Goodmail Systems News Archive for 2008

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December 2008

• Beware the mysterious attachment
  ... Identity theft experts said Internet scams are plentiful during the holiday season. They also said businesses such as banks and other financial institutions, like the IRS, never ask consumers to update information via e-mail. They recommend forwarding the e-mails to the business or agency that the crooks purport to be.
  "What they are pretty good at is sort of playing on human psychology," said Peter Horan, chief executive officer of Goodmail Systems, a company that verifies the safety of e-mails for millions of Americans using AOL, Yahoo and AT&T accounts.
  "So, they are always figuring out some plausible reason why a rational person will cough over their information, whether it's a voice of authority from the IRS or whether it's, 'Gee, your bank has been taken over and if you don't want to lose your savings, you'd better click on this link and right away update all of your information.' "| David Ellison, Houston Chronicle

• Related Press Release New Analyst Research Shows Email Marketers Boost Profit by an Average of 38 Percent When Using Email Certification

  Stat Source: Multichannel holiday shopping, CertifiedEmail, etc.
  CertifiedEmail senders see their delivery rates improve by an average of 12% and unique click-through rates improve by 35%. They also see 38% more profit from their email campaigns than non-certifiers. Source: JupiterResearch’s The ROI of Rendering: Tactics To Improve Trust, Message Delivery And Email Effectiveness >>Whether you’re interested in CertifiedEmail or not, the study drives home the importance of good deliverability (and hence good permission practices) and good email design that accounts for image blocking. | The Retail Email Blog

• Related Press Release New Analyst Research Shows Email Marketers Boost Profit by an Average of 38 Percent When Using Email Certification

  Certified e-mails boost delivery, open rates and conversions, study says
  Marketers using certified e-mail–-a process certifying that e-mail marketers conform to industry rules against sending unwanted messages—-typically have more successful e-mail campaigns than those that do not, according to a new research report from Jupiter Research, a Forrester Research company. The online study, commissioned by vendor Goodmail Systems, surveyed 202 e-mail marketers in October and November. Assuming a standard monthly e-mail volume of 2.8 million-–the monthly average for U.S. e-mail marketers, according to Jupiter-–the model showed that profitability from e-mail was 38% higher for retailers using certified e-mail than for those not using it. Higher conversion rate was one key factor in those results, with 68% of the e-mail marketers surveyed reporting conversion rates of 3% or higher, compared to only 40% of those that use non-certified e-mail. Jupiter calculated the higher profitability of retailers using certified e-mail by developing a model that compared average e-mail campaign performance, based on metrics such as conversion and open rate, to the average cost of producing e-mail campaigns. | Internet Retailer

• Related Press Release New Analyst Research Shows Email Marketers Boost Profit by an Average of 38 Percent When Using Email Certification

  E-mail certification can increase ROI
  A good e-mail reputation is not just good manners. It's good for business, according to a new study by Goodmail and Jupiter Research. The study, called "The ROI of Rendering,” included the responses of 202 senior level e-mail marketing executives, and found that e-mail marketers that use some kind of e-mail certification have an average of 38% more profits than those that do not... Among those e-mail marketers who say e-mail drives 3.1% or more of their company's online sales, 88% use certification, compared to 52% who don't... The study also shows that marketers using e-mail certification employ more sophisticated marketing tactics. For example, they are more likely to include four images or more in their e-mail templates and employ list segmentation and dynamically-generated content to construct their e-mails. | Dianna Dilworth, DMNews

• Related Press Release New Analyst Research Shows Email Marketers Boost Profit by an Average of 38 Percent When Using Email Certification

