http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/ en-US Copyright 2010 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:21:26 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.24-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss From: crewcuts
Subject Line: cooper's D.I.Y tips
Date: Saturday, March 6, 2010

This is actually a spread from the physical catalog, but it completely grabbed my attention, and I'm hoping for crewcuts to create an email campaign based on the DIY idea. I have always been into crafting and all things creative, and particularly adore the ruffled seasaw dress with the dots. There's part of me that has an aversion to the idea of spending $64 for a kids dress and then messing it up with a marker, but really, the dot-finished look is like cuteness personified.
]]> http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/03/diy_cuteness.php http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/03/diy_cuteness.php Innovations Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:21:26 -0800 From: BananaRepublic.com
Subject Line: Chino goes chic-every day of the week
Date: Tuesday, February 16, 2010

I really like the originality of this design. The partial image with an arrow to "See More" really grabbed my interest.

It can be difficult to think up new ideas for email. When the "horizontal scrolling email" was introduced everyone thought, "Why didn't I think of that?!" I urge you to find your own unique ideas and styles. Set yourself apart and watch user engagement soar!


]]> http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/embrace_new_ideas.php http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/embrace_new_ideas.php Content Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:02:07 -0800 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 ;).
]]> http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/uncommonly_funny.php http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/uncommonly_funny.php Content Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:04:40 -0800 From: Dell Direct
Subject Line: 8-Hour Sale! Today Only - 7am-3pm CT!
Date: Friday, February 19, 2010 2:30:12 AM

When we create email campaigns to drive a response, most experts will agree that urgency is a key component of an offer. Without it, subscribers can save an offer to come back to at a later date, become distracted and eventually fail to respond at all.

With that said, short notice sales are very popular and often drive huge response rates by requiring the recipient to take immediate action. Personally, I love a good weekend sale or 3-day event where I know I need to act in order to get my savings. Keeping this in mind, advance notice has to be close to the short-term event and be delivered the morning the event starts. Sadly, Dell's email may have cut that window too tight and possibly turned subscribers off.

8 hours is a very short-term sale. While I received this email notification on the morning of the sale and before it started, I wasn't sitting at my computer waiting for it to come in. By the time I did see the message the sale had already ended. Email is a relatively immediate response medium, most opens and clicks happen in the first 72 hours and in the case of this message, that left out a majority of the response this email could've received.

It would've been better to send this message one or two days early, providing email subscribers advance notice (even exclusive notice) to the event, allowing them to plan for it and take advantage. This could even have been followed up with a reminder the day of the event. This way, instead of being disappointed that I missed a chance to pick up a new netbook at a great price, I might have instead been utilizing the express ship component and had it in my hands before my next business trip. ]]> http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/post_6.php http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/post_6.php Sale Messaging Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:41:48 -0800 From: Clinique
Subject Line: 3 tips to make eyes pop | FREE Shipping + 2 FREE minis!*
Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2010

From: Clinique
Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2010

I was thinking about buying some eye shadow -- easy right? Nope. There's matte, sheer, shimmer, gloss, pearl, powder, stick, cream, roll-on, liquid... and the list goes on. Makeup can be a bit overwhelming, so I was glad to see Clinique's eye-opening tips included in their email. The jumbo-sized products take me back to my pre-school picture books when life was a bit simpler, and there's plenty of clean, white space that leave me feeling calm and relaxed. I can totally do this.

The Eye Shadow Duo? I can rock that. And now I know how to put it on like a pro! As an added bonus, clicking on the Shop Now button takes me directly to the Eye Shadow Duo page and right below the product information, there's a How to Use tab with instructions, a Video tab with a demo and an Expert Tips tab that shows me how to bring out the best in my eyes.

Providing product tips increases my confidence and makes me much more likely to buy. I still have to make the all-important decision of matte verses shimmer, but at least I'll know how to put it on once I do. Thanks, Clinique!

