Email Marketing (Global)
Email is the only owned channel — algorithm-proof, free to re-reach. But legal differs HUGELY by region: US allows opt-out, EU mandates opt-in, SEA/LATAM mostly require opt-in. Pick the right variant — getting this wrong can cost up to EUR 20M (GDPR) or USD 51,744 per email (CAN-SPAM).
For newbies
Who is this skill for?
| Audience | Concrete example |
|---|
| Founder / DTC brand running newsletter | Shopify store, SaaS company, B2B service |
| Agency setting up email automation for client | Welcome series, nurture, re-engage |
| Marketer migrating from one ESP to another | Klaviyo to Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign to Brevo |
| Multi-region brand needing legal-safe email | Selling US + EU + LATAM, must comply per region |
Who is this NOT for?
- Vietnam-only email marketing -> Use
14-email-marketing (VN skill) — covers PDPA Vietnam (Decree 13/2023)
- Transactional-only (order confirms, password reset) -> Use ESP defaults; transactional emails have softer consent rules in most regions
- SMS / WhatsApp / push -> Different channels with different laws (TCPA US, GDPR EU)
30-second pre-read
This skill produces ONE email marketing strategy file with 4 components: subscriber segmentation, sequence templates (welcome / nurture / re-engage / promo), automation flow, and KPI tracking. Pick 1 of 4 region variants — the variant tunes the LEGAL framework (consent model, unsubscribe rules, data retention, cross-border transfer). Every email automation built without this risks legal exposure.
3 common errors
- Reusing US opt-out logic in EU -> GDPR violation; fines up to EUR 20M or 4% global revenue
- Skipping double opt-in for EU/Brazil/SEA -> Cannot prove consent if challenged; subscribers can demand deletion
- Missing physical address in footer -> CAN-SPAM violation US; EUR 51,744 per email
Why do you need this skill?
Email is the highest-ROI channel (USD 36-42 per USD 1 spent globally), but legal compliance is non-negotiable. Without the right region variant:
- US brand using EU opt-in flow -> losing 30-50% of subscribers unnecessarily
- EU brand using US opt-out flow -> direct GDPR violation
- LATAM brand ignoring LGPD -> BRL 50M penalty risk in Brazil
- SEA brand mixing rules -> PDPA Singapore + per-country differences
Pick the right variant once -> all downstream emails compliant by default.
Workflow
Step 0: Check global context file
|-- exists -> read product / region / customer info
|-- missing -> suggest user run product-marketing-context-global first
Step 1: Pick region variant (US / EU / SEA / LATAM)
Step 2: Choose ESP based on region (Klaviyo / Mailchimp / ActiveCampaign / Brevo)
Step 3: Set up legal foundation (consent flow, footer, unsubscribe, DPA)
Step 4: Design segmentation (behavioral + lifecycle)
Step 5: Build sequences (welcome / nurture / re-engage / promo)
Step 6: Configure automation flow
Step 7: Set up tracking + A/B test plan
Step 0: Check global context file
Check whether .agents/product-marketing-context-global.md exists:
- Yes -> Read product, customer, region, language, regulation context. Do NOT re-ask.
- No -> Suggest running
product-marketing-context-global first. If user wants to continue, ask 2-3 minimum questions about product + region.
Step 1: Pick region variant
Ask the user one question: "Which is your PRIMARY region: US, EU, SEA, or LATAM?"
Decision tree (LEGAL FRAMING)
Where do MOST of your subscribers live?
|-- US / Canada
| --> 01-us.md (CAN-SPAM Act 2003, opt-out OK, CCPA/state laws)
|-- EU / EEA / UK
| --> 02-eu.md (GDPR + ePrivacy, opt-in MANDATORY, EUR 20M penalty)
|-- Southeast Asia (SG, MY, ID, TH, PH)
| --> 03-sea.md (PDPA Singapore + per-country, mostly opt-in)
|-- Latin America (BR, MX, AR, CO, CL)
| --> 04-latam.md (LGPD Brazil + LFPDPPP Mexico, opt-in mandatory)
|-- Vietnam only
| --> Use `14-email-marketing` (VN skill) — Decree 13/2023
|-- Multi-region
--> Default to STRICTEST applicable region (usually EU GDPR)
Why "default to strictest" matters
If you sell in US + EU + LATAM, you can either:
- Run separate sequences per region (best — but operationally heavy)
- Apply EU GDPR rules globally (safe — but loses 20-30% US subscribers due to double opt-in friction)
For most early-stage brands, option 2 is the safer default. Document the decision in your DPA.
Step 2: Choose ESP (Email Service Provider)
| ESP | Strength | Region fit | Legal features |
|---|
| Klaviyo | E-commerce / DTC | US (default), EU (with EU data center) | GDPR-ready, opt-in flows, suppression lists |
| Mailchimp | General-purpose, easy UI | US (HQ), EU (Intuit-owned, GDPR DPA available) | Built-in GDPR forms, double opt-in toggle |
| ActiveCampaign | CRM + automation | US default, global | Behavioral + GDPR consent tracking |
| Brevo (Sendinblue) | EU-native, transactional | EU (data residency in FR/DE), Global | GDPR by default, EU servers |
| Customer.io | API-first, developer-friendly | Global | GDPR + CCPA + LGPD ready |
| HubSpot Marketing Hub | All-in-one CRM | US default, EU (with EU hosting) | GDPR consent + cookie management |
ESP picker per region
- US (DTC/e-commerce): Klaviyo (default) or Mailchimp
- US (B2B SaaS): ActiveCampaign or HubSpot
- EU: Brevo (EU servers), Klaviyo EU, Mailchimp + EU DPA
- SEA: Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign (no native local ESP dominant)
- LATAM: Brevo (BR datacenter via partner), ActiveCampaign, RD Station (BR-native)
Step 3: Legal foundation (varies by variant)
This is the CRITICAL step. Read the variant file carefully — it spells out the consent model, footer requirements, unsubscribe rules, and data retention specific to your region.
Universal requirements (all regions)
- Working unsubscribe link in every email
- Sender identification (brand name, physical address)
- Subject line accurately describes content (no deceptive headers)
- Honor unsubscribe within reasonable time (10 days US, 24h EU/SEA/LATAM)
Region-specific requirements (see variants)
- US: Physical postal address, opt-out within 10 days
- EU: Explicit opt-in (timestamp + IP logged), DPO if processing large data, DPA with ESP, right to erasure
- SEA: Per-country (Singapore PDPA strictest), opt-in for marketing
- LATAM: Brazil LGPD requires opt-in + DPO; Mexico LFPDPPP requires privacy notice
Step 4-7: Segmentation, sequences, automation, tracking
These are largely region-agnostic in CONTENT, but legal-bound in EXECUTION. The variant file documents:
- What data fields you can/cannot collect (e.g., EU requires "minimum necessary")
- Retention period (e.g., LGPD Brazil = 5 years max default)
- Cross-border transfer rules (e.g., EU -> US requires SCCs or DPF)
For sequence templates and KPI structure, the patterns are the same as the VN skill (welcome 3-email, nurture 5-email, re-engage 3-email) but with region-tuned subject lines, send times, and footer.
How other skills use this file
When 00-marketing-plan-global includes email as a channel, it references this skill for the operational layer. When 18-referral-program-global builds a referral flow with email triggers, it inherits the consent model from this skill.
Quality checklist
Related skills
product-marketing-context-global — foundation context (run first)11-channel-setup-global — channel infrastructure (when available)18-referral-program-global — referral via emailreferences/global-legal-compliance — deep legal reference
Global Skill 14 (Email Marketing) | Over Powers Agency | v1.0.0