As we celebrate more than 20 years of RPE Origin, I want to take a moment to thank the entire email marketing community that has supported us through every chapter of this journey.
Nearly 30 years ago, I began my career in email marketing not knowing that it would become a lifelong path. The earliest days were built on experimentation and trust in what technology might one day allow. We worked through crude interfaces and limited data access, trying to make sense of audiences with only fragments of insight.
It is remarkable to look back now and see how far the email marketing community and the industry have come. Today’s Mailchimp has more capability than the most advanced enterprise platforms of that time. The speed, scale, and intelligence available to even small businesses now would have been unimaginable back then.
The heart of the email marketing community
Through it all, one truth has never changed. The best marketing has always been about people. It is about understanding, communicating, and connecting. Platforms are only tools, and it is the understanding behind them that creates real impact.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape how we manage and interpret data, that truth remains. I have said before that AI is not a replacement for knowledge. Without the ability to interpret and guide it, AI can create more confusion than clarity. The principle of “garbage in, garbage out” still applies. What will matter most in the years ahead is how well we train both the systems and the people who use them.
Balancing data, creativity, and understanding
Marketing content has evolved alongside data. The most effective work today is grounded in insight, not instinct alone. Every subject line, image, and call to action can be measured, tested, and refined. Yet the numbers only tell part of the story. Real marketing success comes from blending data with understanding, using analytics to reveal what matters, then crafting messages that make people care. This is where the art and science of email marketing meet: at the intersection of knowledge, empathy, and data.
Email marketing has never been only about data or platforms. It has always been about purpose. The most effective messages move beyond a call to action toward a call to meaning. The best campaigns tell stories, build trust, and strengthen relationships. That part of the craft will never change.
This focus on purpose is what continues to unite the email marketing community — a shared belief that marketing done well connects people in meaningful ways.
Gratitude for the people behind the progress
Thank you to the clients who believed in us and helped shape what RPE Origin has become. To Experian, for trusting me to create and develop hundreds of marketing flows that defined so much of my early career. To Moxie Interactive and Verizon Wireless, to Jewelry Television, Road Runner Sports, AutoAnything, CareCredit, Synchrony Financial, and Sherwin Williams, thank you for your partnership and faith in our work.
To Dan Springer and Responsys, and to Dan Freeman for his many years of support, you helped pave the way for so much of what followed. To one of my biggest champions, Kelly Haggard, your belief and friendship made a lasting difference. And to the late Stefan Pollard, Dennis Dunham, and David Baker, thank you for your support, mentoring, collaboration, and friendship. Each of you helped shape both the person and professional I became.
Building the next chapter together
To my business partners, thank you for helping build this company into what it is today. To Jeremy Grecco, who has been by my side for 20 of the past 21 years. To managing partner Ryan Phelan, who did not know it yet, but by the second time he went sailing with me I had already planned for him to join, manage, and grow the company. And to junior partner Evan Diaz, whose creativity and vision continue to inspire all of us.
To Kelly Stevens, who has been the linchpin of RPE Origin since her first day, and to every member of our team who has poured their skill and care into making this company what it is, thank you. You have turned a small boutique agency into one recognized across industries and borders. To Lisa Buljan, whose dedication in customer success has strengthened many of our client relationships.
And to my wife, whose patience, understanding, and support have made every late night, deadline, and challenge possible, there is no thank you great enough for what you have given.
Here’s to the future of the email marketing community
To everyone in the email marketing community — clients, colleagues, mentors, and friends — thank you for your trust, collaboration, and shared belief that great marketing begins with great people.
Here’s to the next chapter of email marketing, to the continued evolution of our craft, and to the email marketing community that made it all possible.
— John Caldwell
Chairman, RPE Origin
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