... You can’t force anyone to pay attention to you online. All you can do is entice. Permission Marketing was an expanded observation of that fact, and an exploration of an alternative. Instead of trying to gain attention by being increasingly obnoxious, we can earn a prospect’s permission to deliver a message to them.
This calls for a whole new tool kit. If people are going to ask you to communicate with them, you have to come up with a form of marketing that’s too valuable to throw away. Advertising copy gives way to content — informative, interesting material that speaks to a highly informed customer....
The added importance of really communicating with the consumer on their terms on topics that are important to them is the natural evolution to segmentation and marketing communications.