  E-mail Certification Boosts Profits
  Marketers who use e-mail certification solutions generate 38 percent higher profits than their noncertified peers, according to a new research study from Goodmail Systems, an e-mail certification solutions provider. JupiterResearch, a Forrester Research company, conducted the study for Goodmail, which drew from a survey of 202 e-mail marketing executives. t Key findings of the study include the following: * 68 percent of certified respondents enjoy conversion rates of 3 percent or more, compared to just 40 percent of noncertifiers. E-mail drives 3.1 percent or more of overall sales for 88 percent of marketers who use certification and just 52 percent of those not certified. * Marketers using e-mail certification are more likely to include four images or more in their e-mail templates and employ list segmentation and dynamically generated content to construct their e-mails. * Spam and e-mail phishing attacks (53 percent) as well as e-mail and image blocking (45 percent) were cited by marketers as the biggest challenges they'll face over the next 12 months. Forty percent are worried about the poor economic environment. | eMarketing and Commerce
• Goodmail to launch video-in-email ad system; Comcast, Cox, AOL, Yahoo as partners [subscription required to view full article]
  Goodmail Systems, a Silicon Valley-based email marketing provider is slated to roll out an email video system called Certified Video next year. Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA), Cox, AOL (NYSE: TWX) and Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) have already joined the service, which will let advertisers insert clips (like TV show promos or movie trailers) into email. The spots would start playing immediately once a recipient opened the message, though they'd have to turn on the sound themselves. Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) has signed on as one of the first media clients. | WashingtonPost.com, via MediaPost
• Blog: Inbox 2.0 – Yahoo’s Foray into Social Marketing Poses New Challenges for Email Marketers
  Yesterday, Yahoo announced its new social, extensible email Inbox, almost a year after Founder Jerry Wang unveiled it during his keynote address at CES. This new destination blends social media with smart inbox functionality to filter “important” emails and present those towards the top of your Inbox, pushing newsletters and other commercial communications down towards the bottom. Because this functionality is linked to Yahoo’s social media functionality – you have to befriend someone in order for their emails to take priority – this will initially spell bad news for email marketers. It is unclear whether or not they will allow individuals to befriend a brand, like they can on Facebook or MySpace. And if they do, how will they determine who has the right to send priority email on behalf of that brand? If you haven’t tested it yet, this might be a good time to look at StrongMail partner Goodmail. Their Certified Email product is a paid service that can ensure priority Inbox delivery to Yahoo though this period of uncertainty. With 275 million users worldwide, Yahoo represents approximately half of the world’s webmail accounts. These changes will pose significant challenges to email marketers unless Yahoo offers them a way to engage with their recipients. But for now, we’ll have to wait and see how unpredictable inbox placement will affect our powerful marketing channel. | AshPointLane.com
• Goodmail Incorporates Video into Email
  Goodmail Systems has developed a way to insert, and play, videos within email messages. At present, the only way to incorporate video into emails is to invite users to visit a site where the video is hosted. But Goodmail's system, Certified Video, circumvents the hassle of click-through and is tailor-made for media companies, writes MediaPost (via MediaBuyerPlanner). As an example of how the system can be used, TV networks and movie studios can embed movie trailers or promos for upcoming TV episodes. The accompanying email can provide printable discounts on snacks or movie tickets. | MarketingVox
• Goodmail Systems Allows Video In Email
  A Silicon Valley company is launching a product early next year that gives movie studios and television networks a compelling new marketing tool. Goodmail Systems has developed a way to insert video directly into emails. When a recipient opens a message, they can almost instantly view a move trailer or promo for an upcoming TV episode... Currently, as a result of various safety issues involving ISPs, marketers have no way to weave video into their promotional newsletters and other emails they send out. The best they can do is provide a link that allows a visitor to click through to a clip that is housed on another page. While perhaps tailor-made for media companies, the Goodmail system-- known as Certified Video--can benefit marketers in all fields who may be looking to place an ad or informational clip in an email. Goodmail will begin distributing the system early in 2009 in partnership with AOL, Yahoo, Cox, Comcast and others. | David Goetzl, MediaPost Online Media Daily
  
• E-mail: When in doubt, delete!
  One company that's addressing e-mail validity is Goodmail Systems. Working with e-mail Internet service providers including Comcast, AOL and Yahoo and senders with "strict standards for best practices and low complaint rates," the company routes what it calls "Certified E-mail" -- identified by a "cryptographically secure" blue ribbon envelope icon in the inbox -- that the company says verifies the e-mail is authentic and "nonspoofable." | David Morris, Sun Newspapers

• Related Press Release Goodmail secures $20M in funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners

  Email With a Ribbon on it
  Venture Capital What's New
  Goodmail Systems Inc. has developed a way to fight email fraud like phishing, the scam that uses what appear to be legitimate email messages from companies or other organizations to get victims to reveal information like Social Security numbers or credit-card account passwords. Goodmail, a start-up based in Mountain View, Calif., raised $20 million in Series C funding last month from investors led by Bessemer Venture Partners to support its email-certification business. Goodmail's clients are companies, nonprofits and government agencies that want consumers to be able to tell that the email the organization sends them is legitimate. Clients route their email to consumers through Goodmail, which tags each message with a blue-ribbon icon to show it isn't fraudulent. Goodmail currently handles about three billion messages a month. | The Wall Street Journal

• Goodmail Contributed This was contributed by Goodmail to the eMarketing and Commerce. The author, Charles Stiles, is VP of Business Development at Goodmail.

  4 Steps to Better E-mail Deliverability
  In my live chat from the Nov. 13 All About eMail Virtual Conference & Expo presented by eM+C, I answered questions from listeners about e-mail deliverability. Here are some of the e-mail deliverability best practices that I shared with the audience. With an estimated 80 percent of all Americans using e-mail, it's become the medium of choice for marketers. To be effective, however, e-mail marketing messages must get delivered. Delivery of e-mail requires a basic understanding of deliverability technologies, as well as the deployment of industry best practices that ensure marketers operate within the acceptable parameters of mailbox operators. E-mail marketing success, however, goes beyond just technology and deliverability. Response is what matters most in an e-mail campaign. There are four critical things to keep in mind to be effective at driving response: relevancy, frequency, value and respect... | Charles Stiles contributing to eMarketing and Commerce

November 2008

• Related Press Release Goodmail secures $20M in funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners

  Goodmail raises $20 Million
  Secure e-mail provider Goodmail Systems Inc. just raised $20 million in new venture funding. The Series C funding was led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with participation from existing investors DCM, Emergence Capital Partners and Softbank Capital. Goodmail is emerging in a crowded field of companies all looking to take the security risks - like “phishing” scams, malware and viruses - out of email communication. Mountain View, Calif.-based Goodmail authenticates and certifies sensitive emails from businesses, with the aim of making consumers comfortable that billing statements and other email they receive are real. | The Wall Street Journal

