Online Advertising
Email Spam

Spam
-Unsolicited email sent in an attempt to gain commercial advantage, also known as UBE (Unsolicited Bulk Email). -Disruptive for users -Weakening for email marketing

Email Marketing
-Permission-based -Messages are sent to a smaller, targeted group of recipients.

“How Spam Affects Email Marketing Campaigns” available at http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/definition/Learn-IT-HowSpam-Affects-Email-Marketing-Campaigns

Spam
What Spammers do:
•BITMAP KEYWORDS •CHANGE THE LETTER IN THE KEYWORD

What Anti Spam Applications do:
•SEARCH FOR KEYWORDS

What is advertized in spam emails?
14% Other 10% Pharmaceutical
Get Rich Quickly

37 %
3% 8% Pornography Lottery Scams Computer Services 2%

Financial
9%

Fraudulent Products

24 %

“Brightmail” and “New scientist” available at “http://www.symantec.com/products-solutions/families/?fid=email-security” and “www.newscientist.com”

Spam/How it is used? (Pharmaceutical example)
News Group Chat Sites Other Websites

Email addresses
ARE RETRIEVED

IN JUST ONE MONTH IN

2008, 1.5% OF THE
ENTIRE SPAM EMAILS WAS

35 million 8.2 MILLION MADE IT TO
MAIL SERVERS

3.5 MILLION in pharmaceutical sales in 2008

10,500 RECEIPIENTS
CLICKED THE LINK IN EMAIL

28 BOUGHT PRODUCTS (0.000008%)
Google Postini, available at “http://www.google.com/postini/”

Email marketing best practices:
How can legitimate marketers differentiate themselves from spammers ?

1. In a