relationship through their blog.
Here's a great example from Chaco, who recently dedicated an entire email to calling out one of their blog posts (see left). Chaco has covered a lot of ground with this post; they've created awareness of their repair program, which happens to be a huge incentive to buying their products, and they featured authentic, compelling stories of real customers and their connection to the brand. As an added touch, the hero of the email includes a picture submitted by their customers wearing Chaco sandals.
UPDATE: On a related branding note, you may have seen my blog post about Patagonia's sustainability campaign a few months ago. Fast Company recently ranked Patagonia 14th on their list of "The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies" for 'Selling More by Encouraging Customers to Buy Less' and cited a 30% increase in sales in each of the past two years. Looks like maybe it pays to do the right thing.
