Handle 'Forward To A Friend' Campaigns Carefully Or You'll Get In Hot Water.

I've had my email since 1996 and I'm subjected to a torrent of spam. Friends have said to me that I should just get a new email address and be done with it but to my mind that indicates defeat. Of course, the work email has spam software but it only acts as a series of breakwaters over which the relentless surge of mindless drivel will eventually find a way. Frequently, at the end of a day I'll have a look at my spam folder to find over 3,000 junk messages from that day alone. Importantly, whilst I could be driven to the point of insanity by having to delete swarms of spam emails I am also interested in some of the messages that come my way, for example when friends complete a form at a website that generates an email campaign that is sent to me.

As a business, we look after over 1.5 million customers for leading brands. All the brands are now using 'Forward to a friend' strategies to organically grow their database (a friend recommended is the most likely type to convert to being a real customer), combine this with the number of ongoing campaigns and the recognition that you really don't want to turn possible customers into enemies through spamming them and you have a tinderbox to handle.

Brand Republic recently commissioned Eversheds (the law firm) to review a recent landmark ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority (http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/910951/new-rules-viral-marketing/). The ASA objected to a forward to a friend campaign for a film called Shifty, the email address of someone was provided to the campaign site by a friend without the consent of the recipient. The campaign site sent an email to the friend saying that they were at risk of criminal prosecution for drug use following a tip off. They were directed to follow a link which open a website saying that they had been 'stitched up' .

Marketers are responsible for any unsolicited marketing messages they send which do not comply with the data protection rules. Guidance from the Information Commissioner stresses that the customer who passes a friend's details to the advertiser must confirm that they have the friends consent to do so. Marketers should also check that the friend is not already on a marketing suppression list and should tell the friend how they got their details. If the friend objects they should be able to have their email address suppressed for future campaigns.

It's also important to note that if the campaign is marketing led (i.e. it has a creative or hidden element to generate interest) it is important that it is clear what it's purpose is and that it is truthful in it's delivery.

When compared to other forms of database growth, the viral engine of forward to a friend campaigns show excellent low cost returns. However, they need to be handled carefully and correctly to ensure that they don't result in potential customers disliking the brand before they've even tried it.