Which of the following, if true, most weakens an argument for using e-

QUESTION

Which of the following, if true, most weakens an argument for using e-mail for direct mail marketing?

A) Growth in the use of e-mail for direct marketing is uncertain.
B) Studies show that a large percentage of such e-mails go directly to customers’ spam folders.
C) Riverdale has traditionally used catalogs for its direct marketing efforts.
D) Not everyone who has used this medium for direct marketing has been successful.
E) Only interested customers will go through such messages in great detail.

ANSWER

Answer: B
Explanation: B) Using e-mail marketing makes sense only if consumers are likely to look at the marketing message. If Choice B is true and most marketing e-mails go directly to spam folders, then the consumers never even see the message. Choice A, pointing to uncertainty about the effectiveness of e-mail marketing, is too vague to be useful in decision making. Choice C only tells us what the company has done in the past, not what the best option is for the future. Choice D is not relevant, as the failure of any one company in a marketing medium does not mean the medium itself is a failure. We don’t have enough information on Choice E—it would strengthen the argument for direct mail marketing if the percentage of “interested customers” is high enough.