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.â€� And people can form negative opionions that a marketer "can't measure." Magill suggested emailers work …

Day 3 of MediaPost's Email Insider Summit -- in Captiva Island, Fla. – has begun and the room remains full. Ken Magill, who runs Magilla Marketing, is delivering an opening keynote. A well-known industry opinionist, Magill says that companies touting they are CAN-SPAM compliant are “basically saying you’re not a criminal.â€� Magill is an advocate for the landmark law, but companies should but do it, not say it -- comply with it and be quiet. Further, he says email is “so cheap, it brings out the worst in direct marketers.â€� It still encourages mass mailings and that can …

What?! So I should be surprised that a conference of marketers ends up being about the customer?! Actually, I am a bit impressed! Here at the Email Insider Summit this week in Captiva Florida, always one of the MediaPost's best events, the energy is almost completely focused around the customer. Of course it's all about the customer, this is marketing. But often marketers get caught up in the excitement about product releases. Their passion about their business and merchandise leads them to think that every customer is interested in every promotion or every message. I can remember the …

Too much cable in your portfolio? Maybe just too much cable ratings erosion. Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Michael Nathanson said in a report on Tuesday that first quarter ratings weren't too kind to the cable networks â€" versus broadcast networks. While broadcast primetime networks viewership slipped 1.6% in C3 ratings during the period, cable dropped more â€" 2.5%. Much of this was due to broadcasters which had big rated sports events â€" NBC's Winter Olympics, CBS' Super Bowl, NFL playoffs and the like. The problem is that cable's share keeps growing -- closing in at a 60% …

Looks like Comcast wasn’t the only broadband provider accused of throttling peer-to-peer traffic. RCN also just agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing it of degrading service. Broadband advocacy group Public Knowledge quickly issued an incensed statement. “We learned today that another Internet Service Provider, this time RCN, was throttling its customers Internet traffic,� said president Gigi Sohn. “This is yet another example showing why the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) needs to be given the authority over Internet access service.�

Apple Allows Cartoonist’s App Apple has approved cartoonist Mark Fiore’s “NewsToons� App, the Nieman Journalism Lab reports. Apple previously told the Pulitzer Prize winner that his app was unacceptable because it ridicules public figures, according to Nieman.

No, even though the mayor of Sin City is desperate for a hockey team, the NHL is not putting an expansion club there. But when it comes to building an email list, the league has had success with using sweepstakes offering free Vegas trips as a platform. At the MediaPost Email Insider Summit, NHL direct marketing executive Amie Ray said the league has been able to enlarge its database hugely by collecting email addresses from people entering the Vegas giveways. Prizes such as signed Crosby or Ovechkin jerseys evidently can't compete. "Sweepstakes work!" Ray said. "Everyone and their …

Buoyed by a continued rebound in brand advertising, Yahoo Tuesday reported a first-quarter profit of $310 million, or 22 cents per share. That easily beat the consensus analyst expectation of 9 cents a share and was nearly triple the 8 cents a share the company earned a year ago. Net income for the period came in at $1.13 billion, slightly below the analyst estimate of $1.17 billion. Gross revenue of $1.6 billion was up 1% from a year ago. Yahoo’s earnings were boosted by 7 cents a share through the sale of its Zimbra email unit and …

Email marketers are constantly debating frequency -- how often to send messages. It's a balance in looking to drive sales without turning off customers. On a panel at MediaPost's Email Insider Summit, Responsys executive Heather Blank indicated the answer is rather simple: do what feels right. Certainly, don't have a quota. If there's something to say, say it -- if not, don't send. "There is no magic frequency number, if you have a relevant story send it," she said. "If you don't, suppress it." She continued: "Stop planning your email calendars based on a number. If …

According to Google, one in five searches are related to location. Adjusting to this behavior, the search giant has launched several new services under the umbrella name Google Places. According to ReadWriteWeb, “Google Places is primarily a merging of its Local Business Center with its Place Pages, of which there are more than 50 million.â€� Along with tailoring users’ searches by their respective location, Google will also be offering businesses the ability to define their service areas. “That, coupled with real-time updates, should allow for some interesting uses of Google with not only delivery services, but completely mobile vendors …