• Related Press Release Goodmail secures $20M in funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners

  Goodmail secures $20M for certified email
  The average email inbox is stuffed with spam, disguised viruses and irrelevant junk. But Goodmail Systems, provider of the CertifiedEmail platform that delivers only trusted emails, just landed $20 million in a third round of funding to help its users rise above the fray. The Mountain View, Calif. company hopes to capitalize on a trend toward email use by banks, retailers and billing institutions that have hung on to snail mail for too long. If customers are to receive more critical personal information via email (a much cheaper mode of communication), they’ll want a clear and safe way to do so. That’s the idea behind CertifiedEmail, a higher class of email that allows users to confirm the source, security and legitimacy of messages before they open them. Emails sent through that system bypass content and volume filters and are distinguished by blue-ribbon envelopes in the inbox interface. To make this possible, Goodmail has struck revenue-sharing partnerships with most major email and internet service providers like Yahoo, AOL and Comcast | VentureBeat

• Related Press Release Goodmail secures $20M in funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners

  Why I Just Invested in Goodmail
  How many letters have you snail mailed lately? I think I send about 10,000 emails for every letter I write. So why do enterprises who communicate with millions of customers continue to cut down trees and pay to print letters and envelopes have them physically carried around the world with hundreds of times the cost and latency of email? The reason for this financial, environmental and logistic absurdity is that you'd have to be nuts to open an email from Bank of America, since most emails that are purportedly from Bank of America are not from Bank of America. They're actually from The I-Need-A-New-Mercedes Bank of Leningrad (or Budapest, or Tel Aviv, or Shanghai...). Furthermore, the ISP who delivers consumer email has no idea which hyperlinks and images are safe, and so as a policy the ISP strips all links, media and scripts from the email, rendering the medium rather useless to you and Bank of America. | David Cowan's Who has time for this?
• Biz Bits: Shop safe online this holiday season
  Tip of the Week Using the Internet for holiday shopping offers many advantages -- convenience, the ability to browse multiple online retailers and compare products from the comfort of your home and cost-savings. Retailers often reach out directly to consumers through ads and promotions sent to e-mail inboxes. But beware. While many of these ads often contain links that will take you directly to the retailer's Web site, many may not be what they seem. What can you do to protect yourself? First, check to see if that e-mail is valid. One way to tell is to look for the blue ribbon envelope seal next to an e-mail message in your inbox. That indicates the e-mail is a Goodmail CertifiedEmail, which means it is authentic and that you're safe to click on the links within it. If you're not sure the message is authentic, it's best to manually type the URL of the online retailer where you want to shop. Another option is to call the retailer's customer service number to confirm that the e-mail you received is really from them. (ARA) | GateHouse News Service

• Goodmail Contributed This article includes content contributed by Goodmail to the AOTA. The author, Charles Stiles, is VP of Business Development at Goodmail.

  AOTA Email Academy - Changing Rules Of Interactive Marketing & Email Deliverability
  An article in the AOTA newsletter, contributed by Charles Stiles, VP of Business Development, at Goodmail
  Nov 1, 2008 - I was recently approached about participating in an activity that immediately followed the Authentication and Online Trust Alliance Summit for the purpose of educating participants on all aspects of email deliverability. While this isn't an uncommon topic, I was a little confused that the target audience was comprised of industry professionals, I had thought many of which have been in this space for years. Not only did I expect that most of them know this inside and out, but many should be considered experts. Welcome to the dynamics of email and its evolutionary nature. Just when you thought you knew all there was to know about email, someone comes and changes the rules.... | Charles Stiles contriguting to the AOTA Email Academy

October 2008

• Goodmail Contributed This article includes content contributed by Goodmail to DMNews. The author, Peter Horan, is CEO of Goodmail.

  The Next revolution in email marketing (pdf)
  An article in the DMNews Essential Guide to Email Marketing 2008 [page 16],
  contributed by Peter Horan, CEO of Goodmail
  The e-mail inbox lies at the convergence point of two mega trends in advertising: Marketers forming direct relationships with consumers and marketers working to deliver more relevant, specifically targeted messages to consumers. The inbox uniquely allows marketers to address interested consumers in context. As a result, it verges on becoming a major online advertising medium. However, it remains to be seen how quickly the potential of the inbox will be realized. Much will hinge on eliminating the clutter and aggravation caused by spam, phishing and viruses. These attacks have forced ISPs to adopt draconian measures to protect their subscribers, impeding the medium’s creative and functional capabilities... | Peter Horan contributing to DMNews' Essential Guide to Email Marketing 2008

• Goodmail Contributed This article was contributed by Goodmail to 1to1 Media. The author, Jordan Cohen, is Sr. Director of industry relations at Goodmail.

  Email gets rich
  Jordan Cohen, senior director of industry relations at Goodmail, says that certified email is the foundation for future changes in the way consumers interact with email. "Email is poised to not be the redheaded stepchild of the market anymore," he says. "It will become elevated in importance, especially in certain groups. It will skyrocket the value of the inventory [of products being sold] and provide so much value." Cohen says marketers will be able to take email where it should have gone years ago: to include video ads and interact with consumers via rich media. He calls email a potential hybrid direct marketing and advertising vehicle. "Email is an archaic medium. It's archaic in terms of what content publishers are able to do with it," he says. "It's 2008 and you can't see video in email. That's truly pathetic." | Jordan Cohen contributing to 1to1 Media

• Goodmail Contributed This article includes content contributed by Goodmail to DMNews. The author, Jordan Cohen, is Sr. Director of industry relations at Goodmail.

