Who was the first person to use email as a way to market to people online, starting the concept of spam email?
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2 Answers
Gary Thuerk is considered the first person to send a spam email. In 1978, Thuerk, a marketing manager at Digital Equipment Corporation, sent a mass email promoting a new computer to hundreds of users on ARPANET. The email generated significant backlash, but it also showed the potential of email as a marketing tool.
Gary Thuerk, a marketer for Digital Equipment Corporation, sent the first spam email in 1978 to promote a new computer model. He sent the email to 400 recipients on ARPANET, the precursor to the internet. The email generated considerable sales and Thuerk continued to use email marketing tactics with great success.