May 2006 Archives

From: UrbanOutfitters.com
Subject Line: New shoes will make it better.
Date: Tuesday, May 16, 2006

From: UrbanOutfitters.com
Subject Line: Still good stuff, still cheap!
Date: Thursday, May 25, 2006

Kudos to Urban Outfitters for having some fun with their Subject Lines. In what's become a science, it's great to see a little bit of tongue-in-cheek in the Subject Line arts. Dropping the masquerade, "New shoes will make it better." absolutely pokes fun at accessories addiction (and I'm sure the $20 pricepoint drove great sales), while "Still good stuff, still cheap!" labels a follow-up sale message as it is: yes, our stock is dwindling, and yes, the selection isn't amazing, but the stuff is pretty good, and it's cheap, so go ahead and drop a few dollars. Hillarious.


From: UrbanOutfitters.com
Subject Line: Do you prefer red...
Date: Friday, May 19, 2006

From: UrbanOutfitters.com
Subject Line: or white?
Date: Friday, May 19, 2006

Of course, the real coup came on May 19, when UrbanOutfitters.com sent out two consecutive email messages with the subject lines conjoined. The first message was titled "Do you prefer red...", the second was titled "or white?" This was absolutely the first time I've seen that done, and I consider it the most novel innovation in EDMs since the tabbed campaign.

I'm sure the open rates were outrageously high for these campaigns, however I'm curious about the click-through and conversion. While the double-message idea is novel, the creative, product and message were standard UO fare, and I'm wondering whether this type of "stunt" actually generates numbers. I totally applaud UO for their daredeviling - this was a fun surprise - however I would caution others not to "try this at home." Our inboxes are already full enough.

From: stride rite
Subject Line: Stride Rite® In-Store Memorial Day Sale: $19.99 and up!
Date: Monday, May 22, 2006

From: Janie and Jack
Subject Line: Celebrate the Season and Summer Savings
Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2006

From: J.Crew
Subject Line: 30% off swim, just in time for summer
Date: Thursday, May 25, 2006

From: Burberry
Subject Line: The Burberry Sale on burberry.com
Date: Thursday, May 25, 2006

Perennially, Memorial Day is a time for red, white and blue sale messaging. Let's take a look at how a handful of retailers spun it this season.

Stride Rite followed the classic Memorial Day formula with a star-centered graphical campaign. They list a date range and a big, fat under $20 price point, all with the intention of driving traffic to retail store locations rather than generating web sales (another tactic common to three-day weekends.) Two thumbs up; this campaign is clean and clear. One recommendation for improvement (which applies to all Stride Rite campaigns): take better advantage of your horizontal space. You've got about 300 extra pixels hanging out alongside your current creative, just waiting to be leveraged.

Janie and Jack do a tasteful Memorial Day message, subtly integrating the holiday spirit with their classic brand. Predictably, Janie and Jack's summer savings take a secondary position as a submessage rather than an all-out red, white and blue blast.

J.Crew is crafty with their swimwear savings; they take a lackluster product and give it iconic, flag-waving status, probably offloading a lot of overstock in the process. This is an excellent example of using what you've got to your advantage. Love it.

As a British brand, an American national holiday puts Burberry in a funny position. Rather than capitalizing on red, white and blue, the British flag goes yellow for Memorial Day savings. Is Burberry showing a little anti-American sentiment?

So, we've had a few hot dogs and bought a couple swimsuits on the cheap. Happy Memorial Day. Ah, America...

From: Lands' End
Subject Line: Now improved: Summer's most versatile shoe
Date: Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Three cheers for Land's End! While they usually deliver schizophrenic multimessage campaigns, here they've presented us with an intelligent, focused message. Technically complex products are difficult to address via email. To promote their new-and-improved sport shoe, Land's End employs a clear headline and price callout, a large product image, plus five bulleted boxes touting it's most notable features. This particular layout of information serves as a great guideline for any bells-and-whistles product email promotion - be it a sport shoe, mp3 player or stroller.

