The research, featured in the report Meaningful Marketing Measurement, found that email campaigns generated 2.8 effects per campaign, compared with 2.7 effects without.

Email campaigns were above average performers in generating response and business effects, but below average at generating brand-building effects, according to the report.

The results are based on data from more than 300 email campaigns and more than 1,000 cross-channel campaigns overall, and uses the DMA’s Intelligent Marketing Databank.

Email generated the largest number of effects at 3.1 per campaign when used to target new customer acquisitions, compared with 2.6 effects in retention campaigns.

A 29% rise in the total number of effects was seen in multi-channel campaigns versus solely email campaigns.

Tim Bond, director of insight at the DMA, said: “The events of the last two years have placed greater importance on the role of the email channel, and indeed all personalised customer communications.

“There is no use in flying blind, relying on open rates and click-through rates if they cannot be tied back to meaningful commercial outcomes for an organisation. As the original one-to-one digital channel, email has a unique opportunity to get measurement right.”

Amy Doyle, director of client services at Campaigner, said: “A thoughtful and consolidated approach to email marketing, focusing on the collaborative effects it could have when planned in line with your other brand and customer-driven outreach programmes, rather than a programme with a plan of its own, is what is needed to drive the greatest impact to and results for your business.”