Permission-based email marketers who participated in a Jupiter Research "webinar" late last month said they are less concerned with legislation aimed at stopping spam than they are with technology and
practices of ISPs that inadvertently block legitimate, permission-based email. The participants at the webinar, sponsored by EmailLabs, identified blacklists and spam filters implemented by ISPs and
corporate IT departments as their biggest delivery concern (31%), followed by bounces and email address changes (22%), inbox clutter (22%). Only 8% said anti-spam legislation is their top concern. As
for the steps they're taking to address these issues, the participants said they are increasing or dedicating internal resources to email marketing (27%), deploying ISP-specific strategies (24.5%),
and outsourcing email delivery (22%).
"While the focus publicly has shifted to legislation and the courts, email marketers on the ground are concerned about activities by those who control the
pipes," said EmailLabs chief executive officer David Sousa in a press release. "Blacklists and spam filters, ostensibly aimed at preventing the delivery of spam-related email messages, inevitably deny
a good amount of legitimate email from reaching customers and subscribers."
