As previously discussed in this space, the degree to which marketers are investing in e-mail to third party lists has decreased dramatically in recent months, driven in part by a sharp drop in e-mail response rates.

As of this writing, we maintain e-mail is still a viable medium, particularly for those companies looking to target a very specific demographic and/or a tech-savvy audience. But we've also noticed a growing trend of companies for whom e-mail should be a part of the marketing mix, but who elect to avoid the medium entirely, for reasons having nothing to do with response rates.

These companies typically fall into two categories: 1) those whose legal departments are convinced that, CAN-SPAM compliant or not, the risks of e-mail to third party lists are just too extreme, and 2) those whose product or service is seen as being at odds with the use of e-mail to reach prospects (examples being companies who market anti-spam or other security solutions).

If e-mail marketing is off the proverbial table at your company, what are the alternatives?

Plainly, direct mail is one, though this may require an attitude adjustment from those colleagues long convinced that actually printing hard copy material is too darned old-fashioned, not to mention expensive. To be sure, cost is an issue with direct mail, but on the other hand, e-mail stalwarts forced to reconsider direct mail may be in for some pleasant surprises, especially when it comes to lists. Direct mail will likely offer many more lists in your category, more names per list, and many more select criteria, meaning you'll likely be able to reach more people and target your audience more precisely, albeit at a higher cost.

A further option, still in the online space, is what has come to be known as "co-branded" e-mail. This type of program has been developed by a growing number of publishers, one suspects, in specific response to advertisers' concerns about CAN-SPAM compliance.

In essence, co-branded e-mail is a broadcast of your message to a third party list, but under the publisher's brand, rather than your own. The format differs from one list owner to the next: with some, the e-mail takes the form of a "newsletter" (for which the advertiser is the sole sponsor); with others, the branding consists of little more than the publisher's logo and header. In all cases, the sender ("from" field) is the publisher, not the advertiser.

Co-branded e-mail enables advertisers to broadcast a targeted message to a custom demographic, but without the perceived risks inherent in sending such a message under their own brand. Look for a growing number of such opportunities in the coming months as response rates from "traditional" e-mail continue to dwindle.