Email marketing 'should be permission-based'

Customers need to be the focus of marketing campaigns, so new legislation on opt-in emails should be welcomed, says an expert.

Email marketing campaigns should always be permission-based, so any new legislation regarding this would be welcome, remarked an industry insider.

Peter McCormick, co-founder and general manager of ExactTarget, made his comments following news that email opt-in laws are being introduced in Germany.

He pointed out that an individual's text, email or voicemail inbox is part of their personal space, so they should be allowed to decide who can gain admission to that area.

Mr McCormick stated that the only way for one-on-one marketing campaigns to ensure a good return on investment is to make relationships based on permission.

"We have always believed that marketers should build their digital marketing efforts on the foundation of permission - to their subscribers, customers and partners," he explained.

In his view, any legislation that is introduced in the UK could be a problem for those companies who do not have their customers at the "heart of their philosophy".

Recently, Dealer Marketing Magazine suggested that email marketing campaigns are replacing direct mail and newspaper advertising for many companies.

11/11/2009