HotMail builds a list of return clients who can then be delivered advertising information. We like the idea of paying customers to read ads and this is a splendid example. The HotMail scheme is to give email accounts to people without full internet access. For example, many job hunters use the net from public terminals and kiosks. HotMail gives them the opportunity to join mailing lists and receive mailed newsletters as well as a return address for emailed resumes.
Advertisers get very clean access to a clearly defined group of users.
Very nice concept. An old friend popped onto our radar screens recently. With very deep roots in marketing, the psychology of the net and information design, they look like a force to be reckoned with. The interesting thing is, you can't tell this from their website. Credentials, assurance and the ability to innovate are particularly difficult to communicate through this medium.