While many in the advertising/marketing industry can't seem to get enough news about their business (good for MediaPost), a weekly email sent by the New York Times on the subject doesn't appear to be getting much traction. On a panel about email publishing, Mike Foley, associate product manager for email at the Times, said only "a few thousand" people are subscribers to the newsletter. Of course, that hardly means it's unprofitable -- the more targeted an email, the greater potential for higher CPMs, while production costs can be modest. And Foley acknowledged that one reason it's tough to …

As we all struggle more and more to integrate social media into our strategies, and even tap user generated content on our websites and email programs, we marketers have to deal with the reality that we don't own all the information about our brands. Control is something that marketers just don't have any longer. Is this good? I think it's opportunity. Karla from General Mills said during the social media panel that they did an audit of what messaging existed on Facebook and MySpace to see all the unofficial sites using their logos. What to do with all …

Email is one of the most measurable direct marketing channels, but we email marketers don’t typically do a great job of measuring it. Usually because we measure too much and use too little of what we measure. Jim Sterne, the keynote speaker here at the Email Insider Summit today reminds us that strategies without metrics are only wishes. He quoted the oft heard quip, “ Do not use stats as a drunkard uses a lamp post â€" for support rather than illumination.” Jim reminds us that the only three business metrics that count are increased revenue, lower expenses and …

Panel host, Silverpop's Loren McDonald, is raising the issue of how marketers can use social networking sites to build their email databases. And Karla Venell, manager of database and email marketing at General Mills, said the company uses its Facebook page in part to prompt people to sign up to receive an email newsletter. For example, a Betty Crocker fan page on Facebook serves to promote the brand, but also has a call to action that allows visitors to click through and opt to receive a newsletter. (General Mills offers seven email newsletters with recipe tips and the …

As be begins moderating a panel on email and social media, Loren McDonald, a vice president at Silverpop, is referencing the startling panel of college students at the last Email Insider Summit in May. Many marketers in the audience were "freaked out" when the students from Ball State essentially said that email is no longer their main source of online communication; instead they've turned to Facebook and other social networks. But the students then said that reluctantly they know they'd have to use email in order to search for a job -- since the older people who do …

Tuesday's presentations at the Email Insider Summit began with a talk by a company that received coverage in the Wall Street Journal this week. Here's the piece: Email With a Ribbon on It Goodmail Systems Inc. has developed a way to fight email fraud like phishing, the scam that uses what appear to be legitimate email messages from companies or other organizations to get victims to reveal information like Social Security numbers or credit-card account passwords. Goodmail, a start-up based in Mountain View, Calif., raised $20 million in Series C funding last month from investors led by …

During a focus group of mothers, an Overstock.com executive rose to ask a question and not before he finished introducing himself, panelist Donna Eckstein shot back: "Love your company." "The deals are getting even better," Allen Dickson responded quickly to laughter. Overstock's director of email marketing and pesonalization, Dickson's question was about organizing inboxes. More love for Overstock came later in the panel when one mother cited word-of-mouth as still having a huge influence on her. "I'm going to check Overstock.com because Donna said it's good," she said. Dickson said Overstock sends out about three to …

Now that the election is over, what will happen to the Obama campaign's huge email list (and social networks) that helped it raise some $500 million? "It's such a huge asset and it's not being taken lightly, but the final decision is really Barack's in terms of what's going to happen," said Stephen Geer, director of email and online fundraising, for the campaign. Geer said the debate continues, but the answer will be in one of two directions: 1) Have Obama take it with him to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to incorporate within his presidency. But that …

Lest there be any doubt the Barack Obama campaign recognized the power of email marketing early on, the head of its online fundraising efforts said initiatives began months before the Iowa caucuses. Stephen Geer, director of email and online fundraising, said the goal was to build an email list in all 50 states. And field teams used various tactics, including collecting addresses at events (large rallies where Obama appeared were obvious successes), via online advertising and with incentives such as an offer for a free bumper sticker in exchange for contact information. Geer himself joined the campaign in …

Great panel of marketers talking about segmentation. Where do they use it? What decisions do they make? Vince from 24Hour Fitness: Primarily using segmentation at onboarding/welcome and again when the subscriber is "at risk." At risk is defined for them as someone who is not visiting the gym. Talked about the risk to 24-Hour of "waking up the sleepers" by sending emails for those who are not using the gym. While some will respond well, we are maybe reminding others that they find no value in the product. Vince says that these folks get invoices every month anyway, so …