Recently in Cross Promotion Category

From: Cabela's
Subject Line: Wanna Catch a Million-Dollars? Register Now!
Date: Monday, April 18, 2011

You know the hottest marketing channels of the day: email, mobile, social, fish. Wait, fish?

Cabela's launched a summer promo that spans not just email and web, but also non-digital waters across the country. They tagged real, actual fish with numbers you can enter online to win cash. Snag even more prizes by catching (and releasing) the fish while using specified Cabela's gear or clothing.

Their email clicked through to a microsite with details on the contest, short videos on how to remove tags and redeem prizes, and even info on keeping invasive species out of participating waters.

Talk about an innovative, brand-on way to keep customers thinking about the store long after purchasing line and reels.

Finding just how to be relevant to your customers is key to any marketer. Though I might ask them to proofread their subject line, I commend Cabela's for thinking outside the, um, tank with this clever approach to reinforcing brand loyalty and engagement.

From: UrbanDaddy (and J.Crew)
Subject Line(s): Read below to see the good ones... :)
Date(s): Tuesday, October 13, 2009 - Soon to be Discontinued

What is UrbanDaddy? Is it a "Who's your Daddy" kind of a Daddy and got my copy of Maxim magazine ready for toilet reading material kind of a Daddy... or a stroller pushing, farmers' market shopping, diaper changing, father of my children kind of a Daddy? Methinks J.Crew is betting on the former which is a bummer... because the latter type is more my kind of man.

I'm just not getting it... What exactly is the relationship between J. Crew and UrbanDaddy anyways? Is it a cross-promotion email campaign or full-on corporate sponsorship (like Johnson & Johnson being to BabyCenter what J. Crew maybe is to UrbanDaddy?) or something else entirely? And whatever it is, why is J. Crew pushing it so hard?

Fellow Smith-Harmon blogger Darrah MacLean wrote in an earlier blogpost about her annoyance with the difficulty she had trying to enter the contest for an NYC trip for two that J.Crew was promoting (said prize being J.Crew's enticement to get people to sign up for the UrbanDaddy emails). While I didn't experience the same troubles Darrah mentioned, I do think J. Crew could/should have done a better job of trying to figure out who the target demographic would be for UrbanDaddy before they sent out the contest email (clearly, they missed the mark with me!). My guess is that J.Crew sent the NYC trip promo email to their entire subscriber list without taking into consideration any segmentation. I'm know that I'm not that difficult to track - my cookies are always on - and I've only browsed/clicked/purchased in the women's and kid's departments... and now I am seeing these subject lines in my inbox:
*Rattlesnake Sausage, Belgian Beers and Satan's Whiskers
*Re: Meeting Up Tonight
*Your 7am Beer Is Here
*Late Night Booze and DJs in the Mission
*Endless Happy Hour, Bacon Biscuits and Gin for Days
(IMHO, some of these bear a strong resemblance to SPAM Subject Lines!)

To say that I find the whole "UrbanDaddy experience" offensive might be overstating it a tad, but something about their emails make me feel a smidgen uncomfortable and/or irritated. I know I have the option to simply unsubscribe (and I plan to - just as soon as I finish writing my little rant here), but I'm annoyed that I have to take the steps to do so. While I realize it's up to me to read the fine print, and that there's no real harm done, I kinda feel like a sucker for getting roped into signing up in the first place.

Ultimately, whatever the relationship is between the two, I'm having a hard time figuring out why J.Crew is associating itself with UrbanDaddy. The J. Crew man I picture is handsome, rugged and dresses with mad style (like my 'BabyDaddy') - UrbanDaddy is just its loser wannabe hangin' in Las Vegas Lothario friend.

This is just my 2¢... thoughts/comments anyone? :)

*Addendum - I am adding a little edit to this piece (strike-through on the last sentence). I did unsubscribe from UrbanDaddy and when prompted for my reason for leaving, I put the link for this blog in the comments section. Shortly after, I was contacted by Urban Daddy's Business Development Manager who wanted to know if I would be open to having a conversation about this piece. Uh-oh! No, actually, I called her and we had a lovely conversation, after which I realized that my words in this post came across a little bit meaner than I had intended. I guess publicly breaking up with somebody is never nice to do, and for that I can be "man enough" to apologize.

From: Buckle
Subject Line: As Seen In...
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2009

From: Express
Subject Line: Weekend Ready!
Date: Friday, August 28, 2009

From: Sur La Table
Subject Line: We're on TV (Hi Mom!)
Date: Thursday, April 2, 2009

I've recently noticed brands taking the opportunity to promote their popularity by flaunting the "As Seen In" angle. I find the idea compelling - it's cool to see that the brand is established, can be trusted and is well-known/recognized by the general public. I mean, why do most girls' buy Coach purses if not because of the popular reputation? Other ways to achieve this same goal might be star ratings (with more than 10 reviews), TV video ads or even an image of a celebrity wearing/using the product.

It also creates a cross-channel experience for those who have seen the product elsewhere. I also have to say I love the Sur La Table subject line addition of "(Hi Mom!)." :)

From: David's Bridal (co-brand with Shutterfly)
Subject Line: Congratulations! Our Gift to You
Date: Tuesday, July 21, 2009

From: Disney Movie Rewards
Subject Line: Amy, Happy Birthday! 25 Bonus Points Inside
Date: Thursday, June 18, 2009

From: Starbucks.com
Subject Line: Let Us Treat You To a Free Pastry
Date: Monday, July 20, 2009

A sure way to drive people to your website: offer an incentive!
Here are 3 emails that offered me a free gift, no strings attached!

Four reasons why giving something for free can make you money:

1. Great for Customer Loyalty
I wouldn't consider unsubscribing knowing I might have another gift coming in the future. I'll also hesitate to leave an email unread per chance I may be missing another great deal.

2. Helps to Grow Your Subscriber List
Immediately after getting my gift and seeing it wasn't a scam, I was enticed to encourage others to sign up so they can get their free gift (which I did, of course - who wouldn't want a free movie?!)

3. Provides Cross Promotion Opportunities
Along the way to getting my free gift, there is the opportunity to cross promote other products and/or get me accustomed to browsing the website.

4. Get People Hooked
Give me a sample of your product, I may just find that I can't live without it!

From: Starwood Preferred Guest
Subject Line: Rock Your Summer with Concert Tickets from SPG
Date: May 27, 2009

Is it me, or is this a weird pairing? I wonder if I was "picked from the crowd" because I happen to subscribe to both Live Nation and Starwood Preferred Guest emails. I pretty much subscribe to both of them since I am an Email Marketer, but the last concert I saw was Prince back in 2001 (back before Live Nation was even around!) and I've only been to a Starwood Hotel once (when friends of the family had booked an extra room and gave it to us for free). My point is, that I personally don't really fit into either demographic, and I have a hard time visualizing people who are in the Luxury Hotel and Rock Concert markets concurrently: "Hey honey! Let's stay at the St. Regis and then we can go see The New Kids on the Block for FREE!". Thoughts anyone?

From: Apple
Subject Line: Thanks for purchasing your MacBook Pro.
Date: Tuesday, January 6, 2009

After purchasing a MacBook Pro through Apple.com, I received this well-purposed and informative email. It provides helpful links to watch video demonstrations & read tutorials, while using the opportunity to cross-promote Accessories and a Service Plan. And the design isn't too shabby either.