The Results
After examining the email programs and grading each candidate, 24 total points equaling a perfect score, no campaign's email program received a passing grade.
Here is the final tally:
While Sen. McCain scored the highest of the six with 16 points, each candidate's campaign missed multiple opportunities toward full email optimization. As the election steamrolls through the summer toward Election Day in November, each of the remaining candidates needs to critically look at his or her campaign and make sure each marketing effort, including email, is being maximized to its full potential.
Sources:
1. Direct Marketing Association (2007)
2. Scarborough (2005)
3. JupiterResearch "Maturation of Email: Controlling Messaging Chaos Through Centralization" (2007)
4. E-Mail Sender and Provider Coalition and Ipsos (Dec 2007)
5. Jupiter Research (2007)
6. EmailLabs (2006)
7. Datran Media Research, "The 2007 Email Marketing Survey: Looking Forward" (2007)
8. Email Experience Council (2007)
9. Sharpe Partners (Jan 2006)
Brent Rosengren is director of client services for BrightWave Marketing. Read full bio.