Here's an example from a recent template-building project for a major online retailer.

Often when I've found myself working in a busy web production environment, things like semantic Html markup and efficient, well-structured and logically named Css rules seem to be low on the priority list (as long as things look ok on FF3, IE 6 and IE7). In fact there may be a lack of awareness as to how much these practices contribute to workflow and make maintenance easier, as well as making the page load faster.

What is the aim of semantic Html?

Html emails require a mixture of tables (an otherwise largely obsolete layout method, now replaced by css), remote images and inline css styles.
Many people misunderstand the correct way to design and code a cross-client compatible Html email, and ensuring across the board support for all your recipients can be a detailed task!