Q&As

Newsletters may not be the top e-mail marketing activity. But they’re a solid number three, according to a new survey by Direct and Multichannel Merchant magazines.

Really Simple Syndication, or RSS, isn’t so simple—which explains why it has been slow to catch on for the average marketer, despite being used heavily in the technology sector for a couple of years now. As the technology has improved, though, marketers have begun to embrace RSS as a viable means of content distribution and advertising.

Here’s some hot news from ExactTarget that may change the way you send your e-zines. A new study shows the highest average open rate in 2005 was on Fridays.

E-mail open rates declined by 16.5% last year, dropping by an average of 1.8% per quarter, according to a study by ExactTarget.

“Love the sinner, hate the sin” is good, compassionate advice. But there are times when the sins of the direct marketing industry make me so. . . very. . . angry. . . that love is hard to come by.

A case in point: John Kelly, a Washington Post columnist, recently wrote about direct mail solicitations his mother-in-law, Kathy, received. Check that. His late mother-in-law Kathy, who has not been in a position to receive mail since last October.

Frigidaire Canada bows a sweeps this Saturday aimed at promoting the company’s front load laundry appliances while rewarding a Canadian consumer with front row tickets to one of three events.

Standex International Corp. has sold its Consumer Products Group, Standex Direct, to State Street Refrig., Inc. The terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Direct marketer and retailer Tiffany & Co. reported net earnings of $254.7 million on sales of $2.4 billion for fiscal 2005, compared with earnings of $304.3 million on sales of $2.2 billion. Earnings for the fourth quarter were $140.3 million, down from $217 million, on sales of $858.4 million, up from $810.1 million.

The Chief Marketing Officer Council has launched Mastering MPM, a program geared toward training executives in marketing performance measurement.

Letters in response to “Loose Cannon: First, Do No Harm. Unless You’re Feeling Lazy” Direct Newsline, March 27, 2006