Client using Their client's email list?

[ZodWallop]

Shampoo Maker -> Salon - > Salon's Users

A shampoo maker wants to have an online-newsletter generator for their clients (Salons) with a few templates for the shampoo makers client's to use and tell THEIR clients (Salon's Users) about special products from the Shampoo Maker. They would choose template, write message, import list, and send out the email.

The Shampoo Maker would have some sort of disclaimer saying that by submitting their list their clients (salon's Users) are being added to the shampoo Maker's mailing list.

So what sort of problems would this cause? I don't really like it, but its what they want. I don't know if any of the Salon's would have a 'do not share' agreement with their users, but I can see someone not reading the fine print and someone getting mad.

Are there any GOOD case studies on an email services that allow people to send emails through their service, and in turn, use those emails to send out something of their own? Is there ANY way to handle this without pissing a horde of people off?

Also if you have some case studies on what this is a bad bad bad idea I would love that too. I want to suggest an opt-in process where the users are invite only once to join to the mailing list, opposed to just straight signing them up. It would piss a lot less people off, and your list will be cleaner as well. However, they won't pay for that unless I can really communicate why this is a better idea.

[Lil_Red]

Personally, I would consider this spam since I did not give my email address to the shampoo maker. I gave it to the salon so email should only come from the salon.

[LiquidReflex]

Whether or not this would be SPAM (officially) is what the users were told when providing their email address. If they were just signing up for the Salon's email list, then anything other than messages from them would be spam (as they didn't sign up for that). However, if they signed up and noted that they would like to receive emails and promotions from related companies, then it technically wouldn't be SPAM.

With that said, many of the users may still consider it as SPAM just because they do not find it of interest and may piss them off if they knew where it was coming from. If they didn't ask for related messages, then I wouldn't use the list.

[Mittineague]

Does anyone read the fine print? I think that if people aren't given a chance to "opt in" for additional email BOTH sites are going to LOSE potential business (in terms of # of email recipients) when a po'd user cancels both.

[ZodWallop]

I completely agree, and since this project has no detail beyond 'we just want this' I have no idea what kinds of agreements the salon people have, only that I have a concern. I too would be very angry if I gave my email away and then thought it was being sold to another company (even though in this case it wouldn't be, the users wouldn't know that)

My issue is that me its just me going 'oooo it will piss people off' isn't good enough. I have very poor communication skills. So I'm looking for insight as to how good and how bad it could be so I can more firmly argue my case.

I really want to push and opt-in process for the shampoo maker's list. Not only will they have permission to use the emails, piss a lot less people off, but their list will be clearer which means the money they spend to send their OWN list will be more efficiently used opposed to sending it to people who don't care and just get angry.

Thank you for all your help so far.

[Mittineague]

So the problem is we know the reasons why, but how to convey this knowledge. Assuming that you don't want to lose your client to someone else, you will have to use other's selling points to back up your position without selling the competition. In light of this I suggest that you avoid citing competition. There should be non-business educational material to mine however. Maybe something from here http://www.smithfam.com/news/1opt-in.html

[ZodWallop]

Thank you, that site does have some information i was looking for. Like clearly that our clients goal is to sell shampoo or at the very least promote their brand.... not just getting random people to read an email.

I wasn't looking so much as citing competition, we aren't really email marketers, more as seeing what work, what didn't, and how i can use other people trials to make less mistakes