I had to share this one with you, folks. If you laugh as hard as I did, this will make your day. As many readers of this site know, in addition to writing these feature articles, I'm also the president of one of the top permission email software companies in the industry,
ArialSoftware.com. Since 1993, I've fought against spam, I've worked to create email sender certification solutions (like www.Relemail.com) and I've even created webmaster tools to help small businesses and non-profits build their in-house permission email lists (
Zeop.com). And that's why I laughed my head off when I received the following spam email today from John Lozzi of Listrak.com:
Mike,
I hope that you can point me in the right direction.
We help firms and agencies maximize the effectiveness of their email campaigns.
Listrak is a web based email campaign management tool that allows you to cost effectively create, deploy, manage, and gain marketing intelligence through real time message activity reports.
Our clients include BBDO Detroit, Bahamas Tourist Office, Motorola, OneTravel.com, Royal Bank of Scotland, Gannett Newspapers, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and PRNewswire as well as a host of firms utilizing Listrak to maximize their permission based opt-in email marketing efforts.
I'd like to better understand your firm's current or planned use of permission based email in its marketing mix. There may be a place for Listrak in your operational mix in order to inprove [sic] the effectiveness of your campaigns.
Can you provide the contact name and number?
Please call on 717.669.8502.
Or, please redirect this email to the person within your organization or the agency responsible for maximizing the effectiveness of your campaigns.
I look forward to our conversation.
Regards,
John
PS: Visit our site http://www.listrak.com to learn more about us and to "test drive" Listrak with a 30 day demo.
John Lozzi
Listrak, LLC
717.669.8502
717.627.4528 ext 308
[email protected]
www.listrak.com
6 Sturgis Lane
Lititz, PA 17534
What's so hilarious about this? Well, first off there's the fact that here's a company claiming to offer permission email services that spammed me. All by itself, that's pretty funny. But there's more: the second hilarious fact is that they obviously didn't bother to even look at the email addresses they were sending to because I received this on the arialsoftware.com domain, and everybody in the industry knows that Arial Software sells permission email marketing automation software.
In other words, this is a classic example of a company (Listrak) claiming to be involved in permission email marketing but which is running around spamming their own competitors with unsolicited email messages in an effort to drum up new business!
And the funniest part of all is that John Lozzi obviously didn't realize I'm a feature writer for a news network that was going to post his spammy email across the internet for the amusement of people everywhere. What can I say? ROTFL!
John, you spammed the wrong guy today. But keep 'em coming, please. Laughter is good medicine.
And, by the way, if anybody out there is looking for an unabashed email service provider that can send spam for you, be sure to check out Listrak.com!
About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, and he is well known as the creator of popular downloadable preparedness programs on financial collapse, emergency food storage, wilderness survival and home defense skills. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In mid 2010, Adams produced TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also the founder of a well known HTML email software company whose 'Email Marketing Director' software currently runs the NaturalNews subscription database. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and regularly pursues cycling, nature photography, Capoeira and Pilates. He's also author a large number of health books offered by Truth Publishing and is the creator of numerous reference website including NaturalPedia.com and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. His websites also include the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the innate healing ability of the human body. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org
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Thursday, March 24, 2005
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