Recently in Letter Format Category

From: Overstock.com
Subject Line: 50% TO 70% OFF
Date: Wednesday, June 22, 2011

This email starts off with an awesome, eye-catching subject line "50% to 70% OFF." I think to myself, "Ok, what?! Really?!" So I open it, and I scan the email for deals...only to be abruptly stopped by a letter from the CEO right as I'm thinking about spending some money. Personally, the inclusion of the letter is awkward. It has nothing to do with Overstock.com's 50% off sale. But, after reading the letter, I was given a code for free shipping, which was a nice addition.

Now, for the letter placement. Awkward? Yes. Effective? Definitely. Here's my quick reasoning:
- Did the crazy subject line get me to open the email? YES.
- Did I read his letter? YES. "Why is there a letter in the middle of this 50% email? It must be important."
- Did I scroll, and look at every square inch of this email? YES. I was curious to see if there was anything else that was in an unpredictable place.
- Did I continue to shop through the email of great deals? OF COURSE!
- As a designer, do I love this concept/idea/layout? *sigh* no...not particularly. But it works. So I'm torn.

I got to thinking that this letter might be better suited for a separate email series from Patrick, but then I thought, "Would I actually read it?" "Would I even open it?" Probably not.

So while this email had an awkward pause, my guess is that it was effective. And for most marketers, that's the point of a great email.

From: The Zoe Report
Subject Line: TZR: Best Overall
Date: Thursday, February 25, 2010

Don't tell me that because your technology is limited or your staff is small that you can't achieve relevance. This Zoe Report email is a miracle of relevance, sans stated or inferred preferences.

It's true: the looks of the nineties are coming back. To get myself ready to re-embrace the era, I downloaded Season 1 of the original Beverly Hills, 90210, which I happily watch while I work out on the elliptical each morning. Anyway, this morning, circa 5am, Luke Perry made his first appearance as Dylan McKay, "Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know," wearing (what!?) OVERALLS. Yes, overalls, with just one strap buckled. I almost fell off the elliptical.

So what appears in my inbox circa 7:47am? Yes, overalls, courtesy of Gaultier via Rachael Zoe. Despite her - er - debated flaws, Zoe knows what her market is obsessing about, and cover(all)s it.

Yes, advanced technologies and robust support teams are important parts of building an exceptional marketing program. But so is simply thinking about your subscribers and creating content that strikes a cord with them. I know that's something all of us can do, with just one strap buckled ;).

From: Please add our new mailing address to your contact list
Subject Line: JetBlue Airways
Date: Thursday, April 9, 2009

I received this email from JetBlue a few Thursdays ago. My initial reaction: "What a gratuitous use of the channel. Overmailers! Why would JetBlue use a valuable send opportunity, asking me to (1) open and read their email, then (2) do some other boring administrative task after that, without giving me anything in return?

But maybe I am unreasonable. I'd really like to hear your opinion. Is this a wasted mail? Should it have been incorporated as a well-pronounced submessage rather than sent on it's own? Or maybe (my opinion) JetBlue should have just pumped up the "add to address book" messaging in their preheader for about a month, adding some language about the address change. Tell me what you think!

Only partially related: If you haven't seen it yet, the new JFK JetBlue terminal is finally done, and it doesn't totaly suck. It's actually quite nice. It's actually so nice compared to the frightening excuse for a temporary teriminal they had going on for a few years there. That was seriously a third-world nation experience. Anyway, if you've been avoiding flying them because of that very scary temporary terminal, avoid no more! Perhaps they should have messaged the new terminal as their primary ;).

Happy travels!

From:Toys "R" Us
Subject Line: Product Recall: Infantino, Lil Chef Set
Date: Monday, March 16, 2009

Since signing up for Toys "R" Us emails a few weeks ago, I've received four different messages like this one, telling me that the store records show I've purchased something that's been recalled. Funny, because I can't remember the last time I purchased something from Toys "R" Us, and certainly none of these products. I don't really know what's going on here. On the one hand, it's great that Toys "R" Us is using email to spread the word about product recalls (and the emails look pretty good!). On the other hand, though, their records are not tidy. If they aren't sure whether or not I've purchased the product mentioned and are just playing it safe, then they should say so. I can imagine a busy parent being unable to remember whether or not they purchased the mentioned product, which could cause unnecessary concern. Getting so many recall notices is not only annoying, but it could harm the subscribers' trust in the store.

From: Starbucks.com
Subject Line: Starbucks has nutritious ways to start your day
Date: Monday, September 15, 2008

I like that Starbucks used a letter format to notify rewards members of their new breakfast options; it lends a sense of importance to the content and a delivers a feeling of personal communication to the recipient. I was, however, somewhat disappointed when I didn't see Howard Schultz's name and signature at the bottom of the message. I've enjoyed reading articles about his intense turnaround efforts, and - as a Seattleite - I like listening to Howard anecdotes from baristas around town.

I personally was pleased to see the new food items last week; some of the previous options had looked - well - not so nutritious ;)...