My birthday was last Saturday and for my birthday I got a copy of Beatles Rock Band for the Wii. One of the songs on that disc is “I’m Looking Through You” from the Rubber Soul album.

In 1965, Paul McCartney was engaged to Jane Asher, but he wasn’t that happy in his relationship. That frustration gave rise to this song. And, as I listened to the lyrics, it occurred to me that often marketers forget that relationships are not forever.

Not only that, but there are powerful messages in this song for marketers. Consider the following lyrics:

Your lips are moving,
I cannot hear.
Your voice is soothing,
But the words aren’t clear.

At a certain point in your relationship, things are going to cool and the recipient won’t be responsive any more. They’ll see your lips moving (your mail in their mail readers), but they won’t listen anymore. If your lips keep moving they’ll eventually get your mail blocked (either by their own filters or by their ISPs) and then they will truly no longer be able to hear you anymore.

You’re thinking of me,
The same old way.
You were above me.
But not today.

The only difference,
Is you’re down there.
I’m looking through you,
And you’re nowhere.

What used to work doesn’t work any more. Marketing related blogs are full of posts on how email marketing isn’t the same as paper marketing. But still, even today, we find many marketers are looking at email recipients “the same old way” thinking that they are above their captive recipients, even though that’s no longer the case. The customer is king in ways that they never were before.

Not only that, but ISPs are paying more and more attention to what your recipients are doing. No longer is permission and authentication alone good enough. Now, engagement is the rising star. If you aren’t keeping your recipients engaged, then they’ll be looking through you, but you’ll be no where.

It’s time to leave the past behind and understand that things really aren’t the same any more and your approach to has to be as different as the times in which you live. Otherwise, your recipients will be singing this song — to you.