E-consultancy, in its 2006 Email Marketing Platforms Buyer's Guide (July 2006), highlights several key market trends about which e-Dialog's Simone Barratt offers a lot of important insight, particularly concerning the strategic use of e-mail marketing.

The report cites that marketers are increasingly recognising the ROI potential of e-mail and that it should be an essential part of the overall marketing mix.  There is also greater sophistication in terms of integrating e-mail with complementary communications channels, such as RSS and mobile.

According to e-Dialog's UK managing director Simone Barratt: "Increasingly, marketers are realising that e-mail does not exist in a vacuum. Nor should direct mail, transactional e-mail, online or offline advertising, viral marketing or any other marketing vehicle such as RSS or mobile.

"With more and more customer data coming online, e-mail has the strength to be used as a gateway to all customer interactions. The expertise, technology and services are evolving to allow marketers to leverage e-mail as part of real-time, multi-channel lifecycle communications that engage consumers with the right message at the right time to the right person," she continues.

Regarding the market's weaknesses, one of the key issues the report highlights is that companies are often unable to exploit the full potential of strategic e-mail because they are not sufficiently organized or streamlined internally.

"The quality of e-mail communications is often hindered by the lack of alignment between internal stakeholders. Companies need to create synergy among their various departments, especially database management and marketing, and empower them to work together to create the resources and assets that will enable more sophisticated and consumer-focused e-mail marketing," states Barratt in the report.

About e-Dialog
Established in 1997, e-Dialog is a proven provider of precision e-marketing solutions with deep-rooted strengths in e-mail and database marketing. Through a unique combination of marketing intelligence and precise relevance technology, e-Dialog enables some of the world's most recognized brands, such as Tesco, British Airways, Royal Bank of Scotland, American Eagle Outfitters, Avis, BMG Music Service, the NFL, Reuters and The TJX Companies to maximize long-term customer value with contextually targeted communications. The company's service offerings empower large, multifaceted companies like these to enhance permission-based e-mail marketing efforts through fully integrated, cross-channel communications, including dynamically printed direct mail, RSS and mobile messaging.

JupiterResearch ranked e-Dialog the leading e-mail marketing provider among service-oriented ESPs in 2005 based on its value and market suitability, highlighting its account servicing, strategic and creative input, and campaign management and analytics applications. e-Dialog is a privately-held company with offices in Boston, London, New York and Seattle. Investors include Flagship Ventures and Commonwealth Capital.

For more information, visit www.e-dialog.com or contact
Arthur Sweetser at 781-372-3353 or Peter Duffy at +44 (0) 20 7659 2716.


# # #

e-Dialog media contact:
Jean Borgman
(508) 451-5944
r.borgmanjr@comcast.net