Back to What?
From: HollisterSubject Line: Just Cool. Hollister Back to School 2006
Date: Thursday, June 29, 2006
Gee, they didn't teach threesomes in the sand back when I was in school.
June 29, 2006
From: HollisterSubject Line: Just Cool. Hollister Back to School 2006
Date: Thursday, June 29, 2006
Gee, they didn't teach threesomes in the sand back when I was in school.
June 26, 2006
Let's Get Packing
From: Ann TaylorSubject Line: Your Summer Checklist, plus a Special Online Offer
Date: Tuesday, June 20, 2006
From: J.Crew
Subject Line: J.Crew at the beach
Date: Thursday, June 22, 2006
Here, Ann Taylor and J.Crew push summer wardrobes. While I'm charmed by Ann Taylor's aspirational environmental photography and checklist graphical treatment, J.Crew's silhouetted product imagery is more effective in conveying the idea of immediate convenience, virtually packing our beach bag with coordinating pieces. However, I was disappointed by J.Crew on click-through; I'd hoped to see all of these products listed on one multi-buy landing page, but instead was taken to the women's shop category, forced to search around for myself. While J.Crew took the time to carefully lay out our summer wardrobe in this EDM campaign, they did not go so far as to actually group the featured products in one location on their website, breaking the implied promise of a packed bag.
From: Lands' EndSubject Line: Off to Summer Camp
Date: Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Lands' End Summer Camp campaign is brilliant in it's relevance and usefulness. Here, rather than just pushing summer product, they offer a detailed Camp Packing Checklist. Lands' End provides something of value to the customer free of charge, while at the same time becoming a partner in the packing process, no doubt influencing customers to purchase all that extra underwear from them.
June 23, 2006
Plugging In
From: FreePeople.comSubject Line: Get the RSS on What's New with Free People
Date: Thursday, June 22, 2006
Free People is the first specialty retailer I've seen leverage RSS. While I know approximately nothing about the efficacy of this technology, I'm interested in how it may or may not change online retailing. The traditional website has totally changed the way we shop, delivering product into our homes and sparing us a trip to an actual retail location. With the RSS Feed, we don't even have to visit a website anymore! Product is offered at a personal virtual location even more convenient to us.
I'm a sort of creeped out by the "Minority Report-ness" of it all, but am curious to see if it catches on, and what that means for traditional websites and email marketing. RSS experts, please, offer us your wisdom and post a comment!
June 22, 2006
Consoling the Kittens
From: UrbanOutfitters.comSubject Line: Take an Extra 25% off. This time, we mean it.
Date: Thursday, June 22, 2006
This is awesome. Apparently there was a problem with Urban Outfitters' June 19th Sale campaign, and the message pictured here is a little apology for the flub. Being someone involved with and serious about EDM campaigns, seeing something as ridiculous as this - something flush with the humor of a human being, something admittedly imperfect - is so totally refreshing. It feels so authentic and vulnerable. I want to buy something, if not only to console the kittens.
June 19, 2006
A Question of Perspective
From: The Land of NodSubject Line: Introducing Furniture Color Previews
Date: Thursday, June 15, 2006
The dynamic color swap is a great innovation in ecommerce, and I applaud Land of Nod for implementing a Furniture Preview Tool. Also, although it's a little jerky, they make great use of the rotating GIF here to illustrate this new functionality. However, this email suffers from a Land-of-Nod-centric perspective. Rather than touting their own amazing functionality, the copy should focus on how this functionality serves the customer. The text should highlight how easy and fun the customer's furniture shopping experience will be, not how impressed they'll be with the Land of Nod. Remember who you're selling to!
To view the animation, click here.
June 16, 2006
Chapter Series
From: YOOX
Subject Line: YOOX 6TH ANNIVERSARY – Read what the future has in store
Date: Tuesday, June 6, 2006
From: YOOX
Subject Line: YOOX 6TH ANNIVERSARY - Latest News
Date: Thursday, June 15, 2006
From: YOOX
Subject Line: YOOX 6TH ANNIVERSARY - Invite Your Friends
Date: Friday, June 16, 2006
While the YOOX brand itself sort of mystifies me, I'm interested in how they've structured this series of emails using "Chapters". They've joined the group though subject lines and layout, plus number and rainbow color progression. I like the idea of engaging subscribers in a continuing story. While the above may not be the perfection of the email series form - and while I fail to see how Nietzsche and free shipping relate - I'm curious to see how the email series device evolves industry-wide.
June 15, 2006
Right on the Money
From: DieselSubject Line: Give your money a holiday
Date: Thursday, June 15, 2006
What a fun, well-produced sale campaign. It manages to scream sale without screaming sale.