  Last-minute campaign help for the holidays
  There's still time to tweak your seasonal campaigns. Four industry pros say making small changes in your e-mail, insert, e-commerce or search efforts can make all the difference.
  While your customers will drive themselves nuts figuring out how to deliver “value add” and meaningful presents to their loved ones during the holidays, marketers must similarly think about how their e-mail campaigns can add value to customers' lives during the gift-purchasing process.First, use past purchase and brows­ing behaviors to develop offers. Segment and use dynamic content to closely match offers to your recipients' interests. Look especially for customers that have already used your Web site to send someone else one of your products — the odds are pretty decent that they're going to need to send that same recipi­ent a gift for the holidays as well. | Jordan Cohen contributing to DMNews
  

• Goodmail Contributed This article was contributed by Goodmail to DMNews. The author, Jordan Cohen, is Sr. Director of industry relations at Goodmail.

  5 ways to make your emails spoof proof
  Spammers and hackers keep getting more creative when it comes to infiltrating inboxes and infuriating consumers. Learn to protect your subscribers and your image
  More than 850 million spoof emails arrived in consumers' inboxes this past August mimicking the prominent news media brands CNN and MSNBC and calling into question the integrity and safety of emails from these and other well-known and trusted media organizations. While many consumers may already be skeptical about emails that claim to be from their bank or request their social security numbers, they are now left wondering whether something as innocent as reading the morning headlines might result in a stolen identity or a hacked computer. | Jordan Cohen, contributing to iMedia Connection

• Related Press Release Goodmail Announces First Month With Over Three Billion CertifiedEmail Messages Delivered

  Goodmail: OK Guys, Free Ride’s Over
  The firm also hit a major milestone in September when—according to David Atlas, Goodmail’s senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing—3.1 billion commercial e-mails were sent carrying the company’s certified e-mail stamp. This is an increase of 30 times over September 2007 when 100 million e-mails were sent stamped as non-spam by Goodmail’s Certified Email service, said Atlas... | Ken Magill, Direct Magazine

• Related Press Release Consumer Alert: Beware of Email Scams Tied to Financial Crisis

  Financial crisis brings out more e-mail scams (Goodmail Mentioned)
  Got an e-mail from your bank requesting some information? Chances are it's not from who you think it is. As if the financial crisis weren't bad enough, e-mail scam artists called "phishers" are taking advantage of the times and preying on people's fears with an old online con: They're sending mass e-mails that appear to be from banks and other financial institutions hoping to trick unsuspecting victims into giving up personal information. Some victims respond to the fraudulent e-mail or click a link contained in one and inadvertently provide what thieves want - social security numbers, pin codes, birth dates, victims names. | Daniel Vasquez, SunSentinel.com

September 2008

• Market Online without Spamming (Goodmail Mentioned)
  If you’re not careful, your small business’ e-mail marketing campaign could end up in a potential customer’s spam filter. Avoid this by certifying your e-mail messages and using other common-sense approaches to sending e-mail.
  E-mail is still one of the best ways for small businesses to reach customers and prospective buyers. But send too many unsolicited marketing messages and you run the risk of people thinking you’re a spammer. Thankfully, there are weapons in the war on spam that companies can use to make sure their legitimate marketing messages aren’t mistaken for spam... One of these e-mail certification services is GoodMail, which uses a seal of approval that looks like a blue ribbon hanging from a white envelope. When a company has the GoodMail seal of approval, the blue ribbon icon appears on the outside of an unopened message in the recipient’s e-mail inbox, as well as on a toolbar near the top of the opened email message. | Michelle V. Rafter, Inc.

• Related Press Release Consumer Alert: Beware of Email Scams Tied to Financial Crisis

  Phishers cash in on financial crisis (Goodmail Mentioned)
  While businesses throughout the US have been holding their breath as stocks tumbled, fraudsters have been working on phishing scams attempting to capitalize on the pervading uncertainty. According to GoodMail Systems, a number of phishing scams have been circulating recently which attempt to lure people in with sensational headlines relating to the stock market tumble arising in the wake of the collapse of Lehman Brothers earlier this week.| mxlogic

• Related Press Release Consumer Alert: Beware of Email Scams Tied to Financial Crisis

  Beware of Email Scams Tied to Financial Crisis
  Scammers use Wall Street meltdown to fool consumers
  Consumers are being warned to be on the lookout for fraudulent email scams and “phishing” attacks related to the current turmoil in the U.S. financial and insurance markets. “Email scammers like to use global crises and high profile news headlines when baiting consumers,” said Peter Horan, chief executive officer of Goodmail, a company that provides CertifiedEmail, a more secure form of email. | ConsumerAffairs.com
• Why your emails are getting blocked (Goodmail Mentioned)
  You've heard it before. Deep down you know that list hygiene is important, that email delivery tools can be effective, and that there is some value in feedback loops. However, if you're currently slacking in any of these areas, a new JupiterResearch study published on Sept. 3 should help provide some motivation. | Spencer Kollas, iMedia Connection

• Goodmail Contributed This article was contributed by Goodmail to DMNews. The author, Charles Stiles, is VP of WorldWide Development at Goodmail.

