advertising emails

looksee

Like most people, I get four basic types of emails:

Stuff that I actually want - replies to emails, friends etc.
Stuff that I have asked for updates - stores, organisations etc
Ads from reputable firms (whether I want it or not) Amazon etc
Junk

So I had been getting regular emails from Irish Ferries updating me on their offers etc and I had been letting them through but not opening them. One day I had a clean-out of stuff and put Irish Ferries into Junk since I never read it. The next day I got an email from Irish Ferries saying

'Dear xxxxx

We noticed you haven't opened our email for long time now. It’s easy to forget what’s in those mails that you once found so great when your inbox is overflowing.

To prove that they really are worth opening, here's a special 10% discount <http://irishferriesmail.com/blah blah on your next booking especially for you.'

So how do they automatically know that i have not opened their emails?
How did they know I had put a mail into junk?
And how come my usually efficient mail filter is still letting mails from them through? (Not actually worried about this as I can continue junking them till it gets the message.)

Can other mailers set something to let them know when mails are/are not opened? Or junked?

Black Swan

looksee wrote: »

So how do they automatically know that i have not opened their emails?

Email tracking software.

looksee

Is that legal? How come some emails ask you if the sender can be notified that you have received an email?

AnCatDubh

One possibility is if they are sending you html based email - that the embedded images of the email are identifying / tracking back to the mothership (pardon the ship pun) and that they are doing some data mining in the background to say when you've read an email and when you haven't. One way to prevent this is to make sure your email reader or options in your webmail product is set not to load images automatically or better still if you can update your Irish Ferries options to send to you just in plain text (no html email).

They won't know that you've moved their email to junk. What happens on your email should be only your business and at worst thereafter perhaps your email provider (gmail, live.com, eircom, etc). Well, there's a remote possibility that you are automatically sending return receipts (again an option in your email client) and if they are handling them then they might know - I know some email clients will send a 'not read' return receipt if you delete an email.

Alternatively, they may not "know" it at all and are just sending you an email on spec but i suspect it is likely to be the first option mentioned above.

Is it legal? Probably in their terms and conditions and is likely to be described as a marketing activity which you've probably agreed to somewhere. So long as it isn't unsolicited then it is most likely legal.

Manach

Offhand from my recollection of the DP Act definitions, it would not seem to infringe on one's personal data if certain emails are opened or not. Would not be the same as cookies as this would not be shared with any other 3rd party.

syklops

At the bottom of the email should be an unsubscribe link. Click it.

Problem solved.