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Petition to Ban The Phrase “Email Blast”
June 10th, 2008 by DJ Waldow
“Email Blast” - the one phrase in email marketing that raises the hair on my arms. I equate it to the internet version of a space shuttle launch. I guess email is sent into space (kinda), but the terminology still does not fit.
I spend the majority of my day working with clients discussing email marketing best practices, innovation, and strategy. During this time I hear and see the term “email blast” more than I care to admit.
Below are snippets of actual client emails I’ve received:
- “We’ve been doing email blasts for 10 years and…”
- “…compare individual blasts to other blasts…”
- “…sending direct mail and email blasts to customers…”
And client phone conversations I’ve had:
- “I just sent out today’s email blast…”
- “Hey DJ, can we review the blast results?
Many clients even name their internal messages as “060908BLAST” or “Tuesday_Blast”.
Type in “Email Blast” in Google and you get some interesting paid and organic results:
It pains me every time I hear, read, or even think about the word “blast” following email. Who cares, it’s just a phrase, right? Wrong.
“Email Blast” sends the wrong message about email marketing. It is impersonal and cold. I envision a robot sitting at a laptop counting down - 3…2…1…(Email) Blast! It implies a message that is sent to the entire house file - no segmentation, no targeting, with no thought if subscribers actually want to read your message.
It’s time that we - marketers, ESPs, ISPs, and others in the email marketing ecosystem - begin to change our vocabulary. It’s time we eliminated the phrase “email blast” from our vernacular. Start today by sending me an email, a tweet @djwaldow or commenting on this post. Join the revolution.
*This post is one that has been stewing for some time. Just as I began formulating my ideas for it, Mathew Patterson and @justinpremick and beat me to the punch. Blasted! They both make some excellent points. Make sure to check out the comments also as their posts have spawned some great discussion.
DJ Waldow
Account Manager at Bronto
Posted in Best Practices |
Tagged With: email blast • email petition • segmentation
All hail DJ for starting the revolution! Ban the Blast!
What’s funny is the amount of times I have apologized to you DJ for you using the phrase “e-blast” while on the phone with you. I will do my best to ban the term blast from my vocabulary!
Thank you for the informative email blast! Ok but in all sincerity, while I don’t use the phrase, plenty in the office here do. What it reminds me of is the phrase “fax blast” (a very annoying phrase indeed).
I cringe every time our CEO says this - the word sounds too much like Homer Simpson’s beer belch.
DJ:
This is a phrase that kills me as well. I hear it multiple times a day from clients as well as prospects at small to enterprise companies. It is one of the things that makes me cringe.
One: It is not a blast. If it is, you should not be in email marketing
Two: Email Campaigns should be targeted, lists vetted, offers personalized or at least relevant to the selection of opt in customers or prospects you are engaging.
Three: If you even think about using the word blast in your head before hitting the send button, don’t hit it. Recheck your campaign objectives and start from the beginning.
Blasts are things that destroy not build.
DJ,
I couldn’t agree more! If you’re blasting, you’re not targeting. If you’re not targeting, you should find another line of work.
It comes down to education and as email marketers, we should politely remind our clients that we do not blast email, but rather send targeted, personalized one to one email campaigns.
Here’s a tagline for your petition:
“Email is fun, but it’s not a blast”
;-)
I’m glad you brought this to the forefront DJ, I’ve heard blast too many times to count over the last few days here at IRCE2008. It definitely exhibits an attitude towards email marketing that isn’t subscriber focused.
To combat that I think a few suggestions might help, here are a few terms I commonly use: Email Send, Delivery, or Campaign.
Keep fighting the good fight DJ!
100% agree, I hate when I hear this term used. If Jeannie can get us to all abandon one little hyphen, then a five letter swear word should be no problem. David D used it the only way I liked in the quote below:
“Don’t be a Blastard”
Holy Shnikes, Batman! Great comments. The power of Twitter, realized - http://twitter.com/djwaldow/statuses/832180211.
I think the big takeaway from all comments is that the negative connotation of the word “blast” completely devalues the awesome power of effective (targeted, relevant, subscriber-focused, timely) email marketing *campaigns*.
I’m working on an Email Experience Council type petition: http://www.emailexperience.org/iniatives_and_standards/eec-petitions/
Stay tuned.
dj at bronto
DJ, I agree, it’s got to go, but why do you think the word persists? My theory is that it’s just too fun to say! People love to say blast. Can you propose an equally fun alternative? Then you’d be a genius…
We had this exact conversation in a strategy session meeting at the agency I worked for 2 years ago. We ended up relabeling individual messages as email transmissions/communications to customers, all residing under a parent email marketing campaign that had a similar theme throughout.
@Emily - An equally fun alternative? I’m working on that “project” now. If I can pull it off, it promises to be fun, interactive, community-based, and viral (among other things).
@Stephen - Thanks for sharing. I hope that the current company you are with does not use “Email Blast!”
dj at bronto
Long live the blast…….not!!!
100% behind on this DJ.
@emily - eZooka, eNuke..those are fun terms.
When someone uses the term blast at my company, I cringe as well but I then try to educate. I simply say..hi my name is Andrew..what is yours? They tell me..then I say..hey, can I have your email? I want to blast you. I then ask them how that makes them feel. I get my point across most of the time.
@Andrew -
Love your method of “education.” A bit over the top, but still awesome.
dj
From this day forth, I pledge to never use the term “BLAST” when referring to an email transmission / communication.
Hurrah! I’m converted! A blastard no more!
@Bryan - another convert. Very nice. Very very nice.
dj
[...] I’m not sure DJ Waldow has hated any other word more. If you’ve been paying attention, he’s not the only one out there stating the [...]