  DMNews Toolbox: Turning Web Visitors Into Leads, Creating E-Mail Trust And More
  What Tools Can E-Mail Marketers Use to Build Greater Audience Trust
  Charles Stiles, contributing to DMNews (September 2008, print edition)

• Goodmail Contributed This article was contributed by Goodmail to DMNews. The author, Jordan Cohen, is Sr. Director of Industry Releations at Goodmail.

  Make money off e-mail before hitting send
  A few months ago, the Federal Trade Commission approved a new rule provision under the CAN-SPAM Act that clarified opt-out and other legal responsibilities for “multiple sender” e-mail messages — those messages that contain advertisements from numerous parties. Before the ruling, many senders were unclear about what was required in such situations. A strict reading of the law would have it that each entity whose products and services were advertised in an e-mail should pool and process their opt-out files before deployment of every campaign and that each message should contain an unsubscribe link for each and every marketer... | Jordan Cohen, contributing to DMNews
• Une nouvelle quête du Graal : garantir la délivrabilité des emails
  ( English: A new Holy Grail: guaranteeing email deliverability - Goodmail mentioned).
  Toutes les directions marketing et communication n'ont pas encore pris la mesure du danger qui menace leur stratégie de communication par email : environ 20% des emails qu'elles envoient n'arrivent pas dans la boîte de réception des messageries de leurs destinataires, et ce même si ces derniers (clients ou prospects) en ont autorisé l'envoi ! | François Laxalt, NetEco
  
  

• Goodmail Contributed This article was contributed by Goodmail to DMNews. The author, Jordan Cohen, is Sr. Director of Industry Releations at Goodmail.

  Join Together to Improve E-mail’s Trust Factor
  In many ways, the nearly 10-year-old spam debate in this country has mirrored the great national political debate, with highly polarized sides, many ups and downs, and glimmers of productive industry cooperation here and there. If you look back at the past eight years in this country, you can rightfully wonder whether we've made any progress and are on the right track. The election in November presents a thematically opportune moment to reflect on the spam debate -- past, present and future. Progress has been slow and difficult. The majority of e-mail hitting ISPs' networks is still junk. Consumers still report missing e-mails they signed up for when overzealous spam filters take over. ... | Jordan Cohen, contributing to eMarketingandCommerce.com

August 2008

• Related Press Release GOODMAIL ANNOUNCES MORE THAN TWO BILLION CERTIFIEDEMAIL MESSAGES DELIVERED IN JULY Record Volume Highlights Increased Adoption by Leading Brands to Improve Consumer Trust and Boost Email Marketing Performance

  Goodmail Announces 500% Increase in Email Marketing Volume
  Goodmail Systems, creator of CertifiedEmail, recently announced that a record 2.3 billion CertifiedEmail messages were sent in July – a 500% increase in monthly volumes since January...Goodmail’s clients are reporting serious increases in open rates and click-throughs. | Adotas.com
• Peter Horan on email's role in the future of advertising
  Following his recent career move, Goodmail's new CEO chats with iMedia about why he left IAC, the opportunities he sees at his new company and the vital importance of restoring trust in email marketing. In May, Peter Horan took the helm as the new CEO of Goodmail Systems. An industry veteran with decades of leadership experience, Horan joined the company following a 16-month stint as CEO of IAC Media and Advertising, where he oversaw big-name industry properties including Evite, Pronto, Citysearch and Ask.com... | Joe Kutchera, iMedia Connection

July 2008

• Goodmail Contributed This article was contributed by Goodmail to DMNews. The author, Jordan Cohen, is Sr. Director of Industry Releations at Goodmail.

  Trust is the key to e-mail marketing excellence
  There's no doubt that e-mail occupies a growing role in marketers' plans and programs — the DMA recently revealed that it is now the most widely used direct marketing channel — but despite its unique ability to cultivate one-to-one customer dialogs and off-the-charts ROI, it still doesn't get anywhere near the respect that other media do. | Jordan Cohen (Sr. Director of Public Relations at Goodmail), special feature to DMNews
• Inbox Insider: Spammers use legitimate servers to sneak into inboxes (Goodmail mentioned)
  No one can say that spammers aren't innovative. Every week, they seem to come out with a new way to scam people. According to Commtouch, one of this week's spam tactics is sending e-mail purporting to be from Canadian pharmacies... Goodmail also offers a pay-for-play system that lets marketers who adhere to best practices and have low complaint rates get certified to send e-mail that goes past spam filters. | Dianna Dilworth, DMNews
• Blue Ribbon Envelope Icon for Certified and Targeted Email Marketing
  DotMailer has announced yet another important association to offer unique email marketing solution to their clients for better email marketing and communication. Now they can offer highly trusted Goodmail CertifiedEmail solution to their clients. Tink Taylor, Business Development Director of dotMailer said that "By bolstering deliverability, the launch of CertifiedEmail, will ensure that legitimate senders can differentiate themselves in the inbox and that email marketing campaigns are not consigned to spam folders". He also added, "By working with senders that can demonstrate compliance with best email practices, CertifiedEmail will help raise industry standards and enable companies to track the potential increases in ROI on emails that include this CertifiedEmail icon." | Greg Bown, EmailSherpa.com

