From: Harry & David
Subject Line: Send your Love with Cupid's Top Gifts
Date: Thursday, February 1, 2007

First of all, I would like to say that I adore Harry & David. Have you ever been anything less than super-psyched to receive a treat from this company? The pears are to die for. And I really appreciate the brand for being so happy and unpretentious. If you're ever stuck on what to gift, go with Harry & David!

One of the challenges Harry & David's email marketing campaigns come up against - and it's something a lot of us face - is packed, busy imagery. The five images featured in this example have a lot going on. Placed closely together, and compounded with overlaid product names and prices and numbered hearts, viewers experience information overload; It's difficult to focus on on any one thing.

Of course, one of the first things we love to suggest is "use simpler photography!" But when you're picking up catalog photo and don't have the opportunity to shoot specifically for web (much less for email campaigns) you've got to use what you've got. A second recommendation might be to cut down on the products featured, focusing on one or two best-sellers.

But sometimes you've just got to feature five (or more!) favorites. And in these cases, I'd recommend opening things up a bit. Here, the main copy block could become a full-width banner. We could feature six products rather than five for a clean 3x2 grid, bringing symmetry and balance to the creative. We could also try more whitespace between the images to give each shot more breathing room, and move the product names, prices and numbered hearts off and below the images to up clarity and readability. These simple changes would allow us to feature an additional product while making the campaign as a whole easier to digest. (No pun intended!)

Note to Valentine: those Belgian Chocolates look divine!