Email – Life’s powerful driver

I received an Email last week from Harrods, letting me know that if I shopped this weekend there would be an extra 10% off everything. I went, I had to go, I have a Harrods discount card. I wanted to build on my kitchen ware that I usefully added to last year with a fabulous Le Creuset Casserole dish… This year I bought a set of Circulon Infinite pans.

On getting home I checked out the price, with a guilty feeling – as I should have checked first! This would be the second time this Christmas / New Year that I bought something in a ’sale’ and then checked it out online (afterwards). Phew! In both cases I paid less in the shop – and in both cases I could make a valid selection, by handling the goods. Granted I spent nearly £50 I did not have to in the restaurant – a slight indulgence for two… We bought some other ‘essentials’ too and we got shouted at for shopping in the evil store as we arrived – all in all a great day out.

Feeling good about myself and having read the care instructions and thoroughly inspected, washed and dried our new wares, I sat down to read the paper. I was sent an email offer by the Financial Times a long time ago and I have the weekend edition delivered to my house – another benefit to living in Central London – it not only has great stores…

It was then I came across a great article in the FT – Google e-mail drive aims to put its stamp on all areas of internet life. Fundamentally the article tells us how important email is to the internet marketing giant of them all – Google. This article, as anyone with any reasonable knowledge can surmise, demonstrates just how central the focus of Email really is to Googles marketing plan.

The article also demonstrates just how far Google has to go and it demonstrates the techniques that are in play. Also we are told what Yahoo and Microsoft are or are not doing to cement their position – and it looks like Microsoft is about to lose this game too… So please, Microsoft, whilst I am no great supporter (I am an Apple fan / Life member), let not Google win this game, let not Google have world domination (even though I am a Google fan!) in this too.

When I look back over the last few weeks, I realise that I have been totally driven by email across the Christmas period. I have had a good break, I have done a little work, but where ever I go with my phone (It is a Blackberry Storm) – which is everywhere and I still get my email…

I am absolutely certain I am not alone and I am sure that there are many other case studies as to the effectiveness and necessity of email in our daily lives. I would love to hear of your experiences, please post a comment.

Now, apparently, I can even post to my blog via email. Who knew!