I agree with Silverpop's CEO, Bill Nussey, when he says that he "hopes marketers learned during the past year and took to heart that while email is inexpensive compared to other messaging channels, it is by no means easy".

Email marketing isn't about tricking a recipient into opening an email and then try to sell them something. It's about building trust and being relevant. It's about provided the right content to the right people. It's about segmentation and testing.

Source: iMedia Connection: Email Objects in the Review Mirror.