats should be interpreted and used to influence marketing decisions is a discussion worth having. As the number of sources quoting stats continues to expand, I can't help but think some companies may make bad decisions. To quote an old adage: Do figures lie or do liars figure? Read Article >> Posted by: DTB at 9:11 AM  |  Permalink

7 Rules plus AOL 9.0 & Outlook 2003 Visuals

Does your company or brand always, always, always use the same FROM: email address when sending broadcasts to your house list? If you don't, it's going to hurt your campaign results especially with AOL and Outlook users.

This story includes a fascinating series of screenshots revealing how the new AOL 9.0 buddy list works. Our tech editor Jill Keogh tested it out for you (look for the screenshot link at the end of the story on our site) Read Article >>
(Open access until 11/07) Posted by: DTB at 12:31 PM  |  Permalink