Unwanted E-Mails From Respected Companies
When I sign up to buy something from a company on-line, I always make sure that the direct marketing links are checked or unchecked, so that I don’t get any marketing e-mails. I don’t know for certain, but I suspect that a good on-line marketing code, that might even be the law, states that you must be able to opt-out of any direct marketing. So I always do.
Obviously for my on-line banking and utility suppliers, I don’t opt out of receiving informational messages like my new bill is ready, but these are not direct marketing.
Recently, I got a promotional e-mail from a respected company that I use, where I knew that I’d set the marketing e-mails settings, so that I don’t get any.
I reported this to the company and they said it shouldn’t happen, especially as the offer was genuine.
On checking I found that the e-mail had not come to the e-mail address, I commonly use, but to an old one that I used to use a couple of years ago. I still monitor this address, as some of my old friends still use it and haven’t updated their e-mail address for me.
It then became obvious what had happened. It had been sent by an e-mail marketing company and they were using a list, which contained my old e-mail address. I’m not sure how they obtained the e-mail, but I could have signed up with any number of companies several years ago and one of these didn’t have an acceptable non-pass on policy. Incidentally, I have checked and find that I still use the e-mail for a couple of subscriptions, so these companies may have sold on the the details. I’m not going to name anybody here, as I can’t be sure how the marketing company obtained the e-mail address.
But this does show a very big dilemma for the marketing departments of respected companies.
If say you are doing a promotion and feel that because it may have popular appeal, you might want to give it to a marketing company, who have a list of e-mail addresses, that they have obtained legitimately.
But this list might contain the e-mail addresses of your current customers, who have signed up with you not to receive marketing e-mails. Some may find this unacceptable and may take their business elsewhere.
So how can you ensure that a marketing list used by a third party, does not contain old or unused e-mail addresses of your current customers.
To put it simply, you can’t!
The only way to ensure it, is not to employ a third party marketing company, that uses e-mail. After all, if you want to obtain new customers through the Internet, you can always use embedded web adverts in respected web sites, like newspapers and broadcasting companies. I have bought quite a few products from this type of advert in the quality newspapers. But I would avoid using adverts that pop-up in a new web browser, when you access some of the tabloid web sites. They just annoy.
After all, you get more business from an existing customer, who you don’t annoy!
One company I deal with is always sending me unwanted e-mails, despite settings to say they shouldn’t. Unfortunately, I need to deal with them, but when I can find an alternative, I will cease my involvement with the company.
Advertising In The News of the Screws
The Times yesterday published a list of the major advertisers in the News of the Screws since the beginning of the year.
Some of the companies I’ve never heard of, so it just shows what a waste of money some advertising is.
Here are a few points.
- Sky spent the most.
- The second highest spender was everything everywhere. Who the hell are they?
- The next few were companies like Boots, O2 and P&G, with a few other companies that I don’t use like Proctor and Gamble, Tesco, Asda and Vodafone.
- The next was a company called Shop Direct. See point 2.
- Some of the rest were respected companies like BT, Vauxhall, Dixons, B & Q and Unilever.
- At the botton was T J Hughes and Specsavers. The first of these is now bust and the latter probably does better with its TV adverts.
I know I don’t ever read adverts, but you can read what you like into this list.
Some companies advertising policies really work, as I don’t, know who everything everywhere, Shop Direct and another called Harveys are. I’m assuming the latter isn’t the sherry maker, as no-one drinks sherry these days.
Top 10 Controversial Adverts
This report on the BBC lists the ten most controversial adverts.
I’ve never seen any of them!
It just shows how much I’m influenced by advertising. The only influence, it would seem to have on me is not to watch or look at it.
Giving ITV A Chance
Just turned over to ITV to watch the football. But although it’s after two o’clock, I was too early for the football break.
The commentary actually started first on Radio 5!
Why We’re Losing Interest in the FA Cup
I like the FA Cup, but many are losing interest as one match today is on ITV and the other is on the US cable channel, ESPN. The former justs shows adverts interrupted by football and the second is not much better and anyway I don’t have a subscription.
I shall be listening to both matches on the radio and watching the rugby on BBC 1.
Banning Cigarette Displays and Packaging
Whether this will have any affect on the level of smoking, I don’t know.
I have my doubts, as I think it will lead to an increase of counterfeiting and smuggling. Who’s to say it won’t be cool to smoke a pack with an exotic name on it? After all the Pope smokes Marlboro.
Seriously though, we need a ban on smoking in any vehicle and especially at bus stops. The latter particularly annoys me, especially when it’s raining.
An Essex Man Becomes a Star
Lionel Messi is one of the world’s highest-paid footballers, who plays for Barcelona. But in a recent ad for Adidas he was played by an Essex PE teacher, who plays for Canvey Island.
I suppose someones got to do it, if Messi can’t be bothered to get out of bed.
Is Yorkshire the County of the Pink Rose?
I came through these ticket gates at King’s Cross/St. Pancras this morning.
Pink Ticket Gates Advertising Yorkshire
As you can see they are advertising Yorkshire!
So why the pink colour?
ITV to Show More Adverts
Who cares? I don’t! I only watch sport on channels with adverts occasionally and usually there is a sound commentary on the radio, which I listen too.
The more adverts ITV shows, the worse the coverage will get and I’ll find something more interesting to do, like watch paint dry!
Was This a Badly Placed Internet Advert?
I usually get notification of newspaper polls on the death penalty from a list I belong to on the Internet. This was the latest request I got.
Please help turn this poll around. Thanks! http://www.ydr.com/local It’s down on the left.
I voted appropriately. The paper incidentally is the York Daily Record.
But imagine my surprise that the placed adverts on the site were for theTrainLine.com, who I’ve recently used to buy a ticket on East Coast to York. And they were trying to sell me a ticket to York! Obviously, there’s an Atlantic Tunnel I don’t know about.
Seriously though, the advertising system was probably looking at my cookies and made an appropriate decision.
I’m not particularly bothered, but I can see that some people will be!
I hope everybody who reads this votes using the link.
–abe
The Anonymous Widower 