From: UrbanOutfitters.com
Subject Line: Urban Outfitters is coming to Seattle!
Date: Monday, January 28, 2008

Aw, thanks Urban Outfitters for the custom grunge greeting :)! That is rad. Is there a whole city skin library? I'd love to see what y'all came up with for your various store locations...

Posted by lfharmon at 03:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From: Built By Wendy
Subject Line: Who says a trash can can't make you smile?
Date: Thursday, April 19, 2007

We're all still dreaming up effective ways to link up the virtual and brick-and-mortar worlds. This Built By Wendy email is an interesting example of such efforts. Of course, you realize that alcohol consumption is proven to increase spending at a rate of 20% per drink. Just kidding. But probably not, right? Not a bad idea.

Posted by lfharmon at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From: Williams-Sonoma Home
Subject Line: Free Gift from Williams-Sonoma Home
Date: Thursday, April 12, 2007

I see a lot of retailers struggling with how to use the email channel to drive traffic to brick-and-mortar stores. I think Williams-Sonoma Home does a great job here. The Free Gift promotion gives shoppers a reason to both visit and make a purchase.

Posted by lfharmon at 05:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From: anthropologie.com
Subject Line: A window onto a new year
Date: Wednesday, January 3, 2007

I like the use of color and texture here; how refreshing after way too many red holiday EDMs! But I'm wondering what kind of new year this photograph is a "window into". Is it beautiful or bleak? I'm feeling like the gal's chopped, unwashed hair, the hospital-style gown and the black leather couch are more "Girl, Interrupted" or even "The Ring" than they are dreamy or romantic.

On an unrelated note, I'm always excited to see the power of EDMs being leveraged to promote other channels. (In this case, catalog.) This is just another illustration of the obvious fact that online marketing is "the way of the future, the way of the future."

Posted by lfharmon at 03:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From: Barneys New York
Subject Line: Gorgeous Garmets for the Gloomy Months - In Stores Only
Date: Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Gorgeous garmets or not, Barney's can't spell! It happens to the best of us at one time or another, doesn't it? Thanks to eagle eye Megan Regard for catching that one!

Posted by lfharmon at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From: Crate and Barrel
Subject Line: Join us for a store fall preview
Date: Thursday, September 7, 2006

From: Lacoste
Subject Line: Friends and Family
Date: Monday, October 2, 2006


As online traffic increases and brick-and-mortar retail store visits dwindle, retailers in home furnishings and apparel are leveraging online marketing to drive in-store sales. Here, Crate and Barrel and Lacoste try two different approaches: an in-store event, and a print-out coupon.

I am fascinated by the growing interplay between the virtual and "real" worlds of commerce. Just last week I saw an actual "I Bought it On EBay" retail location on Long Island, a la "The 40 Year-Old Virgin," and recently learned about the thriving marketplace of Second Life. "Residents of one of the Internet's most populous virtual worlds shop, attend class—even run businesses. Soon you may do the same." Read the story in Popular Science.

Posted by lfharmon at 01:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)