Today we received an unsubscribe request from a customer who requested, or better put, demanded that we remove him from our mailing list. While such an event hardly qualifies as a business catastrophe, most marketers probably admit to feeling a little pang of loss with each customer unsubscription. It means that the customer has either lost interest in your company’s offering or, even worse, he has become utterly annoyed by some of your recent promotional tactics. In the pharmaceutical business, where I operate and where this episode took place, such mass unsubscribes (or “opt-outs” in permission marketing terminology) sent to multiple suppliers are quite common as physicians desparately struggle to gain control of their mail boxes.

Our particular unsubscribe came with a silver lining — the customer requested that all future promotional correspondence should be sent exclusively by e-mail and, to seal the deal, he provide the e-mail address where such information should be delivered. Possibly our physician thought he was being witty, knowing full well that most suppliers in this business — including many of the big pharma companies — are far from e-marketing savvy. Fortunately, we have been preparing for this day for years and will switch our promotional messages to e-mail with the flick of a database switch. Many suppliers will not be ready and will simply drop this physician from their distribution lists. A shame really. While this is the first time I have seen an opt-out from postal mail accompanied by an opt-in for e-mail, it is certain not to be the last. In fact, we may be witnessing the birth of a new pharmaceutical communications model. I imagine that more and more physicians will turn to this solution as a way to manage their mail boxes, but still remain in touch with selected business partners. The beauty of an e-mail subscription model is that the customer can take greater control of marketing process, allowing advertising messages which are considered interesting while filtering those messages which are less relevant. For advertisers this implies dramatic change in the way things are done. Gone are the days of mass mails and one-to-many marketing programs. Instead, marketers will have to write compelling, personalized text just to have a chance of getting in the customers’ inboxes.