Shocker: EEC Spams Members

Is there something floating around in the air-conditioning ducts at the Direct Marketing Association that makes everyone there turn into e-mail lunkheads?

Members of the Email Experience Council—which was acquired by the DMA in July 2007—last week received multiple copies of a “free gift” issue of women’s lifestyle publication VIV Magazine in their inboxes.

Jeanniey Mullen, co-founder and current co-executive chair of the EEC, said the effort amounted to one free issue of the digital magazine sent as a gift in celebration of Earth Day.

“As a part of an eec Earth Day celebration, we created a special ‘gift’ for our eec subscribers – which was one issue of a VIV magazine subscription for review. This was communicated in 3 different emails to eec subscribers over the past 4 weeks. The first 2 emails very clearly stated this would be 1 issue of a VIV magazine subscription. (The most recent email sent did not specify the words ‘1 issue’ in front of the word subscription,” she wrote in an e-mail exchange with this newsletter.

The explanation doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.

On April 2, the EEC sent an initial e-mail with the subject line “Open now for your gifts from the eec and Zinio – and other important news and links.”

The body copy of the message invited recipients to “Click here now to explore your free issue of VIV Magazine, a Zinio publication!”

The e-mail also offered readers access to Zinio’s digital library.

“VIV is NOT a digital magazine - it is a digital experience. See editorial and advertisements come to life. If you are a publisher or advertiser, you cannot afford to ignore this. VIV is innovative, engaging and the new model for beauty, fashion, fitness, health, nutrition and travel,” said the message, which looks, walks and quacks like a thinly veiled plug for VIV and Zinio.

There was no mention of Earth Day.

At the end of the VIV copy was a large Zinio logo.

Zinio is a digital publisher. Mullen is Zinio’s chief marketing officer.

On April 9, the EEC sent a second e-mail to members referring to VIV—this time with an Earth Day tie-in.

“Last week the eec celebrated Earth Day by offering free access to the Zinio Digital Classics Library and a free issue of VIV magazine. We were just trying to do something good for the earth, and didn't expect the response we received from people who want to take these offers and create their own Earth Day celebration,” the message said.

The message then urged EEC members to make the same offer available to their lists—in honor of Earth Day.

The original e-mail never referred to Earth Day, yet the message said it was a reaction to all the positive feedback over the EEC’s Earth Day efforts. It’s difficult to imagine a high response to something that wasn’t mentioned.

Then on May 1, an e-mail offering access to the newest issue of VIV appeared in EEC members’ inboxes—in honor of Earth Day, of course. Some EEC members received the message two or three times in the same day.

The “from” line said the message was from VIV Magazine Digital. The return e-mail address said the message was from Support@notification.zinio.net.

Essentially, Zinio spammed the EEC’s membership list, even if it was just for one issue.

The first two e-mails never told EEC members they were going to receive an e-mail from Zinio offering access to VIV. Zinio had no business sending e-mail to EEC members.

What’s more, when one Magilla Marketing reader opted out of future mailings of VIV, he received the following message, not from the EEC or the DMA, but from Zinio customer service:

“Thank you for contacting Zinio Customer Service. As requested, we have
canceled your complimentary subscription to VIV Magazine.

“For Earth Day, the Email Experience Council (eec) sent an email to its entire list, informing everyone they were sending a free subscription to VIV Magazine.

“There were 2 reasons the eec selected VIV as an appreciation gift for its subscribers:

“1) They wanted to share something that demonstrates an innovative way to communicate digitally, and

“2) It was Earth Day and they wanted to share something for free as a thank you for being on the list.

“Your name and information was not sold or rented. We will advise the eec that you would like to not receive these any longer. Any questions should be directed to enews@emailexperience.org.”

Why would a Zinio customer service rep who was clearly briefed on the Earth Day angle say the complimentary subscription had been canceled and that it would notify the EEC that the recipient wanted no more e-mails if the plan was to mail only one issue?

Moreover, the first and third e-mails offered access to two different issues of the magazine, undermining the claim that this effort involved only one issue of VIV.

Mullen, however, adamantly claims the EEC did not opt anyone into a VIV subscription

“To be very clear on this- NO ONE was opted in to future communications from VIVmag, unless they chose to opt-in on their own. In those cases, we have opt in date and time stamps,” she wrote.

When asked how VIV Magazine was relevant to the EEC member list, she responded: “I think you would agree that the entire publishing industry is striving toward integrating email more and more as a method to reduce costs and increase relationships with circulation databases. I do not think that demonstrating how email can be used in this arena would be considered ‘unrelated to the interests’ of e-mail marketers.”

Whether that explanation holds up or not is up to EEC members to decide.

In any case, as one of two trade associations dedicated to advancing the cause of responsible e-mail marketing, the EEC must hold itself to a higher standard than the VIV Magazine effort demonstrated—a much higher standard.

When the DMA bought the EEC, it appeared as if Internet sanity had finally established a beachhead at an organization that has such a lousy record on e-mail marketing, its executives still can’t say spam is unsolicited e-mail.

Let’s hope the EEC hasn’t been bitten by the DMA’s unsolicited-isn’t-necessarily-unwanted e-mail-ignoramo bug and that this was a one-time, badly executed flub.

One question remains: Are EEC names still in Zinio’s database?