• Related Press Release StubHub Improves Email Marketing Results with Goodmail’s CertifiedEmail World’s Largest Ticket Marketplace Sees Significant Click-Through-Rate and Ticket Sale Increases with Trusted Email Service See also: Stubhub Case Study

  StubHub's E-Mail Ticket To Ride
  Ticket vendor StubHub has relied on e-mail and its biweekly e-mail newsletter as a primary marketing channel since its founding in 2000, and even more so since it was acquired by eBay last year. However, as much as 30% of StubHub's e-mails sent to people who were subscribers were getting blocked by spam filters, as were the links and images contained in the newsletter. StubHub needed a system that could push these e-mails and newsletters past its subscriber's filters and allow the images and links to be seen, even in preview panes... | BrandWeek
• Tripolis Solutions introduceert CertifiedEmail, Extra garantie op aflevering van email
  Email service provider (ESP) Tripolis gaat voor zijn klanten CertifiedEmail van Goodmail Systems inzetten. Daarmee is Tripolis een van de eerste Nederlandse ESP’s die CertifiedEmail levert. Dankzij deze samenwerking krijgen verzenders van mailings een extra garantie op een veilige en betrouwbare aflevering van hun berichten.... | persberichten.com
• Goodmail: Video-in-Email the Next Goldmine
  Email marketing can be both effective and controversial. As a marketer, this is a great opportunity to reach a targeted group of engaged customers. However, you do run the risk of some of your messages getting lost, falling through the cracks or getting spammed. E-mail marketer Goodmail, has gone to great lengths to ensure deliverability — and the company’s clients say its results speak for themselves. Albert Lee of StubHub said “Goodmail’s CertifiedMail is one of the best solutions we’ve encountered that’s dedicated to resolving the most common challenge email marketers face — deliverability. Their proactive approach to addressing the problem was not only easy to implement, but helped us overcome our deliverability issues, including AOL blocking, almost immediately. Unlike other solutions that leave you unsure about what needs to be adjusted in the content, Goodmail’s main focus is one thing: get their clients’ emails into the inboxes of their customers... | Adotas

• Related Press Release StubHub Improves Email Marketing Results with Goodmail’s CertifiedEmail World’s Largest Ticket Marketplace Sees Significant Click-Through-Rate and Ticket Sale Increases with Trusted Email Service See also: Stubhub Case Study

  For StubHub, Certified E-mail is the Ticket
  StubHub decided to test CertifiedEmail, a token-based, paid e-mail solution offered by Goodmail. After signing on with Goodmail, StubHub saw e-mail delivery and response improve greatly, said Lee. StubHub conducted a side-by-side test in December, running one version of an e-mail campaign that doesn't use Goodmail with one that did. The result was a 26 percent lift in open rates and a 17 percent lift in ticket orders. Once it implemented CertifiedEmail more widely, StubHub also enjoyed a 36 percent increase in sales that could be directly attributed to its use of CertifiedEmail. "The best part is we basically didn't get any AOL blocking at all," said Lee. "We can now successfully deliver to our AOL customers." | Fred Aun, The ClickZ Network
• National Geographic uses e-mail to measure trust
  National Geographic is not just about exotic animals and world cultures. The brand is also associated with e-mail best practices. | Dianna Dilworth, DM NEws
• Is the future of email marketing certified?
  Goodmail Systems' Senior Director of Industry Relations, Jordan Cohen, suggests that if receivers can be sure of the authenticity and safety of the incoming message, then "...ISPs are going to be able to make the consumer email experience a much richer one than exists today." | Mark Brownlow, Email Marketing Reports
• Email certification: the options
  Mark Brownlow, Email Marketing Reports

June 2008

• StubHub increases sales through improving e-mail deliverability
  Online ticket marketplace StubHub has begun sending CertifiedEmail in a move to help increase its deliverability rate. The online ticket marketer was having problems with delivery to AOL e-mail addresses. Even though the firm regularly cleanses its list through its e-mail service provider Responsys, the firm still had issues with bounces. “We were having issues with spam complaints and bounces in deliverability, and we wanted to get through to our customers so we decided to test sending CertifiedMail against our regular mailing,” said Albert Lee, e-mail marketing manager at StubHub. | Dianna Dilworth, DMNEws

• Related Press Release StubHub Improves Email Marketing Results with Goodmail’s CertifiedEmail World’s Largest Ticket Marketplace Sees Significant Click-Through-Rate and Ticket Sale Increases with Trusted Email Service See also: Stubhub Case Study

