  July 07, 2008Your Grill or Mine?
From: Tommy BahamaSubject Line: Your Grill or Mine? Try Our Blackberry Brandy BBQ Ribs Date: Wednesday, July 2, 2008 I love this subject line: "Your Grill or Mine? Try Our Blackberry Brandy BBQ Ribs" - it's super-cute - although I'm concerned that since the actual recipe content appears so far down in the mail, folks might wonder whether we're grilling the gal? February 26, 2008Video in Designs and Subject Lines
From: J.CrewSubject Line: The well-traveled tote (see video) Date: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 From: Louis Vuitton Subject Line: The first Louis Vuitton movie : Travel and Emotions Date: Monday, February 18, 2008 While it is still logistically impossible to embed actual videos into email messages, we have found that including links to videos noticeably increases clickthrough. Here, I like how J.Crew and Louis Vuitton extend that idea to the subject line, presumably hoping to up open rates as well. I recommend this; it's definitely worth testing. I also recommend including strong visual cues to indicate links to video; recipients respond best to obvious treatments like play buttons and frame treatments that look like Windows Media and Quicktime players. Both J.Crew and Louis Vuitton could have added more visual flair to draw attention the video factor here. (Video: so hot right now.) January 25, 2008Want to receive fewer Horchow e-mails?
From: HorchowSubject Line: Want fewer Horchow e-mails? Date: Monday, January 14, 2008 This email was brought to my attention by the fabulous Megan Regard. Thanks Megan! I say: snaps to Horchow for giving their recipients more control over the number of messages they receive. I like the idea of sending a dedicated mail totally focused on updating communications preferences, although I'm not sure I'd recommend framing it like this. I feel like the subject line "Want to receive fewer Horchow e-mails?" could potentially plant the idea into subscribers' minds that they receive too many emails, while something like "Customize your email experience!" seems more positive and open-ended, and doesn't potentially make the opt-down (or out!) decision for the recipient. But that's just my opinion; the proof is in the pudding! It will take months to measure how this mail ultimately effects subscriber behavior, but if anyone from Nieman Marcus would be willing to share the initial results, I'm sure many of us would be grateful to benefit from your learnings. Thanks and Happy Friday :)! January 23, 2008One-Liners
From: Pottery BarnSubject Line: Save up to $675 on delivery of our media suites! Date: Monday, January 14, 2008 From: Restoration Hardware Subject Line: Tired of Shopping? This Sale is Worth the Effort. Enjoy Savings of Up to 60% at Our After the Giving Sale. Date: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 In a tough economic environment, particularly for the home furnishings vertical, I acknowledge and salute the use of outrageous (and effective!) subject lines. These two, from Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware, got my opens: Save up to $675 on delivery of our media suites! $675 off is huge and compelling! Tired of Shopping? This Sale is Worth the Effort. Enjoy Savings of Up to 60% at Our After the Giving Sale. I commend Restoration Hardware's direct question and answer. They use a ridiculous number of words, but the words make an impact. Let's continue to consider how we can be more creative and impactful with our Subject Lines, particularly as subscribers' inboxes are more full and pockets are - well - less full. December 09, 2007Well, I should hope so!
From: Linens 'n ThingsSubject Line: 20% Off Total Order! Free Shipping with In Store Pick Up Date: Sunday, December 9, 2007 Fellow Smith-Harmon-ite Amy Evenson picked up on a funny subject line this weekend: Linens 'n Things promoted free shipping with IN STORE PICK UP! ... Well, I should hope so! Geez ;)! May 01, 2007Come what May...
