First there was Spam. Spam Spam Spam Spam Spammity Spam. Now…Bacn. No, that is not a typo. Bacn (sans “o”) is the term - coined back in August 2007 - for “email that you want, just not right now.” It’s a great way of identifying email that you signed up for and are interested in, but when it reaches your inbox, you shout out…
- “I’m too busy…no time to read it now. I’m sure I won’t miss much in just one email.”
- “I really should read this - why…I’ll just block off some time next Thursday!”
- “There’s just too much going on! I can’t take it anymore!!! Help…”
….and a potentially valuable email gets vaporized. If this sounds familiar, congratulations, you now understand bacn. It’s those emails you signed up for and wanted to receive but you’ve since pushed it into email purgatory (limbo) - suspended between your inbox and spam hades. The email doesn’t belong in your spam folder because it’s good stuff, but it doesn’t sit in your inbox long enough to make a noticeable impression.
Some love this new buzzword. Others loathe it. Either way, it is gaining some momentum, and email marketers need to be aware. Bacn has an unofficial website, was written up in NPR and the NYTimes, and is being discussed in the blogosphere - Mark Brownlow of Email Marketing Reports, Chad White at RetailEmail.Blogspot, Gmail Blog.
Now you are in the know. Welcome to the club. Think about how bacn could skew your metrics, especially open rates.
Bacn - it’s not just another meat, it’s a new way of life for an email marketer trying to make sense in this crazy world.
DJ Waldow
Account Manager at Bronto
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
There’s another definition of “bacn” that a lot of people use, and I think it’s far more accurate than “mail you signed up for and are interested in, but don’t have time for right not.”
That definition is “ham that nobody wants,” with the rider that if it gets filtered as spam, most recipients will not care, or even notice.
JB -
I love it! Thanks for sharing. I have a feeling that vegetarians may struggle with all terms (ham, bacn, spam)…
dj at bronto