The Email Wars

I was aghast to read this the other week. I could not believe that people are still sending out this type of email communications to lists. Now why in the heck can they send out email that is not opt in and totally unsolicited? It shows me that although many large and small brands have been taking the high road and trying to make the world of email marketing a better place, some brands just keep on with tactics that should be stopped. I was amazed with the brands shown in this article from Ken Magill and it actually made me a little sick. Not upset sick, but just that little acid reflux thing where you throw up a bit in your mouth.

Come on, where is the leadership from these brands? Where is the smack down from the powers that be to put a stop to this? This needs to end, not next week or next month, but today. We cannot have people continue to drag the email world down by using tactics that are not best practice and in some ways illegal. I am sure that they were unhappy to be outed, but hell let’s throw those closet doors wide open, get out a flood light and throw them in the spotlight.

If I get email from them in any of my accounts that I did not opt in to, you can bet that I am putting it up here as public record.

According to a Direct Magazine survey of DMers concerning the online practices scheduled to come out in September’s issue, 14% of traditional business-to-consumer DMers say they send marketing e-mails to people on an opt-out basis—that would be spam for members of the Utah legislature who need all things Internet explained to them.

The good news is the percentage of DMers who say they send unsolicited e-mail is significantly lower than last year’s 23%. But 14%? That’s more than one in 10.
And it’s not just fly-by-night direct marketers that are spamming. I personally have received unsolicited e-mail from Circuit City, Kmart, Colgate-Palmolive, Williams-Sonoma, Plow & Hearth and, of all things, Smithsonian magazine….

Read Ken Magill at Direct Mag
http://directmag.com/disciplines/email/dmers_getting_it/