Today's world is rapidly becoming increasingly dependent on computers and the internet. The internet is now efficiently and effectively able to provide members of society with their daily needs. The internet is also able to supply businesses with new and profitable advertising opportunities. One of the more popular methods used is direct email. Direct email is beneficial for both the consumer and advertiser as it offers a valuable form of advertising and a trouble-free way for the consumer to quickly deal with viewing the options that might interest them.
However, does this advertising technique clog up emails and become annoying? Most certainly not. Direct emails do not generally congest systems although, spammers will do this (the act of spamming is that of sending ridiculously large numbers of the same email to single or several addresses (http://spam.abuse.net)). However, the act of spamming has become an undesirable and widely avoided use of advertising, as research has proven that spamming essentially ruins a company's reputation (Aronson (1999):74). As opposed to spam emails which are usually a hassle, most direct emails are ones that have been sent because a user has shown interest in an area that is related to the company advertising their product or service. If the user did wish to remove him or herself from a mailing list, upon opening the email there should be a link that would fulfil this task.
There are numerous advantages for the advertiser when using direct email. Emails are extremely economical, for as long as the company has internet access, sending emails is free, regardless of the amount sent. For many small businesses who do not have the finances to purchase and distribute thousands of flyers, or buy thirty seconds on TV, direct emailing is an excellent way to advertise. Direct emailing also allows advertisers to reach a wider audience. Furthermore, it enables them to contact those overseas without the expenses of postage or long-distance calls.