From: The Land of Nod
Subject Line: Try the new and improved landofnod.com.
Date: Thursday, May 11, 2006

From: Neiman Marcus
Subject Line: MARC by Marc Jacobs: Shop fall & win a wardrobe
Date: Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Ouch! While I often see minor footer splits and menu misalignments, this week we've got some serious technical incompatibility coming from Land of Nod and Neiman Marcus.

While I applaud Neiman Marcus for attempting to push the envelope in email creative implementation, I'd advise everyone to wait on incorporating Flash into their email campaigns until email browsers can actually handle it. I'm glad Nieman included a "Have trouble viewing the email below? Click here!" link at the top of the message so I could see a hosted version of the Flash in a browser window (Everyone should be doing this regardless of whether or not you use Flash, by the way!), however, from my experience, only around 1% of folks click this link. Rather than trying to implement an email in Flash, I'd recommend doing a flat design and including a link within the creative to view an interative feature.

Land of Nod's glitch was particularly embarassing due to the context. The subject line invites us to "Try the new and improved landofnod.com.", but, because of an HTML coding error, all Mac users see is a blank white screen! Dang! Again, we are able to see the actual campaign if we click on the "View this email in a browser window." link, but for the 99% of folks who don't click that link, this is not only a lost chance to tout new features, but a particularly embarassing foobar.

Let's all make sure to test all of our email campaigns in multiple email programs, in Safari, IE, Netscape, Firefox, Camino and Opera browsers, and on Mac and PC platforms.

From: Saks Fifth Avenue
Subject Line: EMAIL INVITATION ONLY: Vince Fall 2006 Trunk Show
Date: Tuesday, May 16, 2006

While Saks campaigns are generally dull, this one is slightly frightening. Pay attention to imagery! Rather than inspiring folks to attend the Vince Trunk Show, the model pictured here, looking actually possessed, is acting as a major deterrent.

While we are intimately familiar with our product, imagery, and models, we have to remember that our customers are not. A normally beautiful woman can look awful and a usually gorgeous dress can look wrinkled, so do examine imagery carefully (or have a more objective person take a look) before delivering a demon. We cannot allow our familiarity to eclipse our discrimination.

From: J.Crew
Subject Line: Two Days Only: Shipping is free
Date: Monday, May 15, 2006

Here, J.Crew follows a straightforward formula to deliver what I would bet was a very successful campaign. We can strategize all day long, but sometimes the simplest message is the best: a practical, affordable product (under $20), + free shipping = certain success.

A recommendation: be clear about special offer stipulations. In this campaign, putting "free shipping" in the subject line leads us to believe that the featured tanks are free ship. We don't realize that free shipping only applies to orders over $150 unless we read the submessage copy. (We'd have to buy about 10 tanks to qualify!) I would bet this particular arrangement of information lead to a number of abandoned shopping carts, plus several calls to customer service.

From: VespaMagazine@VespaUsa.com
Subject Line: A Vespa Mother's Day
Date: Friday, May 12, 2006

This is a classic example of a forced seasonal spin. How many folks are going to buy Mom a Vespa two days before Mother's Day? This doesn't work from classic gifting or logical timing perspectives.

If you want to take advantage of a holiday or seasonal opportunity, only do so if it actually makes sense. Otherwise, as in this example, you'll not only fail to sell Vespas as Mother's Day gifts - you'll also alienate the customer considering a Vespa not for mom. Additionally, make sure you get the timing right: two days before the holiday doesn't work unless it's a "Last-Minute Free Shipping Upgrade" message. Generally, it works to start promoting holidays (other than Christmas) about one month in advance.

