Email marketers say having quality data/lists is the key to successful email campaigns, according to a recent report from Howling Mad.

The report was based on the results of a survey of 304 global email marketers (60% US-based; 25% UK; 15% other), 55% of whom work for brands and 45% of whom work for agencies.

Asked how much they think various factors influence email response rates, respondents rated data/list quality first and segment selection second.

Subject lines ranked as the third most important element, followed by cross-device rendering, deliverability infrastructure, and human creativity.