September 2010 Archives

From: Banana Republic
Subject Line: 40% Off! Today only + free shipping!
Date: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 5:47:12 PM

I opened up this email from Banana Republic this morning, and to my delight I found a 40% off promo code...that's huge! I was all ready to start shopping when, upon further inspection, I found out it was only valid Wednesday. Today is Thursday. Huh... why didn't I see this yesterday? Turns out they sent the email on Wednesday at 5:47pm PST (8:47 ET)! I'm surprised to see a one-day sale email sent out so late in the day, especially since the fine print states it's valid all day, 12am-11:59pm ET. (That only gives you about 3 hours to shop!) I wonder if this was done intentionally, and if so, what are the benefits of sending it so late? Thoughts?

From: Banana Republic
Subject Line: Happy Birthday to us! Celebrate with up to 30% off + free shipping!


Banana Republic has sent me an email everyday this week telling me it is their birthday. I received an email on September 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th (let's see if it continues through the weekend). While I do like the animation of the blooming flower, each email is very similar. The only noted changes were the color of the flower and sometimes the offer (20% off, 30% off, $20 off pants etc).

The piece of the email that stood out to me the most in these campaigns is the subject line. Every day the subject line began with; Happy Birthday to Us!
I get it - it's your birthday!

I open my emails every morning as I am commuting to work on my blackberry - and the first words I see are 'Happy Birthday'. I only opened up their email this morning for the sake of seeing if it was still the same, and it was.

I am curious to know their open and click through metrics on these campaigns - as well as the number of opt outs and spam hits.

Anyone else notice this ongoing stream of emails?

From: 77kids
Subject Line: fresh fun! hundreds of new arrivals + sweet sweats.
Date: Thursday, September 9, 2010

When you're writing copy, getting the correct message across should be your top priority. Second priority is, of course, to add a little flair that makes your messaging more engaging, memorable and on-brand. You want your email to stand out, but in a way that seems organic rather than contrived. A lot of email programs out there attempt to do this by bringing in bits of slang, making topical jokes or heading to Punsville. Any one of these tricks can work beautifully--however, go too far and your brand voice is in trouble. Let's look at an email that manages to incorporate some distinctive copy with grace, humor and great design.

This adorable email from 77 kids is a great example of how copy and design can work together to maximum effect. The copy has a youthful, colloquial feel to it, but it's done with a light enough hand so that it doesn't induce any eye rolling. The designer, having apparently read the copy (nice work!), smartly marries it with a cute photo and finger-painted text, allowing the elements of this design to make this whole email young and fresh. I just wish they had extended the playful tone up into the share header.

From: Bluefly
Subject Line: Today Only! Clearance Sale - Extra 20% Off All Sale Items - Now Up to 80% Off!
Date: Sunday, September 19, 2010

While I do enjoy shopping on Bluefly.com, I received three of the same emails in a row this past Sunday. Same subject line, and same content sent 10:05AM, 10:07AM and 10:11AM Eastern time.

Now my question is this: did they send to their list multiple times, forget to remove duplicates, or just want to get their point across? :)

Email	Landing Page	From: west elm Subject Line: Wherever you go, WE are with you Date: Wednesday, September 8, 2010 See the full landing pages: Philadelphia Portland Chicago

I received an awesome email from west elm today. The email offers city guides (where to eat, sleep, shop and discover) in three of the cities where west elm stores are located.

Why I love it:
It's important to give your subscribers content they can use and want to receive, not just what you want to sell them. This email helps to build that relationship without any type of product-selling spin.

How does this benefit west elm? The email:
1) Drives awareness of these store locations
2) Encourages locals to discover some of the recommended restaurants and activities in order to get them in the city to potentially shop
3) Motivates out-of-towners to visit these attractions and potentially stop by west elm
4) Helps build the email relationship with the subscribers by showing that their emails are worth opening

From: Apple
Subject Line: Introducing the new iPod touch.
Date: Wednesday, September 8, 2010

When we're dealing with the confined inbox space, little things make a big difference. Because of this, I talk about call-to-action "paradigms" with my designers all the time. How do we treat our primary, secondary and tertiary calls-to-action differently in order to create visual cues that communicate level of importance?

Apple does a good job of that here. There is ONE BUTTON, which makes the primary CTA quite clear. Secondary CTAs are blue and underlined. Tertiary links in the recovery module at the bottom of the message are larger, black and underlined. And navigation items are smaller, grey and underlined.

Consider whether you are being consistent in your call-to-action visual treatments. Little things make a big difference in both user experience and in program performance.

From: west elm
Subject Line: Wherever you go, WE are with you
Date: Wednesday, September 8, 2010

In addition to redesigning their website to feel friendlier with the introduction of both paper texture and handwritten font, west elm has also launched city guides in Philadelphia, Portland and Chicago. I'm curious about how y'all think about this. Does it make sense for west elm? How does it help the brand? The customer?

Also, I am interested in your reaction to the WE element. Please comment!

How many of you have received emails from retailers in the past month or so promoting their Fashion Night Out?? Fashion Night Out kicks off New York's fashion week - and is now spanning the globe with events from Brooklyn to Brazil to Bombay.

September 10th will spur a night full of events for different retailers across various locations. Most will have promotions, serve beverages/food and even have manicures and makeovers!

You can visit www.fashionsnightout.com for event listings and a list of retailers near you that are sponsoring the event. (You can even map out your own itinerary of stores to visit)

From an email stand point, numerous retailers are sending out one-off campaigns promoting the event. Some of the recent examples I have received are shown below.

This event is a great way to promote your brand, and give customers an opportunity to interact with your team, brand and products. Events like this can help customer retention, and make a consumer feel more of a part of the brand to a retailer, as opposed to just a dollar sign.

So who is going??

From: Banana Republic Subject Line: Enjoy 25% off at Fashion's Night Out.	From: Forever21 Subject Line: Fashion's NIght Out - Visit Us In Stores
From: BCBG Subject Line: Fashion's Night Out - Visit Us In Stores	From: Michael Kors Subject Line: JOIN US FOR FASHION'S NIGHT OUT 2010 - NEW YORK CITY

	From: Sur La Table Subject Line: Over 500 New Items - In Stores & Online Date: Monday, August 23, 2010
From: Anthropologie Subject Line: A homeward focus. Date: Thursday, September 2, 2010
	From: Dean & DeLuca Subject Line: National Honey Month With Dean & DeLuca Date: Thursday, September 2, 2010

Judging by the headline, you're probably thinking: "Another blog about fitting all your content above-the-fold, I get it already!" Well, this isn't one of those blogs.

As designers we all know the challenge in working within the fold. If you can fit all your information in that tiny bit of real estate, great! But when you have more information than you can fit, strive to make the scrolling-experience as intriguing and fun as possible. Here are 3 recent examples of how companies have done this well.

• Sur La Table
  uses image placement to create a negative space that results in a waving motion, which you would only notice when scrolling.
• Anthropologie
  uses arrows and staggered & tilted images which point in the direction you should be looking.
• Dean and DeLuca
  uses dotted lines that swerve out of one section and into the next, drawing your eye to the next area.
  

Here are a few other oldies but goodies, from:

• Canadian Tourism Commission
• Beach Park
• EEC
  

What: Holiday
Who: Mark Brownlow
Date: Friday, September 3, 2010

The fantastic and prolific Mark Brownlow has pulled together an excellent list of holiday resources, for those of you seeking inspiration and guidance.
Check it out here >