From: Janie and Jack
Subject Line: Celebrating Motherhood...
Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2006

While we do need to maximize campaign profitability, I am all for taking a break every now and then and sending out a sweet greeting like Janie and Jack did this Mother's Day. As their primary shopper is mom, it doesn't make much sense to promote gifts for mom, and I just think it's nice that rather than ignoring the occasion completely they took the opportunity to send good wishes.

I would love to see more greetings like this one. Wouldn't it be a laugh to get a message from Gap or whoever that just says "Hi, how are you? I hope your day is going well."? I seriously dare someone to do that. And when you do it, make sure I'm on the distro list!

From: online@ luckybrand.com
Subject Line: The Long and Short of Lucky Brand Jeans
Date: Sunday, May 7, 2006

From: Eddie Bauer
Subject Line: Take $10 Off All Shorts & Capris.
Date: Tuesday, May 9, 2006

Sometimes it's fun just to compare how what is essentially the same product is marketed to different audiences.

From: Crate and Barrel
Subject Line: Custom Color Outdoor Collections
Date: Tuesday, April 25, 2006

From: Lands' End
Subject Line: Family Summer Fun Starts Here
Date: Tuesday, May 9, 2006

While the rotating GIF image image can be a fun, dynamic addition to any EDM, it is rare that the animation ultimately edifies the actual message. Here we have two examples in which the rotating GIF is used efficaciously.

Like Pottery Barn's April 17 Chesapeake Collection ourdoor furniture message, Crate and Barrel's "Custom Outdoor Collections" campaign engages shoppers in the furniture customization process using color swatches. Here, going one step further, Crate and Barrel applies the color options to the product using the rotating GIF. Unfortunately, we run into some image dithering here, a common scenario when saving photography in the GIF file format, however, the sacrifice is well worth it in this instance. On an unrelated note, I applaud the inclusion of four lower pricepoint "Coordinating Items" in addition to the furniture product, as full-price furniture is often a difficult sell via the EDM vehicle.
View the animation here >

Let's move on to the Land's End message. For the purpose of this discussion, let's ignore the jumbled lower half of the message and focus on the animated GIF. I truly admire the way they've synchronized their category names with correlating imagery. This could be a great way to do a New Season Intro message (for instance, What's New for Summer for "Boys", "Girls", etc.) or a Gift Finder campaign (Great Gifts for "Men", "Women", "Coworkers", "Kids", etc.)
View the animation here >

As internet bandwidth increases and email inbox capacity skyrockets, consider the animated GIF as a way to add another dimension to your next campaign.

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

And the winner of the Best EDM of Q1 2006 Award is... Apple, with their January 27 "Love is in the ear" campaign. Congratulations to the team at Apple; our voters found a favorite with your success in working together product imagery, copy and a seasonal theme in an elegant, clever and effective way.

The vote was extremely close: Janie and Jack, Crate & Barrel and Kate Spade all earned significant votes (and kudos). Congratulations to the teams behind all of the nominated campaigns: you've raised the bar on Email Marketing industry-wide! Because you do such consistent good work, I wouldn't be surprised to see your names come up for consideration again in Q2...

Please consider participating in the Q2 2006 nomination process. Forward outstanding nominations to edm@smith-harmon.com. Please make sure to include the campaign From, Subject Line and Date fields, as well as the entire campaign creative. Preferred creative formats include a link to a hosted HTML file or a .jpg or .png screenshot attachment. Please list the reasons you consider the campaign worthy of consideration. Also, please indicate whether you would like your name posted online with your nomination.

Thanks so much to all of you for your participation! I hope to see more of your ideas and comments on the blog this quarter. Let's all work together to make our EDMs even more successful!

