I'd like to echo the observations by Seth Godin in “Consumers Are in Charge Now” (http://dmnews.com/articles/2000-11-06/11457.html). Godin is right — the rules have changed.
Why? The early ubiquity of spam led to an aggressive backlash against and a permanent aversion to it. As a result, spam will never be acceptable to the millions of consumers who have grown used to controlling how they are marketed to.
Moreover, the point at which database marketing and the Internet intersect is a growing, unrealized realm that any marketer in any industry can enjoy. Why alienate customers with non-permission marketing when permission marketing is such a rich opportunity?
I urge marketing managers to heed Godin's opinions. The good old days of non-permission marketing will never become the golden days of Internet marketing.
• Tad Travis
Business Analyst
PrimeResponse Inc.