June 12, 2006
Just Plain Stylish
From: Barneys New YorkSubject Line: Dad Deserves - Vintage Cufflinks
Date: Friday, June 9, 2006
From: Barneys New York
Subject Line: Dad Deserves - a Barneys Gift Card
Date: Monday, June 12, 2006
In the mess of busy last-minute Father's Day messages, these two very simple, very stylish campaigns from Barney's really stand out. Dollars-wise, they'll probably lose out to free ship upgrades and other offers, but Barneys is resisting the temptation to comprimise their brand for a few quick bucks. Today, Barney's deserves an aesthetic slap-on-the-back.
Smartest Sale
From: katespade.comSubject Line: please visit our online sample sale - limited time only
Date: Monday, June 12, 2006
kate spade has a history of executing visually appealing sale messages - click to see examples from January and October - and this one is no exception. At this time of year, the sale offers are literally stacking up in our inboxes, so it's particularly important for both the campaign creative and subject line to pack a lot of punch in order to stand out from the crowd. Here, including the "limited time only" clause in the subject line was a smart way to inspire subcribers to open now or miss out.
kate spade was particularly crafty here in requiring folks to sign up to take advantage of this limited-time offer; providing a deep discount incentive is an excellent way to gather customer data.
Just one "whoops": the "SEND TO A FRIEND" menu item is misaligned in the Mac Safari web browser. Since this message will probably be forwarded along more than most, this is a rather unfortunate HTML flub.
Animated Announcement
From: CB2Subject Line: Introducing the CB2 Gift Registry
Date: Monday, June 12, 2006
Building upon last week's novel usage of animation, CB2 brings us yet another delightful employment of the rotating GIF. While this works wonderfully as an announcement, I could see it working equally well for sale by category messaging. To view the animation, click here.
June 06, 2006
Ad Stack
From: Lord_&_Taylor@LordAndTaylor.comSubject Line: It's Time To Get Dad A Great Gift
Date: Tuesday, June 6, 2006
I am all for the strategic use of submessagery, but I have my doubts about the efficacy of an email campaign made up entirely of submessages. Here, it looks like Lord & Taylor just took a bunch of banner ads and stacked them on top of each other. Without a clear main message, customers don't know where to focus, and as a result they don't focus anywhere. The lack of a clear call-to-action - there are no underlines, carrots, or any other indications of clickability - only adds to the confusion.
Finally, I highly recommend including a prominent logo and a consistent set of navigation items at the top of every email campaign. The logo identifies the brand, while the navigation items (such as "shop", "gifts" and "sale") offer customers several constant clear points of entry to the website.
June 05, 2006
Hot, Hot, Hot
From: Barneys New YorkSubject Line: Summer Sale - Starts Today!
Date: Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Like their February "Yee-Haw!" sale campaign, Barney's "Sheesh!" summer sale message brings humor and fun to the email inbox. Bravo!
Just one recommendation for improvement: This campaign would have been even more appropriate in the dead of summer. For those of us who've braved the NYC subway system during rush hour in the heat of August, you know what I mean ;)! Through relevancy, we can inspire a sense of comraderie in our campaigns, making a deeper connection with our customers, encouraging dialogue, relationship, and (ultimately) sales.
June 02, 2006
Eye Catching
From: CB2Subject Line: Now back in stock by popular demand
Date: Tuesday, May 30, 2006
What a novel, effective usage of the animated GIF! Here, CB2 uses animation to their advantage in two primary ways:
1) By rolling in the 12 restocked products one at a time, CB2 guides us to follow the progression, influencing us to actually look at each item individually.
2) Combined with the grey circular grid design, the animation diverts our attention from the fact that the products are a mish-mash, effectively avoiding the dreaded "garage sale" look.
To view the animation, click here.
June 01, 2006
This is the Life
From: Starbucks.com
Subject Line: Coming soon – a must-see movie from Starbucks Entertainment
Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
From: Diesel
Subject Line: Calling all unsigned musicians!
Date: Tuesday, May 30, 2006
From: Starbucks.com
Subject Line: Catch the new Dan Zanes CD at Starbucks
Date: Wednesday, May 31, 2006
You can't go a single day without seeing a Wall Street Journal article about new media channels, TV online, and advertainment, etc. Since media is "so hot right now," I guess we shouldn't be surprised to see coffee and clothing retailers expanding their brands into movies and music. I actually saw "Akeelah and the Bee" (I also drink about four cups of coffee a day) - it was cute - but somehow seeing the "Starbucks Entertainment" logo at the film's start just felt wrong. We'll see...
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