Who watches the watchers?
Okay, this is beyond appalling! I just got a horrid piece of spam that appears to be sent by the Direct Marketing News (DMN) - an institution to which I have not given permission to send me eMail!
This egregious message - sent by a local media buying firm - purports to be from the DMN, a newspaper that the Engineer used to subscribe to, in hard-copy format, back in the day. This once helpful publication appears to have now taken on some questionable practices and partners. Suitably enough, the publication now includes a section that addresses online issues in direct marketing.
In this month’s issue, one columnist suggests - and I quote - “Use a popup to greet your visitor to your site. A popup is one of those things everybody hates except those smart marketers who know how effective they are at getting visitors to sign up for your ezine or newsletter.”
When was the last time you were successfully eMarketed to by something “everybody hates”? Perhaps that’s the hoped-for reaction to the spam I received. “I hate this. Where can I buy some?”
Interestingly, the third-party firm that broadcast the eMail campaign describes themselves as a reputable provider. Their home page states “Our clients own their data and they use opt-in permission-based processes to obtain consent to email their customers.” I don’t think so.
A published authority letting their name be indiscriminately used by a media sales shop working with a less-than-rigorous eMail broadcaster …sounds like a case study in disaster.