Anti-Spam Law Misunderstood, Survey Says

Nearly 50% of companies engaging in e-mail marketing campaigns do not understand the CAN-SPAM laws that went into effect Jan. 1, 2004, according to a survey by Blue Sky Factory Inc., the Greater Baltimore Technology Council and TargitInteractive. Additionally, 47% of respondents to the "CAN-SPAM Intelligence Survey" are uncertain that their campaigns are compliant with the new law, which was signed by President Bush to cease spamming practices. "The new CAN-SPAM Act was created to assist in the battle against spam and unsolicited e-mail in an arena where e-mail marketing is a leading strategy in reaching target markets," says Greg Cangialosi, president and co-founder of Blue Sky Factory, an e-mail marketing service provider. "We conducted this survey because in the first weeks of the new laws being in effect, we have noticed that the bulk of e-mails being distributed are still not fully compliant." According to CAN-SPAM laws, marketers can only issue targeted e-mails that contain an opt-out mechanism; are issued from a functioning return e-mail address and contain a valid subject line; indicate that the e-mail is an advertisement from a legitimate mailer; and contain an honest physical address. The survey was sent to 750 recipients in several categories including the technology, advertising/media and utility sectors.