More than half of Canadians (56%) say they dislike and actively avoid certain brands who have annoyed them with irrelevant marketing emails, a global report from Toronto-based marketing analytics company Aimia indicates.

The report polled more than 10,000 people from the United Kingdom, France, India, United States and Canada to gauge their satisfaction with the marketing materials they receive.

The research, carried out in 2014, showed that in comparison to the other major markets, Canadians receive the fewest emails from marketers. On average, Canadians reported receiving 32 marketing-related emails a week, compared with India (34) UK (48), France (66) and the US (72).

However, despite receiving the fewest emails, only 33% of Canadians feel their email load is manageable, while 35% said they receive slightly too many messages, and 30% said they receive far too many.

Canadians are also more likely than the other countries surveyed to close accounts and subscriptions that send annoying emails. Across two fields of questioning, Canada posted the highest percentages for unfriending, unfollowing and unliking (71%) and closing accounts and subscriptions (73%) based on aggravating marketing material.

This was a consistent theme, as the study also showed that people worldwide are more likely to close email subscription accounts outright than adjust the settings.

It’s not all bad news, however, as Canadians are also more likely to pay attention to marketing offers, customer service information and product updates than any of the other major markets surveyed. Among those polled, 74% said they are willing to receive emails containing marketing offers, while 55% were prepared to share personal information in order to receive marketing that is more appropriate to them.

The report indicates that consumers aren’t weary of receiving marketing material – they are weary of being inundated with random and irrelevant material. Appropriate advertising can still have a positive impact if it hits the right note with its receiver. However, if the material isn’t relevant, the report indicates that consumers are increasingly likely to snub the offending brands.

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