January 2006 Archives

From: katespade.com
Subject Line: final sale - great things come in pairs
Date: Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Shoes and bags lend themselves to paired-purchase, and Kate Spade takes advantage of that here with a tempting additional 15% off when you buy two sale items. Smart!

A few recommendations for improvement:
1) I know it doesn't suit a more luxurious brand like Kate Spade to SCREAM sale, but the type is so small I can hardly read the offer they're promoting, and I have my glasses on. Bring it up a pixel or two!
2) It would be great if, on click-through, we were taken to a multi-buy page that allowed us to purchase our matching shoe and handbag set, rather than having to slog through the separate "shoes" and "handbags" categories to find the picked-pairs.
3) Do pink & green really go together? Wouldn't black & white have made more sense?

From: Crate and Barrel
Subject Line: The most amazing little cappuccino maker
Date: Tuesday, January 31, 2006

This is just the smartest little EDM! For those of us who "run on" caffeine, "Pays for itself in just 18 cappuccinos" makes an extremely convincing argument! Way to rock the "buy to save" argument, CB. Now I only wonder how they taste...

From: Apple
Subject Line: Great gift ideas to surprise your valentine.
Date: Friday, January 27, 2006

This EDM came to my attention via a colleague - thanks! The heart-shaped ear buds, the affectionate shot within the iPod Photo, and the "Love is in the ear" copy are all spot-on, coming together to form a really strong seasonal message. Nice work, Apple!

From: Pottery Barn Kids
Subject Line: Rock-A-Bye Baby! Design your nursery seating.
Date: Wednesday, January 26, 2006

From: The Land of Nod
Subject Line: Preferred Seating
Date: Wednesday, January 26, 2006

Pottery Barn Kids and The Land of Nod (of Crate & Barrel) - two brands competing for the same customers - competed in a very specific manner today. Both sent out Nusery Seating EDMs! Eerie. This makes a great opportunity for us to compare two different executions of the same concept.

I think both messages started out equally rich in assets. The product and photography are comparable. The copy is quality in both cases: more authoritative and direct for PBK, cuter and quirkier for LON, which is appropriate to each brand. Unfortunately, the LON message is wider than best practice standards by 165 pixels, requiring must of us to scroll right in order to read the cute copy.

PBK's execution is tighter and more effective. They underline a direct call-to-action, and include carrots at the end of each product name and price, making it clear that they're clickable. Additionally, for those shoppers not interested in nursery seating, they created a clever "sibling seating" submessage that links us to chairs for older kids.

I would *love* to be able to compare the results on these. I wonder whether both will fall below forecast because they competed directly with one another on the same day.

If you were purchasing a Nursery Rocker, which would you buy from?

From: CB2
Subject Line: The Very First CB2 Catalog is in the Mail
Date: Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Here, CB2 did a great job showing a whole lot of product while avoiding the dreaded "garage sale" look. (You can't see it in my screenshot, but the polka-dots actually rotate between product images and product info.) If only I could CLICK on each image to find the product for purchase on the website! The images all link to an "order a catalog page", which I would imagine will result in a lot of lost revenue for this message.
A note about copy: CB2 is no longer a "new" destination from Crate and Barrel - I've been getting their EDMs for over a year now. Time for a new tagline!

From: macys.com
Subject Line: macys.com | Welcome to macys.com! Free shipping on macys.com!
Date: Friday, January 20, 2006

First impressions are critical. When someone first subscribes to your email list, it's because they actually want to hear from you. Take advantage of that initial excitement by sending them something GOOD! I'm amazed at all of the dry, text-only confirmation messages out there. Often, I don't even GET a welcome message. By contrast, this is a model welcome EDM. It not only delineates all the great reasons to register or sign up for a credit card; it also starts our subscription with a FREE SHIPPING offer. This is a great way to convert subscribers into buyers right off the bat.

From: Brooks Brothers
Subject Line: Spring 2006 and Suit Savings at Brooks Brothers
Date: Thursday, January 19, 2006

Muffy love, have you seen where I parked the yacht?
Seriously though, Brooks Brothers EDMs are consistenly sharp and effective, and this one is no exception. They sweat the details, and it shows. Nice work, Chad!

From: UrbanOutfitters.com
Subject Line: Put it together: Tunic Tops, Skinny Denim and Leggings...
Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Urban Outfitters continues to pioneer online retail design for the teen and young adult crowd. Last year they popularized the "homemade" look, which appeared everywhere from Hollister to Old Navy. It's refreshing to see that they've started the new year with something totally different - sort of "rubber stamp-like". We'll see if it catches on and shows up anywhere else in the coming months.

From: Anthropologie.com
Subject Line: Brighten your day.
Date: Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Another cute subject line from Anthropologie! Once again, this message is "undermerchandized". I think they could have shown us a few more images here. Why not make the message wider and show us two or three more product shots?

From: Old Navy
Subject Line: Spring It On! The Season's New Arrivals Are Here
Date: Tuesday, January 17, 2006

The collage look is cute, but so similar to what Urban Outfitters was doing last season. UO has transitioned to a slightly more controlled "rubber stamp" look for spring, making this feel a little behind.

From: PBteen
Subject Line: Mix it up! The newest bedding from PBteen is here.
Date: Thursday, January 12, 2006

A cute message with a miss: put a call-to-action into the top copy block! Lots of users won't scroll below-the-fold to click through.

From: FreePeople.com
Subject Line: Keep out the chill with Free People's hoodies
Date: Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Like sister brands Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie, Free People uses a "handmade" look in their email and online creative. UO successfully employs the collage technique to feature a number of products and promotional messages within each EDM, however Free People consistently features only one image and one message. They'd see a much higher click-through if they featured, for instance, images of several hoodies, as well as menu navigation items (at least "shop" and "sale"), and possibly a submessage or two for folks who aren't interested in sweatshirts. Make your messages work harder for you!

From: Bergdorf Goodman
Subject Line: The stunning spring collection from VALENTINO
Date: Tuesday, January 10, 2006

As a high-profile luxury brand, Bergdorf should really be email browser-testing their campaigns on Macintosh computers! Every time I receive one, I'm distracted from the "stunning" product by the out-of-alignment menu item graphics.

From: Pottery Barn
Subject Line: Trend Report 2006: Small touches with big impact
Date: Monday, January 9, 2006

PB Introduces the season as a trend authority. I like this. It offers a few style tips without going into newsletter-style detail that no one will read anyway.

From: katespade.com
Subject Line: new items on sale: 30-50% off
Date: Thursday, January 5, 2006

Well this is just plain FUN, isn't it!?

From: Starbucks.com
Subject Line: Find out what makes Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Latte so comforting
Date: Thursday, January 5, 2006

It really does look delicious. Problem is, I actually have to leave my desk and go to Starbucks to get it! Since we can't gratify ourselves instantly, I'm curious about the number of lattes this email sells. I see two opportunities for improvement.
1) Make it an exclusive email subscriber coupon that can be printed out and brought to a store for a free Cinnamon Dolce Latte.
2) Sell the Latte Maker and Cinnamon Mix online and include a "How to Make your Own" recipe.

From: Anthropologie.com
Subject Line: START FRESH!
Date: Wednesday, January 4, 2006

I wish the creative were as strong as the subject line. I was inspired to click through by the strong simplicity of "START FRESH!", and wanted to see something special and new.