Exact Target’s deliverability blog has a great post about the definition of Spam.
It’s always fun to listen to companies talk about permission. There are exceptions of course, (address appending for example) but permission is pretty black and white. The interesting part of the relationship comes into play when setting customer expectations.
I did tell CompUSA that I wanted ‘Special’ offers but I didn’t think they would come every few days! How much is to much? I guess it depends on the relationship… One sure bet is to let the reader know how often you’ll be communicating with them. We used to do this routinely when setting up e-mail broadcasts or lists.
On the other hand, much depends on the audience. It’s changing but many marketers seem to (still) impose direct marketing models on the Internet (vs building relationships!). Spamming Special Offers will offend and loose part of the list but mailers can still be ‘successful’.
At the end of the day, it is always about the relationship!