…we know all about you all

Richenda Wilson is wrong when she says that existing e-mail databases are “inadequate” for contextual marketing (MW May 17). My own company, for instance, has a database of more than four million opt-in addresses, which can be cross-referenced against a variety of variables.

E-mail permission marketing (EPM) data are tailor-made for targeting consumers in contextual marketing campaigns because it is up-to-date. It is possible to create or buy data that is only hours old, an obvious boon to marketers.

EPM will become a mainstream marketing medium because of its low cost compared with conventional direct marketing, its accuracy, its consistently high response rates and its creative flexibility. It can be used tactically or strategically in its own right, or to support a wide range of activity ranging from research to field marketing.

Marketers (and marketing writers) should be aware that EPM is a reality, not a medium that should be discussed solely in terms of the future.

Martin Kiersnowski

Chief executive

OK-mail

London W8