From: anthropologie.comSubject Line: Come what May... Date: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 Anthropologie does consistently good work with their Subject Lines. While they're not necessarily direct, heavy-sell click-through quicksand, they are whimsical - which is very on-brand for Anthropologie - and relevant. "Come what May..." on May 1st is really cute. April 05, 2007Go Wide
From: Barneys New YorkSubject Line: Patent It! Date: Thursday, April 5, 2007 I'd like to note that Barneys went to an 800 pixel width for this campaign. While a lot of folks are claiming that 600 pixels is still the best practice, I'd like to see some proof as to why. We test all the campaigns we produce - most of which are at 700 pixels - in a huge number of web browsers and email programs and haven't come across any problems. BTW, this is a cute Subject Line. March 27, 2007The Nordstrom Way
From: NORDSTROM.comSubject Line: New from Brands like Velvet, Wilster & More | FREE SHIPPING with Shoe Purchase (Details Inside) Date: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 Nordstrom shows their Seattle roots with this gal's hairstyle, eh? I was actually at the Bellevue store this weekend and experienced truly legendary customer service, which I basically used to justify spending way more money than originally planned. See, good customer service really works! I have seen that more specific Subject Lines often generate a higher CTR, but this seems to be just about the world's longest subject line: New from Brands like Velvet, Wilster & More | FREE SHIPPING with Shoe Purchase (Details Inside). March 23, 2007Trash Talk
From: The Container Store Subject Line: Who says a trash can can't make you smile? Date: Friday, March 23, 2007 What a ridiculous, delightful subject line. I guarrantee this inspired a high open rate. Leave it to the Container Store to make trash happy ;)! The "Now Hiring Neat People" submessage headline is cute too. Although I was in a Container Store not too long ago and the salesfolks were not so neat...they were so attentive so as to be completely suffocating. We actually bought a few things and agreed to will-call pickup solely to get them out of our hair. I'm all for customer service, but not customer bombardment. January 23, 2007Three Cheers for DWR
From: Design Within ReachSubject Line: Final Week to Lounge for Less, plus Shipping and Champagne Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 Here, Design Within Reach infuses some fun into a standard design template. Using basic rules and color blocks, it goes from generic to Mondrian-esque. Cute. I also want to applaud the limited-time offer specificity in both the subject line and the headline. Finally, I'd like to call attention to the footer navigation. Many multi-channel retailers include their website, telephone number and store locator information in their footer navigation, but I like how Design Within Reach umbrellas it with the phrase "3 WAYS TO SHOP." It's subtle, but it gives the information a sense of context and serviceability. December 22, 20062 Fast, 2 Furious
Uh-oh. You'd better start checking your email more often. Limited-time offers are going down from days to hours this holiday. What do we think: is the within-hours window a smart way to make quick money, or a waste of an EDM campaign? I'd love to hear your experiences.
From: Saks Fifth AvenueSubject Line: FREE SHIPPING Ends at 1pm! + Designer SALE Date: Tuesday, December 19, 2006 From: Harry & David Subject Line: Hurry! Only a few hours left for Overnight Delivery Date: Friday, December 22, 2006 From: Neiman Marcus Subject Line: 5 more hours to shop: FREE DELIVERY ends at 1PM ET Today! Date: Friday, December 22, 2006 October 17, 2006Free Gifts with Purchase
Within a period of two days, both Sephora and Nordstrom offered what appear to me to be extremely compelling free gifts with purchase. Which is the better campaign? I made a purchase from Sephora. They created a click-through landing page listing exactly what was in the free gift bag. Nordstrom's offer might have been better, but they didn't list exactly what the croc box included. Better safe than sorry!
On an unrelated note, I'm interested in Nordstrom's use of "(Details Inside)" in their Subject Line. Thoughts? Also, is it me, or does Sephora's Subject Line not make any sense? 
From: SephoraSubject Line: 11 Free Deluxe Sample Beauty Jackpot Date: Sunday, October 15, 2006 From: NORDSTROM.com Subject Line: Fall Beauty Gift with Purchase | Free Shipping Offer (Details Inside) Date: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 June 12, 2006Smartest 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. May 30, 2006Fun with Subject Lines
From: UrbanOutfitters.comSubject Line: New shoes will make it better. Date: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 From: UrbanOutfitters.com Subject Line: Still good stuff, still cheap! Date: Thursday, May 25, 2006 Kudos to Urban Outfitters for having some fun with their Subject Lines. In what's become a science, it's great to see a little bit of tongue-in-cheek in the Subject Line arts. Dropping the masquerade, "New shoes will make it better." absolutely pokes fun at accessories addiction (and I'm sure the $20 pricepoint drove great sales), while "Still good stuff, still cheap!" labels a follow-up sale message as it is: yes, our stock is dwindling, and yes, the selection isn't amazing, but the stuff is pretty good, and it's cheap, so go ahead and drop a few dollars. Hillarious. 