]]> http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/clinique.php http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/clinique.php Call to Action Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:39:09 -0800 From: Kate Spade
Subject Line: our favorite gifts, for the guy(s) on your list
Date: Tuesday, February 9, 2010

After receiving so many fun emails from Kate Spade in my inbox, I find this Valentine's Day message for the "guy(s)" perplexing for one main reason: What is the copy on the gift-wrap supposed to be saying? "I love you, I'm sorry?" Sorry for what? This almost feels like Valentine's Day break-up gift-wrap paper. "I love you but it's not working, I'm sorry. Here's a wallet to commemorate our time together." Personally, I wouldn't buy something for my husband wrapped in paper that says both "I love you" and "I'm sorry." I think he'd have some questions! This would be my excuse,"I love you and I'm sorry I spent so much money."

I think the cleanliness of the design is recognizably "Kate" but I appreciate how it's a little different since we're also being introduced to Jack. When I click on each featured product I'm taken to a landing page with other gifts in that monetary category. It'd be nice if product names were listed in the email so I could learn more about these gifts without having to search for more information. By the way, what's wrong with buying a gift under $100 for the one you love?

Overall, I guess I just like-like this email. I think I'd love it more if I could make a more positive connection between what it means to buy a gift for someone you like, like-like or love while also saying you're sorry.]]> http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/post_5.php http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/post_5.php Copywriting Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:31:24 -0800 From: Lisa Harmon
Subject Line: Email Idols
Date: Wednesday, February 3, 2010

For those of you who didn't make it to the EEC's 2010 Conference, I'd like to share with you the fun of and the learnings from our Wednesday morning keynote session, "Email Idol." Creative teams from Smith-Harmon, Mighty Interactive and eROI took to the stage to show their best efforts at email stardom: Each redesigned email campaigns from USAA and National Geographic.

The good news? We were all Email Idols. Mighty Interactive's creative won the USAA audience favorite vote, Smith-Harmon's creative won the National Geographic audience favorite vote, and eROI's creative garnered the most orders when National Geographic ran an A/B/C/D split test between their control and our challenger versions.

Special thanks to Marc Haseltine of National Geographic, John Leistra of USAA, Sam White of eROI, Mike Corak of Mighty Interactive and Jim Spence of Smith-Harmon for rocking EEC 2010! I hope their efforts inspire you to do some creative testing of your own :).

Watch the Round 1 USAA video >
Watch the Round 2 National Geographic video >
Download the Powerpoint >
]]> http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/email_idols.php http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/email_idols.php Industry News Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:40:41 -0800 From: Lisa Harmon
Subject Line: Beyond Best Practices
Date: Wednesday, February 3, 2010

I was lucky enough to meet and talk with Marc Borgers and Michael Straathof of Borgers&Straathof at last week's EEC 2010 Email Evolution Conference. We chatted about moving beyond email creative best practices. Now that there's a general understanding of what the best practices are, there's an opportunity to find leverage in (and have fun with) breaking the rules! Watch the video >
]]> http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/beyond_best_practices.php http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/beyond_best_practices.php Best Practices Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:14:57 -0800 From: MobileMe
Subject Line: MobileMe account notice: update your credit card
Date: Monday, February 8, 2010

Technology is not my friend today. It all started at 6:30 a.m. with this email from Apple MobileMe. Apparently, my credit card on file had expired, so they needed me to update it on my account. Okay, no problem. But, um, how about a link to my Mobile Me log-in page? No? Too much to ask? Just a button? An underlined word? Heck, I'd even settle for a clickable logo. I found some small links at the bottom, but none of them specifically said 'GO HERE TO UPDATE ACCOUNT'. Making your subscribers do the work is not the way to get them to spend more money with you. Especially with a service-oriented feature like Mobile Me, which is supposed to make my life on the go easier. Sorry, Apple. This one was a major miss for me. On a positive note, I love the headline and the body copy. It's short, sweet and friendly.

