Why Email Still Rules (a Response to Today's WSJ)

An article in the Wall Street Journal today begins that "Email has had a good run as king of communications. But its reign is over."... "In its place, a new generation of services is starting to take hold--services like Twitter and Facebook and countless others vying for a piece of the new world."

Say whaaaat?

If anything, email is re-inventing itself as the killer app in the emerging 3.0 world of multi-platform digital communications. There are at least three mega-trends occurring that indicate email is experiencing a Renaissance; not an apocalypse:

1. Social Networking is driving more email usage, not less. A study Nielsen published in September showed that, contrary to the research firm's own hypothesis, the most active users of social networking sites also send and receive more email messages than anyone else.

 

2. Email is getting a face lift. Gmail recently introduced "Sponsored Email with Enhanced Content," that enables Javascript to run directly within the body of messages -- essentially bringing all the functionality of a web page into the email inbox. Goodmail has also been pushing javascript-in-email, beginning with true streaming video-in-email earlier this year at AOL. Consumers want richer email, and they're going to be getting it in the months and years ahead.

 

3. The rapid adoption of smart phones bodes well for email.The explosive growth in consumer adoption of smartphones means that marketers can replace archaic and costly SMS campaigns with email, not to mention augment existing email programs with the ability to communicate with customers anytime, anywhere. The Radicati Group published a study this morning showing that the market for email on handhelds will grow at an annual rate of 68% over the next four years, totaling over 1 Billion mailboxes by the end of 2013. This will elevate email to a whole new level of relevancy for marketers and customers alike.

We have a lot to look forward to as email enters its Renaissance Age: There are a whole new set of exciting opportunities ripe for the taking. Email remains king, and is poised to keep its crown. That said, marketers will need to study, adapt and respond effectively to a landscape that is indeed, fundamentally transforming when, where and how consumers interact with their email.

-Jordan Cohen