Microsoft Corp. recently started sending a series of welcoming emails for its new version of Microsoft Office, says Diana Lawson, senior product manager of Microsoft, during Email Insider Summit. All this for recent purchasers of the product. Lawson says this included a message from the vp of Microsoft Office and one from the director of relationship marketing. For the beta version of the product -- before the product actually launched -- the effort was to do more. "We wanted influence customers product satisfaction... It was a great way to test the email program and do a pre-launch before …

Some mobile email saturation is taking hold. Tommy Hilfiger is doing something about it. "We are starting to hit a mobile tipping point," says Jared Blank, vp of e-commerce of Tommy Hilfiger, at the Email Insider Summit. In that regard he says Hilfiger is developing a new mobile app product with a better consumer experience, one where "you don't click out to sign up. It's within the experience."

What's it like selling email to the C-level executives? Well, according to Ryan Phelan, vp of strategic services for BlueHornet, at the Email Insider Summit, "communicating email to the C-suite almost has to be at the Twitter level. They're so high in the clouds, we have to condense down the effectiveness of email into manageable chunks." Others agreed that selling email is all about understanding what C-level execs value most and what they need to succeed in their goals. PepsiCo's Senior Marketing Manager, Digital Engagement/CRM Lawrence DiCapua added that one of the challenges of this is that often …

Email marketers will do a lot when it comes to acquisition of lists. But some executives don't really place primary duties on acquiring lists of people as much. "We don't focus on acquisition anymore," says Sarah Buckenberger, director of customer acquisition, BabyCenter.com, at the Email Insider Summit. "I know I'll be getting a lot of emails about that especially that's part of my title. [Rather] we are focusing on the customers." Buckenberger says more important is providing the right message at right time in the right place. "Moms want to interact with us in a different …

Mike Bloxham, director of insight and research, Center for Media Design, Ball State University & Co-Founder, Media Behavior Institute, in speaking at the Email Insider Summit, notes that email is a connective tissue in the media mix -- even if it doesn't always have the panache. "There isn't as much glamour in email as in print and TV," he says. "It's very operational." But he says there is nothing wrong with that. He adds: "No marketing tool should turn people on -- it's what you do with it." Yet, email is used -- regularly. His research says …

Mobile still has a way to go when it comes to email marketing -- especially when looking at their specific customer bases. Len Shneyder, senior product marketing manager and Unica, asked Email Insider attendees: "How many people can segment their mobile audience?" One or two hands were raise. "There you go," says Shneyder. Mobile email creative is important, says Justine Jordan, marketing manager of Litmus App - but function is more crucial. Specific device email-marketing may not be the way to go. Says Chris Studabaker, senior design consultant of ExactTarget, says: "Don't get too caught up …

Mobile devices are not an approved cleaning tool among many dentists -- as far as we can tell. Dylan Boyd, vp of sales & strategy for eROI, moderating a panel at MediaPost's Email Insider Summit, says there are more mobile devices -- globally -- than people have toothbrushes -- and all that might make email marketers still up and take notice. Or floss. "There opportunity for mobile to be a junction point for other channels," says Len Shneyder, senior product marketing manager for Unica. "It's kind of like a way station." He talked about one example when …

Email privacy is a big issue -- complicated by social media privacy concerns. "It comes down to transparency," Mark Schmulen, general manager of social media for Constant Contact, on a panel at the Email Insider conference. Schmulen talks about how consumers use texting and digital companies like Four Square -- and that many consumers are already consenting to receive messaging. "There has to be element of permission." D.J. Waldow, director of community of Blue Sky Factory, an email/social provider, wonders what if research is wrong about how consumers feel about privacy. "I have no data behind this," he …

It's beyond just "sharing with a friend"; it's about SWYN, "Share-with-your-network. Right now, putting Facebook, Twitter and other social site tabs in emails is being used by 26% of top online retailers, according to email provider Responsys. But Chad White, research director for Responsys, in moderating a panel at Email Insider Summit believes that number will be 50% next year. "[Consumers] are trusting what others are saying more than what brand are saying," says Mark Shmulen, general manager of social media, Constant Contact. "We are seeing it's the primary call to action in emails." D.J. Waldow, director …

Email marketers want to get involved with social media -- but buyer beware. "On-the-Street" research from Jeff Ginsberg, chief eMail officer, The eMail Guide and Morgan Stewart, chief executive officer of Trendline Interactive, found out some interesting opinions. Here are some viewpoints: -- "Facebook is getting to be a lot of spam." What about all the marketing on Facebook? "It kind of sucks." -- "It's a little too intrusive for my taste." -- "It's getting boring." Do you follow brands on Facebook? "No." -- Advertising on social media areas: "I don't think it's necessarily …