Currently, I'm writing the sixth issue of a major corporation's e-Newsletter. Since I'm a subcontractor to the publishing house that puts it out, I can't disclose the name of the company. The name of the company isn't important. (They make highly sophisticated industrial products.) The important take-away is that they've made it to Issue #6.
During the past 20 years, I've helped launch countless newsletters, but, too often, I've watched as companies launch newsletters only to publish an issue or two before budget cuts or the whims of upper management scrub the project. In those cases, not only were marketing dollars wasted, but more harm than good was done to the company's marketing program and credibility. While it's true that high-quality, worthwhile content is key to the effectiveness and success of corporate e-newsletters, it is also true that these publications must come out on a consistent schedule in order to have the desired long-term affect--whether the goal is building brand awareness, customer loyalty, or educating the user base.