  Banish Those Pesky Spam and Phishing E-mails That Clog Up Your Inbox
  StubHub had a problem. Because of spam blockers at Internet service providers, a lot of e-mails sent to customers weren't getting through. So the San Francisco online ticket seller started using a service from e-mail company Goodmail Systems that basically certifies e-mail. “We saw an increase in open rates, an increase in ticket sales, postings, everything,” said Albert Lee, the e-mail production manager at StubHub. | Donna Fuscaldo, FoxBusiness.com
• Video Ads Coming To Your E-Mail Box
  Goodmail, a startup in Mountain View, does just what the name implies--it certifies e-mail. When you see Goodmail's signature blue ribbon on a message, it's meant as a sign that the message is genuine. Goodmail works with several of the big e-mail senders--AOL, British Telecom and Yahoo--on behalf of legitimate businesses whose customers have asked to receive information. It places a token on each message that the ISP decodes before sending it on. Images and links are intact when the message arrives. | Deborah Gage, SFGate.com

April 2008

• (Goodmail mentioned) Clean Data Key to Email Marketing
  Goodmail is offering "Certified Email" that is delivered with an icon showing that the sender should be trusted. Certifying email can reduce rejections or accidentally banishing senders into the junk mail abyss. | John Gartner, Marketing Shift
• (Goodmail mentioned) Deliverability Part II: Services that help you reach the inbox
  CertifiedEmail Paper Suppression (CertifiedEmail PS). Announced last month by Goodmail Systems, this new class of e-mail provides electronic proof that e-mails were delivered and received. This means that companies can send sensitive transactional messages to customers without having to spend money at the post office. In addition, because the service takes a digital signature, it actually verifies the content of the e-mail. | Karen J. Bannan, B-to-B Magazine
• (Goodmail mentioned) Anti-virus software isn't the only computer security tool
  Mike Saign smelled something fishy about the e-mail he received — purportedly from an eBay auctioneer — accepting his lowball offer for a high-end golf club. | Byron Acohido, USA Today
• (Goodmail Quoted) Tax Time: Phishing Scams and Schemes
  The Internal Revenue Service reports that 30,445,000 tax returns were filed electronically in 2007, with online filings outnumbering paper returns by more than 5 to 1. And as the buzz surrounding online filing increases, so do the odds of getting scammed. As taxpayers wait for their refund checks, they need to be extra vigilant that any notices they receive about their tax returns actually come from the IRS. Phishing scams abound that mimic IRS notices to try to get bank account and other personal information from taxpayers who can easily become victims. | Phillip Brett, Information Today
• New MAAWG Paper Details Email Authentication Practices to Help Industry Reduce Spam and Protect Brand Identity
  Setting the stage for a better understanding of sender authentication as a technology to combat junk email, the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) has released a new white paper describing the practice as a foundation for protecting legitimate Internet mail. etquot ;Trust in Email Begins with Authenticationetquot ; provides an overview of the technology by focusing on the standardized mechanisms in general use today, Sender Policy Framework (SPF), Sender IDentification Framework (SenderID), and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM). | MAAWG Press release
  

March 2008

• Goodmail Launches E-Mail Proof-of-Delivery Service
  mail certification firm Goodmail Systems yesterday announced a new service that allows businesses such as insurance firms, financial institutions and healthcare companies to have proof electronic messages were delivered. Dubbed CertifiedEmail Paper Suppression, or CertifiedEmail PS, the service constitutes legal proof messages such as changes to credit terms, billing policies or delinquency notices have been served, according to Goodmail. | Ken Magill, Direct Magazine
• (Goodmail Quoted) 4 ways to safeguard personal information online
  As Internet criminals grow smarter and sneakier, it's increasingly difficult to keep your credit card and personal information safe. If you don't take basic steps to protect your information, you may find yourself a victim of fraud or identity theft. | Emily Starbuck Gerson, CreditCards.com
• (Goodmail Mention) A Long March for Yahoo E-Mail
  When spammers change their tactics, so do e-mail providers. Those changes can cause hiccups in deliverability, and temporarily slow the time it takes for mail to get from a sender to a recipient. For Yahoo Mail, a recent hiccup lasted from late February through most of March. Deliverability became a problem as early as late February, according to Risher. The problem became evident by the first few days in March. Some had success with Goodmail's CertifiedEmail. | Enid Burns, ClickZ
• Should I use an e-mail certification or accreditation service?
  The topic of certified/accredited e-mail spawns a tremendous amount of debate any time it’s discussed...E-mail marketing has not been overtaken by tolls and postage. Smart marketers have recognized that certified/accredited e-mail can be another useful tool. | B-to-B Magazine
• (Listrak Press Release) Listrak Partners with Goodmail to Improve Clients' Email Program Results with CertifiedEmail
  Leading email marketing service provider offers customers ability to send Goodmail CertifiedEmail messages. Listrak, a leading email marketing solution provider based near Lancaster, PA, announced that it has partnered with Goodmail Systems®, creator of CertifiedEmail™, the industry standard for trusted-class email, in order to offer its clients the ability to send CertifiedEmail messages through Listrak's solution. Goodmail's solution assures that 100% of a sender's email messages are delivered to consumers' inboxes and eliminates the threat of being filtered, blocked, or delivered to the junk mail folder. It also offers additional benefits of delivering messages with links and images turned on by default and marking messages with a special blue-ribbon envelope icon to show recipients that the message has been certified legitimate and is, therefore, safe to open. Listrak's experts are also available to lead clients through the accreditation process if needed.