From: UrbanOutfitters.comSubject Line: Do you prefer red... Date: Friday, May 19, 2006 From: UrbanOutfitters.com Subject Line: or white? Date: Friday, May 19, 2006 Of course, the real coup came on May 19, when UrbanOutfitters.com sent out two consecutive email messages with the subject lines conjoined. The first message was titled "Do you prefer red...", the second was titled "or white?" This was absolutely the first time I've seen that done, and I consider it the most novel innovation in EDMs since the tabbed campaign. I'm sure the open rates were outrageously high for these campaigns, however I'm curious about the click-through and conversion. While the double-message idea is novel, the creative, product and message were standard UO fare, and I'm wondering whether this type of "stunt" actually generates numbers. I totally applaud UO for their daredeviling - this was a fun surprise - however I would caution others not to "try this at home." Our inboxes are already full enough. May 06, 20061,000 Items
From: DWR StudiosSubject Line: Start Now: 1,000 Items On Sale at DWR Date: Friday, April 7, 2006 I'm not sure what "Start Now" means exactly ("Shop Now" would have been clearer), but "1,000 Items on Sale" makes for an extremely effective Subject Line. From what I've been seeing lately, if you're promoting any less than 100 sale items, don't bother listing the number. Numbers like 500 and now (wow!) 1,000 will definitely drive huge open and clickthrough rates. (Just make sure you have the product to back up the number.) April 12, 2006Simple Sale; Notes on the Virtual World
From: The Land of NodSubject Line: Save up to 80% in our Spring Cleaning Sale Date: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 This campaign doesn't do anything "new" per se, but it's a great execution of your classic graphical text SALE message. And with 80% off, which I believe is the highest percent off I've ever seen in a sale EDM, you can bet the open and click-through rates will rock. I'm fascinated by the use of the word "in" rather than "at" in the Subject Line, as in "Save up to 80% in our Spring Cleaning Sale." We would typically use "at" here, however since this is an online sale in a virtual location rather than a retail store sale at a physical location, it makes sense. Moving forward, I suppose we should expect to see more changes in prepositions and other parts of speech in order to better describe the burgeoning virtual world. January 17, 2006Show me more!
From: Anthropologie.comSubject Line: Brighten your day. Date: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 Another cute subject line from Anthropologie! Once again, this message is "undermerchandized". I think they could have shown us a few more images here. Why not make the message wider and show us two or three more product shots? January 04, 2006Start Fresh!
From: Anthropologie.comSubject Line: START FRESH! Date: Wednesday, January 4, 2006 I wish the creative were as strong as the subject line. I was inspired to click through by the strong simplicity of "START FRESH!", and wanted to see something special and new. December 30, 2005Not Just Junk!
From: Crate and BarrelSubject Line: Save up to 50% (including furniture, too) Date: Friday, December 30, 2005 This subject line is a great click-through driver. A smart way of saying "It's not just junk! There's good stuff on sale too!" I clicked through. December 14, 2005Click Quick!
From: Neiman MarcusSubject Line: Click quick: Last 3 days of FREE SHIPPING Date: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 "Click Quick", both in the subject line and copy, is such a cute concept! Too bad the creative is so weird. Are those Christmas balls or bubbling lava? Question to Nieman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman: Do you HAVE to send the EDMs EVERY DAY!? I only have so much room in my inbox. Every other day is fine. Let me miss you a little. December 01, 2005Fun & Games
From: Old NavySubject Line: Holiday Hint 5: You Could Instantly Win Up to $1,000 - Play Now Date: Thursday, December 1, 2005 Kudos to Old Navy for trying something new - an interactive EDM! Here we PLAY for our special offer rather than just CLICK for it Smart! Although I'm not sure how the "Holiday Hint 5" peice of the subject line relates to the message. A "hint" should be a piece of useful informtaion. It would have been better to use the SL to fully capitalize on the novel game element. October 28, 2005Secret Sale
From: The Land of NodSubject Line: Shhh! Secret Sale! Date: Friday, October 28, 2005 Land of Nod's copy can sometimes be cute and quirky, an other times a little TOO quirky. But this is them on a cute and quirky day. I'm always a fan of the "secret sale" concept, and they've used the subject line and copy to make it really fun. Not sure what I think of that little "Holy Moly!" guy in the corner, though. October 04, 2005What's with the goats?
From: Saks Fifth AvenueSubject Line: Shop Beauty & Lingerie & Get a Gift with Purchase + Fashion Incubator Date: Tuesday, October 4, 2005 A nice offer and a cute design with one problem: what's with the goats? Lingerie and goats? I don't get it. That's extremely strange. Another note: simplify the subject line to highlight the special offer for better click-through. You've got three "and" symbols in there. Too many! Try simply "Get an Exclusive Free Gift with Purchase". August 18, 2005Spend & Save
From: GymboreeSubject Line: Enjoy Big Savings - Only 4 Days Left! Date: Thursday, August 18, 2005 While the "Spend & Save" concept has always seemed hillarious to me, this is a nice execution. It can be tricky to differentiate between the different savings amounts, and Gymboree does it well using multi-colored dots. Great to include "4 Days Left!" in the subject line. That's sure to increase click-through. July 12, 2005Want to buy something from us?
From: Red EnvelopeSubject Line: Birthday, wedding or new baby? Date: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 Here's a great example of an email that should never have been sent. Not just because it's a sloppy garage sale, but because there's NO MESSAGE. Even the subject line reflects this lack: "Birthday, wedding or new baby?" |
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