Badsender meets APMEL! Almost three years ago (read here), I announced the birth of this association bringing together several players in the French email acquisition market. At the time, I ended the article with these words: "it's not certain that one more association won't solve the problems". In 2015, I'm still very much of the same opinion, but it has to be said that APMEL has come a long way in two and a half years... at least as far as the practices of the association's members are concerned. So it was on a sunny afternoon that we met at the Elixis offices in Paris. My contacts were Charles Quintaine from Caloga, Julien Granari and Augustin Vatus, both from Elixis.The interview
Let's get to the heart of the matter. One of your members, TMG Media Group (PriceMinister) has disappeared from the radar in recent months? What are the reasons according to you? Don't you fear that it will soon be your turn?
Augustin: TMG is a special case. As a subsidiary of PriceMinister, i.e. of the Rakuten group, TMG was perhaps not representative enough for the "email acquisition" business to be maintained as is. But it's tricky to talk about the strategy and trade-offs of a company or group you don't know completely. However, it's a pity that TMG is no longer a member of APMEL, and that we can no longer share their expertise with them.Charles: The acquisition email business has become much more complex in recent years. It's harder to carry out this activity without concentrating a lot of resources around it. You need to have a real focus, and it's understandable that this isn't PriceMinister's focus today. Finally, while it's true that some players in the email acquisition market are struggling, APMEL continues to take a long-term view of this business, and we're prepared to make certain efforts to consolidate our medium.How do you differentiate yourself from other players in the industry?
Augustin: First and foremost, within APMEL, there are very different profiles. Caloga, for example, has always had a very technical side, which has become essential in our business. At Elixis, we have taken the gamble of creating our own consumer products, which enables us to assume the role of advertiser, and thus understand our customers' needs.Charles: Where we completely distinguish ourselves from certain players in email acquisition (who are not part of APMEL, editor's note) is the practice of opt-out. We've abandoned it, and some haven't. Julien: In fact, we audit APMEL members when they join. Some major players have decided not to join the association because the risks, particularly in terms of potential loss of sales, were too great. In particular, the ban on optout calls into question certain activities, and therefore certain revenues.Today, everyone seems to be against acquisition practices! Webmails, ISPs, ... and especially consumers. Do you think they still want to receive your communications?
Julien: That's not entirely true, and fortunately! Webmails and ISPs discuss with APMEL, and help us define our positions. The abandonment of op-out practices is the fruit of these discussions, for example. Then there's the wide variety of consumer behavior. Some people send us emails saying they're not interested in a particular advertiser, but would like to receive emails on other themes. In all our emails, we let people choose the subjects they're interested in by setting their preferences.Charles: Out of around 30 million web buyers in France, over 20 million are present in the APMEL databases. It's only natural that some of them should be rather negative about email advertising. But it's the same with other media (TV, social networks, banners). Others are keen on good deals, information and commercial offers. Augustin: In a previous career, I worked in the games industry. Advertisers often wonder about the profile of the "contestant". In reality, there are an estimated 40,000 "contesters" in France. That's very few. On the other hand, when a consumer is loyal to a brand, he or she will occasionally agree to take part in a competition. When these games are interesting, they are widely appreciated by consumers.One year ago, APMEL members implemented a common unsubscribe system. What are the results?
Charles: Since May 2014, 82,000 (unique) people have opted out of any advertising emails sent by APMEL members via this mechanism. This is a real positive sign. We didn't expect to see this figure at all, it's high, but out of 20 million Internet users who are members of our databases, it's very reasonable.Augustin: With this label, we hope to be at the start of something important. Unsubscribing from APMEL can only be a conscious choice on the part of the Internet user. And this first year proves that our profession can be improved. That we're on the right track.What are the next challenges for APMEL?
Julien: One of our priorities is to expand APMEL to include other players in the acquisition industry who, like us, want to commit to the enhancement and improvement of our profession. Charles: Last year's successes should help us to convince colleagues who were reluctant to join us. It will also help us to go further with our partners (ISPs, authorities, advertisers) in our exchanges and efforts. Finally, let's not forget Internet users: more APMEL members will also mean that those who have decided to unsubscribe from all our communications will see the volume of unwanted advertising in their mailboxes fall even further.Need help?
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