Google have come up with what they presumably consider to be a revolutionary concept in advertising. For those engaged in email marketing it is not what might be called earth shattering. In fact you might find it all rather quaint.

Their starting premise is one we might agree with: we have become so saturated with advertising that most people see it as background noise. The answer, they believe, is to target adverts, making them personal. You might have wondered if they have heard of email lists.

Their suggesting is for display adverts which identify certain factors, such as preferences, location and time of day. The advert will change colour, images and products to suit those particular aspects, making it more personal. Well, you might think, a reasonable starting point.

From an email marketing point of view this is very restrictive. We want much greater detail on a lot more factors. When we send an email it needs to be just what the customer ordered, or rather just what they will order, and email marketing software can provide the necessary detail for it to be precise.

Email marketing has, quite obviously, become mainstream. Most companies will be increasing their investment in it, many at the expense of other forms. One of its many strengths is the fact that it is permission based. Those on email lists expect the promotion and look forward to it. There is the reassurance of strict regulations and the ever present unsubscribe box.

These newer digital devices might be seen more as an irritation. Whilst it might be quite exciting to see your name on an advert as you walk into a room, the 20th time it might lose a lot of its fascination. As ever the regulators will take time to catch up.

Another aspect of email marketing which makes it so appealing is its low cost. Whatever systems these digital devices might use, it is sure to be quite expensive, especially so in the early stages.

With email lists becoming ever more precise in their description, email marketing is well prepared for digital devices.