'Hated' email marketing given hope in new survey

The survey of more than 1,000 business people by online list firm Marketing File found that 69% said they hated unsolicited emails received at work, compared with just 2% who are "happy to receive it".

Two thirds of respondents said that they would prefer not to receive any of the emails. However, just over half (57%) did admit to reading at least some of them, with one in 10 saying they read at last half.

Chris Loveys, Marketing File sales and marketing director, said that despite the unpopularity of unsolicited emails they can still be effective.

He points out that the survey itself, which offered a prize draw of £1,000, was replied to in full by 1,181 people. Also of those who replied, 43% claimed to never read unsolicited emails, which is clearly untrue.

He said: "Clearly many people do not automatically junk all unsolicited email, whatever they say they do. What is more likely is that they decide very quickly if they are going to read it."

He added that marketers using unsolicited email need to put much greater effort into the subject line and opening lines and ensure they improve the way they target recipients.

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