ValueClick Exec Publicly Crucified Over E-Mail Error

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Mark Brown, a media development manager at ValueClick, is being crucified on the web simply for doing his job — trying to persuade sites to generate revenue for themselves by using his ad network. It’s all because he failed to check an email before hitting send.

Brown recently used the email contact form of ShoeMoney, a blog that covers web-based affiliate marketing. He wrote, “I’m wondering if you’d consider working with our company to help monetize you site’s ad inventory?”

Nothing controversial there. Unfortunately, Brown seems to have made an error in cutting and pasting his message, with the result that in addition to sending his pitch addressed to ShoeMoney, he also sent ShoeMoney an identical pitch addressed to MoneyExtra, a personal finance site.

No big deal, right? We’ve all done it.

Then ShoeMoney’s Jeremy Schoemaker put up an image of the email along with this commentary (errors are Schoemaker’s):

Mark Brown At ValueClick Fails At Spamming Contact Forms

I get unsolicited messages through the contact form… and of course… thats what its there for.

But when a publicly traded company fails this bad and spamming contact forms… Can you spot whats wrong ?

Now maybe its just me… but I would think the company who just settled a FTC lawsuit for 2.9 MILLION dollars for violating the Can Spam Act (the largest ever) and has pledged to completely change their spammy ways would be a little more careful. NAAAAAAAAH

ValueClick did indeed settle a spam action with the FTC in 2008 for that sum after the feds determined that its advertising claims and e-mails were deceptive and violated federal law. ValueClick had been promising “free” stuff that wasn’t free.

The Brown item has attracted 87 comments on ShoeMoney. It’s also been featured in a Twitter post, on StumbleUpon, and on SEO Bum.

The punishment seems to be disproportionate to the crime, especially compared to “Worst Twitter Post Ever” offender James Andrews.

Tags: Advertisement, ShoeMoney, Brown Item, E-mail, Online Communications, Jim Edwards

Jim Edwards, a former managing editor of Adweek, has covered drug marketing at Brandweek for four years, and is a former Knight-Bagehot fellow at Columbia University's business and journalism schools. Follow him on Twitter or send him an email.

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