permission marketing

Definition

A marketing approach where companies obtain explicit consent before sending promotional messages, as opposed to interruption marketing which assumes everyone wants to hear about your product. Revolutionary concept: not annoying people who didn't ask.

Example Usage

Our permission marketing strategy requires double opt-in for emails, which reduced list size by 40% but increased engagement by 300%.

Origin

Coined by Seth Godin in his 1999 book 'Permission Marketing'

Fun Fact

Before permission marketing became standard (and legally required in many jurisdictions), companies would buy email lists and spam millions of people—many still do, they just call it 'lead generation' now.

Source: Marketing strategy literature and GDPR compliance frameworks

Related Terms

Beginner

showcard

A physical advertising placard used to display products or promotions in retail environments, back when 'going viral' meant your display was visible from multiple aisles. The analog ancestor of today's digital signage, typically featuring aggressive fonts and starburst shapes screaming about sales. Still surprisingly effective at catching the attention of customers who've developed immunity to banner ads.

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Intermediate

CTR

Click-Through Rate—the percentage of people who saw your ad and actually clicked it, revealing how compelling or desperate your call-to-action was. A low CTR means your ad is basically wallpaper.

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Advanced

recall

In data retrieval and marketing analytics, the percentage of all relevant content your search or campaign actually captures. High recall means you found everything; low recall means you're basically Googling blindfolded and hoping for the best.

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content calendar

A schedule planning what content to publish and when, designed to bring order to the chaos of content marketing and typically abandoned by February. It's the New Year's resolution of marketing planning.

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above the line

Traditional mass media advertising channels like TV, radio, print, and outdoor that reach broad audiences with uniform messages. It's the old-school, expensive way to shout at everyone simultaneously regardless of interest.

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Beginner

hallway testing

Impromptu user research conducted by grabbing random people in office hallways to review creative or test functionality. The lazy marketer's focus group.

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