If you think about innovation, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn't email marketing, but the latest gadgets, drones and maybe an Internet-connected fridge or two. But a lot has changed in the way brands and consumers communicate over the last few years. With a trusted and solid channel like email marketing, where does the real innovation take place?

The last year has been another 12 months of change for email, with high-profile acquisitions of specialist email businesses made by some of the biggest software companies in the world. Oracle bought Responsys, while IBM snapped up Silverpop. This is evidence, were it needed, that email is as important as it ever has been.

Many email marketers tell me that growing their list isn't within their remit. Since they're rewarded for sales and revenue and not for list-growing, they don't pay any attention to this goal. But it always benefits you to grow your list -- and here's why.

Santa was very, very kind to Apple, according to a new report from Flurry Analytics. The iPhone manufacturer accounted for 51% of new device activations worldwide between Dec. 19 and 25th, with Samsung coming in a distant second at 18%. What does this mean for email marketers? Apple's move toward bigger screens and higher resolutions - along with the default Apple iPhone app's stronghold as the number-one email client - will ultimately influence change in email marketing's evolving best practices.