The Email Wars

Funny that here we are 365 days later thinking about the whirlwind of a year we had and looking forward to so many good things on the horizon for 2010. I wanted to sum up a little about the year, reflect back on all the wonderful things we have been fortunate to be apart of, and give a shout out to all those who were involved.

For all the events we attended, spoke at, and participated in this year, we are thankful. We had the opportunity to meet so many friends and industry peers at SXSW, EEC, OMMA, OMS, Email Insider, Inbound Marketing Summit, Dreamforce, Portland Ad Fed, AMA PDX, OEN, OSA, AOTA, Innotech, NYC Tech Meetup, DMA NYC, DMA Annual, Internet Strategy Forum, Kickapps Seminars, Ignite NYC/PDX, and so many other events. Wow, we touched down in many cities this year from NYC to Chicago to Denver to LA to Austin to SF to Seattle to Minneapolis to Washington DC to Boston etc etc etc that it is nice to have a few weeks to sit back and reflect on all of those wonderful moments with old and new friends along the way. To those we met and enjoyed great conversations and shared knowledge with, we thank you. Meeting and talking with you makes the time at 35K feet worth it.

To all the customers and partners we have the pleasure of working with, we thank you as well. We are so fortunate to have the opportunity to work with great people who strive to produce the best customer experiences and drive the greatest results. Because of wonderful partners at companies like CBS, Zinio, Sears, Banfield, Wacom, Quest, Grand Sierra, Star Trek, Papa Murphys, Dessy, Maxium, OK Magazine, OSHU, Alima, Moonit, Icebreaker, Ivars, Modern Luxury, Fast Company, Inc Magazine, Mediapost, Travel Oregon, POVA, WCVA, Sonos, Sunstone, Bridgecity Tools, and hundreds of others, who are open to testing, trying, experimenting, exploring and trusting us, we are given the oppurtunity on a daily basis to do the things love and do best. You are the people who make it worth while each and every day and we are looking forward to doing great work for you in 2010.

To everyone on the eROI team between Portland and NYC, you are the best. You have all worked tirelessly on new ideas and pushed the envelope through nights, weekends, good times and bad in order to make great things happen. You really are an amazing group of minds in all areas. Looking ahead at 2010 I know we will push the bar even farther, drive work that is even more amazing and acheive results that are even more outstanding.

To all of the email industry minds and partners out there, I thank you too. It is amazing to work in an industry that is so open to sharing ideas, best practices, and tips in an effort to push ourselves and others to give the experience, respect and engagement that we would all desire in our own interactions with brands, businesses, and people. We are happy to think of you all as friends and partners even when we happen to cross swords on the battle field of business.

To all the media and publishers that continue to share our studies, articles, thoughts and work, thank you. We are always excited to see the work we put so much into be celebrated and shared in the community of our peers. You bring with us so many learnings from peers we truly respect and we hope that we can continue to give back by regularly sharing great thoughts of our own.

To Portland, Oregon and New York City where we make our homes, you are amazing. We could not be any more fortunate to work and live in places that encourage and celebrate creativity, uniqueness, art, work, technology and the culture and lifestyle that drives creative minds to new levels. Without the surroundings that great cities like you provide, we might not have the opportunities that we are presented with each and every day.

In the end, as hard as 2009 has been on the global business community, we are incredibly thankful for the trust, opportunities, and friendship that you all have given us at here eROI. We hope in 2010 that we can continue to pay you back with campaigns, sites and ideas that make you happy to work, partner, and take this crazy ride on the interwebs with us.

Keep your eyes on us as, after some time with our close friends and family this holiday, we will be coming out of the gates with guns blazing. There are some exciting things on the horizon for 2010 and we hope to see you around the US, on the web and, if we are lucky enough to have the oppurtunity to work with you, in project meetings. Trust me that 2010 will be an amazing ride full of twists, turns and loopy de loops that make your heart race, stomach turn, eyes shut and in the end cause the thrills to shoot out of every pour of your body.