A guest post by Andrea Ludwig, Andrea Ludwig PR, Dornstadt
Time and again, I meet clients and companies who are considering launching an email campaign. “We have a service here that would be great for companies in such-and-such an industry. We’ve already purchased email addresses and drafted a cover letter”…
What is certainly intended to be a serious and enthusiastic effort on the part of the company ends up being nothing more than spam. And many people aren’t aware of this. According to Section 7 of the German Unfair Competition Act (UWG), sending an email to strangers is considered unreasonable harassment. Emails may only be sent with the recipient’s prior consent—even if the message concerns “a product that is truly suitable for the recipient or a service that is exceptionally well-suited to them.”
As is well known, exceptions prove the rule; however, since I do not provide legal advice, I would like to refer you to the lawyers’ websites.
So if you’re designing a mailing campaign to attract new customers, go with a traditional mailing—you know, the kind that’s sent by regular mail! This is allowed and comes across as more professional.
If there’s no judge, is there a plaintiff?
And then there are the companies that, even though they have that “aha” moment, still opt for the spam version. That’s because, based on their experience, there are occasional cases where these email campaigns can actually bring in new customers. And as long as no one complains… is it worth the risk? That’s something everyone has to decide for themselves, but I advise against it, because it’s about respecting the other person and the impact on your image. Who wants to be seen as an unreasonable nuisance?
