NBC Sports #Fail

I know, that’s a provocative headline. (And Olympics fans are probably laughing.)

I’m am regularly driven insane by email marketing that is written by people who remain clueless, even though by Internet standards this industry is incredibly mature. An email featuring NBC Sports just happened to be my tipping point. NBC Sports fail is related to website user experience; the United States Equestrian Federation is responsible for the email marketing fail. Continue reading

Can a Coupon Live Inside a Cellphone?

Well, yeah, it can. That’s a “doh.”

The NYT’s headline writer asks this question to promo a short article in Sunday’s business section … as though this were something novel. Or hard to do. It’s neither and is common in Japan. In 2006 about 6-in-10 mobile customers in Japan used mobile coupons more than once a month.
Continue reading

Blacklist This Marketing Firm

I’m being spammed.

I know it’s probably gauche to be POed or annoyed at spam as 2007 comes to a close, but I am.

The firm? Health Care Audio Info.

HealthCareAudioInfois a marketing and information company representing more than 120 print and online publications, teleconferences and audio learning products for in health care, law and litigation and financial services. Our mission is to make a difference in the life of every professional through information.

Don’t hire them, folks, because the way they are spamming email addresses is not something you want to be affiliated with (emphasis added):

This is an advertisement. If you no longer wish to receive our general healthcare audioconference emails, do not reply to this email. Please write us at rmove@healthcareaudioinfo.com with “unsubscribe” in the subject line or call 800-508-2582. Your request will be processed within 10 days.
1200 G Street NW, Suite 800-8001 Washington, DC 20005

I’m doubly annoyed because Thunderbird hasn’t “gotten” that this is spam, even though I’ve marked every mail I’ve received as junk (11 messages in one week) — every one with a different “from” name (same addy).

Since this behavior would be illegal (federal crime) if they were sending their “advertisements” to my fax machine, I ask (rhetorically, for the umpteenth time) why this is not illegal when it’s my email address? After all, my faxes are delivered to me via my email account.