Follow-Up Note: Stefan Pollard, our resident strategy genius, offered some interesting insight that I think is important to share. (See below) One thing that's interesting is that AT & T includes a button in their "your bill is ready" emails, so I guess it really is about the individual company and what they're comfortable with.

"Some financial institutions will provide links to "sign in", others are afraid to do so. What often makes the difference is the brand and the likeliness of being attached by phishing and fraud. The bigger the brand, the more likely they become a target and many FI's will include language that says they will never ask you for information or to log in directly, but rather simply remind you to visit their home page. This works well if you provide a URL that isn't tracked by your provider so it is fully branded. Consumers have learned to mouse over images and links to make sure the destination matches the target for protection." ]]> http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/no_buttons_for_you.php http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/no_buttons_for_you.php Call to Action Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:53:21 -0800 From: Clinique
Subject Line: Clinique Bonus at Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's and Younkers!
Date: Friday, February 5, 2010

From: Clinique
Date: Friday, February 5, 2010

Landing pages are often overlooked in email marketing, but are key in maintaining relevance between the email and the visitor's motivation when they click through. Every element of your landing page should state or support the value proposition of your primary offer. If the landing page is confusing, the conversion rate will suffer.

I received this Clinique bonus email this morning and was ready to make a purchase. I typically wait for "bonus time" to do so but this is where my confusion started - the email lists 7 stores that I have never heard of. I clicked through to the landing page to see if one of these stores happens to be located near me. However, when I clicked through, I was led to the store locator, which showed Nordstrom as the closest store (it is not one of the 7 stores listed in the email). Here's where I get even more confused - is the bonus available at Nordstrom, or just the 7 department stores?

I clicked on the "Clinique Bonus" link on the landing page and saw that a bonus is in fact available at Nordstrom. More confusion! Is it the same bonus? If so, why was Nordstrom not listed as one of the stores? Why isn't the gift and offer details on the landing page? After much confusion, Clinique has officially lost me on their landing pages. ]]> http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/bonus_where.php http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/bonus_where.php Landing Pages Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:43:58 -0800 From: Apple
Subject Line: Fitness made fun with iPod and iPod gear.
Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2010

From: Apple
Subject Line: Sounds like love. Give iPod this Valentine's Day.
Date: Sunday, January 31, 2010



There's no doubt that Apple has AWESOME design sense. Every email I get from them is breathtaking:

• They use vibrant, crisp and creative imagery
• Their newsletters have a great sense of flow and balance
• They're often using new creative treatments like having their images break out of the grid
• They include interactive/eye-catching treatments like ratings and videos
• They're not always about the "Hard Sell" -- Apple "Adds Value," as we would say at Smith-Harmon, by providing informative content with "Did you Know" sections
• They optimize for viewing without images by using HTML text in the majority of their emails

But have you noticed that they're missing a few key best practices? Such as:

• A preheader
• A View this Email with Images link
• Social/Sharing Options

I think a few of those small tweaks could show even more activity for them. But awesome job Apple, you are an inspiration!
]]> http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/_from_apple_subject_line.php http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/02/_from_apple_subject_line.php Best Practices Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:41:05 -0800

From: Red Cross
Date: Monday, January 15, 2010


On January 12, 2010, Haiti was struck by a devastating earthquake that not only shook the island but people across the globe. Within days, many organizations mobilized to collect donations. The Red Cross partnered with the Mobile Giving Foundation and First Lady Michelle Obama to launch an incredible mobile campaign.

Within three days of the earthquake, the Red Cross generated over $8 million in donations via texts at $10 per transaction. More donations were generated via short codes as other organizations launched their own mobile campaigns.

All marketing channels were leveraged to generate historically significant totals. Through websites, music sales, benefits, telethons and texts, organizations quickly organized to drive one the most focused and successful campaigns in history. Success was driven by three key components: low donation thresholds, ease of donation through mobile partners and cross channel efforts that amplified the message.

