• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, April 21, 2010

Email marketers under pressure to bring in dough can be tempted to send out mass emails -- there's evidence it drives results.

But industry opinionist Ken Magill says that can have a negative long-term impact on brand image. "Sending unwanted email is a very brand-damaging act," he told marketers at MediaPost's Email Insider Summit. "Think about what you're doing."

“You have to understand that when you send garbage, (consumers) hate you for it," he added. "Email is a very visceral thing.�

And people can form negative opionions that a marketer "can't measure."

Magill suggested emailers work with their email service providers (ESPs) to develop systems allowing for segmentation and other tactics that don't impact reputation, but still drive sales. After all, ESPs want to sell more services to clients.