From: Coach.com
Subject Line: Spring Blooms for Mother's Day at Coach
Date: Monday, May 1, 2006

From: Sephora Beauty Editors
Subject Line: Perfect Brows: A How-To Guide
Date: Tuesday, May 2, 2006

From: Room & Board
Subject Line: Room & Board from coast to coast
Date: Wednesday, May 3, 2006

In order to offer customers helpful information, establish their voices as authoritative, and (at the end of the day) hawk product, retailers have been putting lots of effort into creating long-winded, text-heavy Email Newsletters. In most cases, I do not recommend sending these types of messages for two main reasons:
1) The email inbox is a "fast and furious" locale. When we log into our email, we do so to dash off a quick message. When we want to read an article, we pick up a magazine or visit a website. Email isn't the right environment for content-heavy advertising.
2) Newsletters require lots of time and money to produce. A simple, graphical "Free Shipping" or "Sale" message will pretty much always drive more revenue than a newsletter, so why not send one of those instead?

This Coach.com Newsletter is the perfect example of what not to do. The folks at Coach flatter themselves if they think people want to read ad blurb after ad blurb. Folks will consult "In Style" or "Lucky" magazines (which are generally perceived as neutral third-party authorities) for this kind of information. For Coach, showing larger images of each product would be more aesthetically pleasing, more informative, and I would venture, more profitable. I would recommend separating the topics featured here - "Whites", "A Fruitful Season" and "Techno Savvy" - into three separate email messages, each featuring large product shots and a sentence or two at maximum. Also, on a technical level, this newsletter suffers from the same deficiencies noted in my April 5 entry.

The Sephora Newsletter at least attempts to present useful information rather than just describe what's for sale. They've done a really nice job integrating pointers with product; I admire this email for it's content quality and organization. Still, I believe we'd rather read this type of article in "Vogue" or at a makeup artist's website. I'd recommend sticking to a simple, product photography-based email message that perhaps links to an article like this, or even better, links to a multi-buy landing page that allows us to put any number of these products into our shopping basket with a single click.

Last but not least: Room & Board. If you're going to send an Email Newsletter, this is really the right amount of content to present. Rather than overwhelming us with tons of text, Room & Board chooses a theme - "American Craftsmanship" (which at the moment is taking a serious hit from low-priced foreign manufacturers) - and offers us simple intros to full-length topical articles hosted on their website. Again, I doubt many direct sales will result from this type of message, but at least Room & Board has delivered something manageable and coherent.

All of that said, next time you're considering producing an Email Newsletter... just send a "Sale" message instead ;).

From: DWR Studios
Subject Line: Start Now: 1,000 Items On Sale at DWR
Date: Friday, April 7, 2006

I'm not sure what "Start Now" means exactly ("Shop Now" would have been clearer), but "1,000 Items on Sale" makes for an extremely effective Subject Line. From what I've been seeing lately, if you're promoting any less than 100 sale items, don't bother listing the number. Numbers like 500 and now (wow!) 1,000 will definitely drive huge open and clickthrough rates. (Just make sure you have the product to back up the number.)

From: Pottery Barn
Subject Line: Sale! New markdowns on summer style
Date: Friday, May 5, 2006

This is a great photography-based sale campaign. The copy is straightforward, the featured product is relevant, and the significantly marked-down prices (shown in red, as they should be) are compelling.

From: Barneys New York
Subject Line: Barneys Loves - Goyard
Date: Monday, May 1, 2006

From: Barneys New York
Subject Line: Barneys Loves - Frederic Malle
Date: Friday, May 5, 2006

This week, Barneys kicked off what appears to be a suite of email campaigns that are basically screenshots of their website category pages. (You can see the Goyard landing page here, and the Frederic Malle page here.) I'm sure Barneys is excited about their recently re-launched website, but EDMs should draw traffic to category page designs, not regurgitate them verbatim.

Word of advice: if you don't have a relevant message to deliver, and/or you don't have the time to execute a proper email design to convey that message, just be silent. While they may drive some traffic in the short term, a series of weak campaigns will result in bored subscribers, and thereby decreased open rates in the long run. If you want customers to open your email campaigns, click through, then invest a few thousand dollars in a handbag, invest in your customers by crafting elegant, efficient EDMs.