As Congress clamors for a crackdown on unsolicited commercial email, the four young entrepreneurs who founded Intellipost are gambling that lucrative incentive programs can short-circuit antispam hostility. Under Intellipost’s BonusMail program, consumers who fill out an online questionnaire agree to receive a steady stream of email ads. In exchange, subscribers are rewarded with BonusMail points that can be redeemed for frequent-flier miles, long distance calling time, and gift certificates to companies such as the Gap and Tower Records.
Intellipost started sending its "directronic" ads to 50,000 members on June 30. Cofounder Steve Markowitz says the company hopes to sign up several hundred thousand members in the first year – which adds up to a whole lot of spam in a whole lot of in boxes.
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