Earlier this month I took my wife to see a Depeche Mode concert for our anniversary and we’ve been listening to them a lot more ever since. Along the way two songs stuck with me where “Just Can’t Get Enough” and “Everything Counts.” It surprised me how much these two songs can teach us about email.

Compare beginning of Just Can’t Get Enough

When I’m with you baby, I go out of my head
And I just can’t get enough, I just can’t get enough
All the things you do to me and everything you said
And I just can’t get enough, I just can’t get enough

With the lyrics to the chorus of Everything Counts:

The grabbing hands
Grab all they can
All for themselves
After all

It’s a competitive world
Everything counts in large amounts

These two songs illustrate two types of email programs – the programs that are all about their readers and the programs that are all about themselves. One program has a group of readers that love the brand, are highly engaged and become brand ambassadors for company. The other’s group of readers is those that hit the delete key, are “emotionally unsubscribed” and think of you as spammers. Take a good look at these two sets of lyrics – which program are you?