I went to an offsite seminar for work today. It was a training/informational workshop regarding email marketing through a company called Constant Contact.
While from a business perspective it was totally exciting to learn about the amazing amount of information they could collect and compile regarding customers' response to emails, from a personal perspective it was downright creepy.
They can tell what time of day you opened that email. They can tell whether or not you clicked any links--and which links you clicked! They can tell if you forwarded the email, and--in some cases--whether the person you forwarded it to has opened/clicked through.
And again, I was really excited to learn about all this and think of ways that it could help our little company market our products more effectively... The resources, tools, and data available through a company like this (there are many others in the same business; Constant Contact certainly haven't monopolised the market) are simply incredible, and invaluable if used correctly and consistently.
Still, I couldn't help but be a little creeped out by the thought that the next email I open is going to tell some stranger in a cubicle somewhere more about me than it ought. The next product I check out in that same email is going to peg me as "A cyclist" or "A camper" or "A Tree Hugger". It sort of makes me want to click on all the wrong things, just to jack with the system and see what kind of tweaked list it gets me into. Maybe I can get REI to stop sending me camping and cycling related emails, and start targeting me with climbing and scuba diving gearmails.
It was an interesting day, indeed. But hey, I got some amazing Thai food and 6 hours out of the office. Almost worth the feeling of paranoia instilled in me.
1 comment:
we use constant contact at work. i don't really look into the back end of things, we pay people to do that for us. speaking of which, must get my eblast ready...ugh
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