February 2008

• (Goodmail Mention) Authentication and Online Trust Alliance Announces Summit 2008; Approves Board and Chair Positions
  Today, the Authentication and Online Trust Alliance (AOTA) announced its upcoming AOTA Online Trust Summit being held in Seattle, WA, on June 4 and 5. Further, AOTA announced the results of its board of directors election and the 2008 committee chairs. Dsvid Atlas, Sr. VP of Goodmail elected co-chair of Communications.
• Is email certification an answer
  Major ISPs like AOL and Yahoo are doing what they can to make sure that their users don’t get spam. Of course they block a lot of legitimate email as well. | Duct Tape Marketing Blog
• Benefits of Brand and Consumer Protection Realized through Email Authentication
  Today, the Authentication and Online Trust Alliance (AOTA) announced that adoption of email and domain authentication has reached its tipping point, exceeding 50% in several key metrics. | SDA Asia
• Managing brand through email authentication
  Adoption Reaches Tipping Point; Authentication and Online Trust Alliance Issues Call for Compliance
  If you're keeping an eye on brand stability through social metrics, it is a good start. But marketers should also note how their brand is faring through email, which is why many brand marketers are now authenticating or certifying their email messages. | Kristina Knight, BizReports
• (Goodmail Quoted) Powerful New Antiphishing Weapon DKIM Emerges
  There's a new gun in town, and some of the Internet's most powerful companies -- including Yahoo, Google, PayPal and AOL -- are brandishing it in the ongoing battle against e-mail fraud. | Carolyn Duffy Marsan, Network World

January 2008

• (AOTA Release) Leading Companies & Non-Profits Realize the Benefits of Brand and Consumer Protection Through Email Authentication
  Adoption Reaches Tipping Point; Authentication and Online Trust Alliance Issues Call for Compliance
  Tthe Authentication and Online Trust Alliance (AOTA) announced that adoption of email and domain authentication has reached its tipping point, exceeding 50 percent in several key metrics. AOTA research highlights the top Fortune 500 and Internet retailers who have realized the business value of protecting consumers and their brands from forged email and phishing ploys
  
• (Goodmail Mention) Think You’ve Mastered E-mail? 5 New Questions You Need to Ask
  E-mail is evolving. As you lay the groundwork for your 2008 plans, here are questions that will challenge and affect your planning.. Content filters or reputation - which is most important? You can manage your reputation on your own by embracing best practices, gaining clear permission and developing a good e-mail infrastructure. Or you can elect to work with reputation-management systems such as Goodmail Systems’ CertifiedE-mail. | Reggie Brady, eMarketing and Commerce
• (Goodmail Mention) Acxiom Digital Selects Message Systems Delivery Manager, Partnership Further Extends Acxiom Digital's Market Leadership by Enabling Clients to Leverage Authentication Protocols Such as DKIM
  Acxiom Digital chose Message Systems Delivery Manager for its advanced email deliverability functionality, including sophisticated receiver-specific sending controls and support for leading third-party reputation partners such as GoodMail as well as the latest authentication protocols such as Domain Keys and Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM). Delivery Manager also features the high-volume scalability necessary to meet Acxiom Digital's growing business. | CNNMoney.com
  
• (AOTA Release) Authentication and Online Trust Alliance Urges Adoption of Extended Validation SSL Certificates to Enhance Online Safety
  Today, the Authentication and Online Trust Alliance (AOTA) announced its endorsement of Extended Validation SSL certificates, an emerging standard to help verify site identity and increase consumer confidence in ecommerce and ebanking. The new set of business process standards are designed to further validate the identity of a Web site owner, increasing consumer protection from fraudulent and deceptive Web sites.
• (AOTA Release) AOTA Forms Online Trust Ecosystem to Combat Internet Abuse
  Today, the Authentication and Online Trust Alliance (AOTA) announced the newly appointed members of its board of directors and advisors as another positive step toward improving the online trust ecosystem. The nonprofit’s new structure and experienced leadership will provide value to the financial services and e-commerce industries as well as to businesses of all sizes. Since inception in 2004, AOTA has become a leading advocacy organization, inclusive of the entire Internet ecosystem. AOTA, its member companies and affiliates, represent over one million business and 500 million users worldwide.
• (Goodmail Quoted) Connecticut governor Rell mulls opt-out registry
  Governor M. Jodi Rell of Connecticut, motivated by complaints she has received about online search engines that list names, addresses and telephone numbers as well as age, place of work and other personal data, is in the process of developing a legislative package to create an opt-out registry for online personal data. Still, the industry is listening to what the governor is saying. “We as an industry need to take a step back and look at what is happening here that is causing this consumer angst,” says David Atlas, SVP of worldwide sales and marketing at Goodmail. “I'm not putting blame on marketers, but as we are still in the Wild West in online advertising, we need to take action when there is concern.” | Dianna Dilworth, DMNews
• (Goodmail Quoted): Feds bring charges against alleged spam ring
  The defendants are being accused of executing botnet attacks that hijacked unsuspecting computers into sending illegal spam. The spam was allegedly sent as part of a "pump and dump" scheme aimed at inflating the stock price of certain Chinese companies. According to Atlas, it is important for the US government to be involved, as fraudulent activity online can mess up legitimate commerce. | Dianna Dilworth, DM News

 

See the rest of the 2007 news in the 2007 archive.