In a recent Wall St. Journal article the origin of spam was noted as an e-mail sent by Gary Thuerk which was “an invitation to an open house for a new computer.”  He sent invitations to the “400 of the 2,600 or so people who had email accounts at that time.”

The Journal notes that “from a marketing standpoint, the e-mail was a success:  about 20 people came to each of Thuerk’s open houses, and he estimates it led to more than $12 million in sales.” 

But the “spam also earned Thuerk instant notoriety. “People started complaining immediately,” he says.  “Moreover, he received a letter telling him that he broke the rules of the Arpanet, the Internet’s predecessor.”

Thuerk has embraced his place in history as the father of spam, which has landed him in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Currently, Thuerk says he “does promotional work for anti-spam companies.”

He must be doing penance. 

I got to thinking about Spam after I read the piece taken from the Journal.  We absolutely believe that you shouldn’t Spam people, but there’s a caveat.

Spam is sending information to an unqualified market.  In target marketing, we send information via e-mail to qualified buyers, although they may not know us yet.  It’s a way to begin the conversation with them and we know they are absolutely qualified and interested in what we have to sell.

Just like you, I get tons of unsolicited e-mails for tons of products that I will never buy.  That’s Spam.  But, I also get unsolicited e-mails for products and services that I do buy.  Like lists and educational materials and books.  I don’t consider those e-mails Spam because I am a qualified and interested buyer.  And, I’m glad those companies found me.

Several months ago, in the North Star Marketing business, we bought a list of manufacturers in Florida.  I had some considerations about adding them to our list, but we know that manufacturers are always interested in marketing and branding and are looking to improve in that area.

So, we added them to our Marketing Tips list and our Teleconference list.  I have been amazed at how responsive the people on the list have been.  They have activily engaged in attending our Teleconferences and have been sent comments and engaged us in various conversations via e-mail.

So, what I see happening in the real world is that Spam continues to erode the effectiveness of e-mail marketing; but there are still great opportunities if you get the right list right and find target markets that are qualified and interested in your offerings.

To Gary Thuerk – Cheers to you, bud.  Famous or infamous – you did what was bound to happen eventually and Kudos to you for taking your rightful place in history.

Kae Wagner