From: Crate & Barrel
Subject Line: Free shipping from our kids’ company!
Date: November 28, 2008

Land of Nod (the kids’ company owned by Crate and Barrel) has always taken a whimsical approach to their copy, and this email is no exception. Rather than settle for the same ole promotional approach around free shipping that every other retailer uses, the clever elves at Land of Nod created a memo from Rudolph. It’s definitely a fresh breath of air in a claus-trophic inbox. As a writer, the copy is my favorite, right down to the disclaimer line that says: Offer excludes furniture. Have you ever tried flying around with an armoire on your back? It’s not a pretty sight. On another best practices note, they created several places to click through: the eye-catching red nav bar and two links in the body copy. Plus, the whole thing is anchored by their Shop by Personality gift guide. I just wish they’d been a bit more playful with the subject line. It would have been fun to see something like: Memo from Rudolph: Free shipping on kids’ collections!