Donors were presented with options to receive updates on how their dollars were spent. Subscribers connected to the event through updates and news that drove continued contributions. To date, donations to help Haiti exceed $528 million. What an amazing feat!]]> http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/01/post_4.php http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/01/post_4.php Culture Watch Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:33:23 -0800 From: Lucky Brand
Subject Line: Switch Gears with Our Newest Vintage Moto Tees
Date: Thursday, January 21, 2010

As the red and pink haze of Valentine's Day messaging starts wafting into our inboxes (I can almost smell chocolate), I find Lucky Brand's denim-inspired email refreshing and cool. I'm usually not that impressed with their email program but the copy in this email brought me to a screeching halt. It took all but a nano-second to open the email after reading their clever subject line, "Switch Gears." Yes! Please!

On first glance I don't find the featured t-shirts to be particularly interesting. However, after reading the copy my feelings have changed. These aren't just t-shirts anymore, they're vintage t-shirts. The copy has me picturing James Dean filling up at a local gas station after a long ride on his bike - a rugged romanticism that Lucky has captured nicely.

Besides the copy, I think the design needs a tune up. I appreciate the simplicity and straightforward CTAs, but something is missing. It would've been nice to see these t-shirts displayed in a less static design and instead have it look vintage. Also, I think it would've been helpful if the product names were displayed somewhere to let customers know what to search for if they're browsing the Lucky Brand website. ]]> http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/01/post_3.php http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/01/post_3.php Copywriting Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:38:53 -0800 From: HP Home & Home Office Store
Subject Line: Your HP Home & Home Office Store Deals - Week of January 4, 2010
Date: Monday, January 4, 2010

From: HP Home & Home Office Store
Date: Monday, January 4, 2010

While I know a few senders already have begun to take advantage of the power of using their email lists to build their mobile contact lists, I still get excited when I see an example in the wild. Like most consumers, I'm not eager to get text messages for promotions on my iPhone. I don't mind receiving timely and relevant alerts for specific reasons, but for this message from HP, my excitement quickly turned to skepticism when I tried to provide my details.

I clicked on the image based form on the landing page to enter my mobile number, however, that was the only requested data point. The fine print reads "As a member of the HP Club you'll receive a maximum of 4 messages a month", which doesn't sound very customized or alert based to me. Without any chance to provide other details to HP like my name, email address (both could be populated from the email click saving time and ensuring data synchronization) printer type and typical usage, how can they possibly send me a relevant and timely alert when my ink is low?

As we continue to build cross channel programs and lists throughout 2010, we need to keep in mind one of the key lessons learned from the email channel -- consumers want meaningful choices and control of where and how they receive messaging from marketers. Respecting these choices builds stronger performing programs with more engaged recipients.]]> http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/01/post_2.php http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/01/post_2.php Landing Pages Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:19:55 -0800




From: kate spade
Subject Line: i resolve to wear out my passport
Date: Thursday, January 7, 2010

From: kate spade
Subject Line: i resolve to sing in the rain
Date: Thursday, January 14, 2010

Simple, clean and fresh. What a perfect way to start off a new year. Kate Spade is carrying this "i resolve..." handle throughout all their emails this month and I love it. Everything about this email gives me room to breathe. From the photography to the typography, and the free shipping top promo to the social footer. My fave is the "i resolve to sing in the rain". Given that I'm practically rowing a boat to my local coffee joint because of all the rain, the timing on that one was perfection. My only gripe is the landing page experience. When you click on the "Shop the Collection" link, it takes you to a pretty little landing page with a few rain essentials... and a few randoms (why is there a necklace on this page? is it waterproof?). Wish they had more of a selection to really tell the rainy day story. They have two jackets, one boot, two bags and an umbrella. Makes me wonder what a Macy's or a Piperlime or a Nordstroms could do with this type of story, since they have so much more to choose from.
]]> http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/01/i_resolve_to_love_kate_spade.php http://www.smith-harmon.com/blog/2010/01/i_resolve_to_love_kate_spade.php Content Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:48:39 -0800