E-mail marketing services firm Responsys has opened a new office in Sydney, Australia. The new office comes in response to Responsys' growing client base in Australia and New Zealand. Clients include The Westfield Group, Jeans West, Flybuys New Zealand, Wego, Smart Salary, GE Money, Tabcorp, Symantec and Johnson & Johnson.

In a move to build awareness and acquire new customers, Zinio, a digital magazine publishing company, has launched a new sweepstakes to promote its digital magazines.

The Atlantic Theater Co. plans a shift to digital channels, such as e-mail and social networking, to enhance its ticket sales and increase donor contributions. The 24-year-old off-Broadway theater partnered with service provider eWayDirect to develop and implement the new strategy.

Sending e-mail today automatically includes you in the mobile e-mail business. Some companies realize this and have taken steps to address the issues surrounding mobile e-mail; others realize it, but ignore the situation. Many simply don't realize that 20% of their e-mails are received and read on mobile devices.

Direct marketing is one of the best ways for nonprofit organizations to raise money for their cause, and e-mail marketing specifically can be an excellent tool for getting the word out about a good cause. Direct marketing is one of the best ways for nonprofit organizations to raise money for their cause, and e-mail marketing specifically can be an excellent tool for getting the word out.

E-mail marketing services firm StrongMail Systems has acquired PopularMedia, a social media marketing company, for an undisclosed figure. Under the terms of the agreement, PopularMedia will come under the StrongMail brand and its social media tools will become part of the StrongMail suite of digital marketing offerings.

As the automotive industry is challenged with cash strapped consumers, direct marketing agency Aspen Marketing has been working with their automotive clients to reach consumers in a more multichannel and geo-targeted way.

Spammers have jumped on the death of Michael Jackson and are sending out spam e-mails with the King of Pop in the subject line.

Retailers who count on the 20% lift of holiday sales know they can't wait until October to formulate their seasonal sales strategy. Although consumers spent some $475 billion during the 2007 holiday season, the mixed forecasts for 2008 increase the pressure to make the holiday selling season extend beyond the traditional September-to-December window.

A recent evaluation conducted by Silverpop researchers of the e-mail practices of North America's largest online retailers revealed that some are engaging in risky strategies. In comparing e-mails sent during the same 30-day period in 2007 and 2008, the study found a sharp increase in e-mail frequency. Top retailers sent 23% more e-mails to subscribers last year than the year before. At the same time, only 28% offered subscribers choices at opt-in. This is down from 56% in 2007.