One consequence of the prolonged downturn in the economy, and of marketing spending in particular, is that publishers and list owners are often dangling free names in an attempt to secure media deals. Scarcely a campaign goes by these days when a client doesn't have ready access to a free e-mail or direct mail list gleaned from a recent ad buy or some other transaction.

We negotiate these deals as much as anybody, but it's important to recognize that since list strategy is the #1 success factor for any campaign, a free list may not in fact be the best choice for your next program. Nor should the availability of such a list drive campaign strategy.

Even though a free e-mail list will slice a much larger chunk out of your total campaign cost than is the case for direct mail, such a campaign is rarely if ever completely free. There's still the price of creative (even if it's just the cost of your time), plus the time and expense to coordinate, manage, and track the broadcast. Response to different e-mail lists varies widely, and so even if another list costs as much as 50 cents a name or more, it could well end up proving to be the better alternative.

Secondly, don't let a free list drive your entire campaign strategy. Selecting the ideal audience, offer, product focus and message for your next program should be a considered decision based on past performance and other metrics, not which list owner was handing out the most free names.

Lastly, test. Don't make the mistake of mailing or broadcasting exclusively to one list because it was free. We've had many occasions over the years when free lists that the client felt were "ideal" (especially customer lists from partners) turned out to be duds. Even if a certain list feels like a good match for your audience, always test at least one and preferably two other list sources at the same time. Without that benchmark, particularly if the campaign doesn't perform up to expectations, you'll never know how much those results were due to the list or other factors.