September`s Mid-Month Email Menagerie

Transcription

Mid-Month Email Menagerie
September 2012
Prepared by:
Jim Davidson
Manager of Marketing Research
@JimSaidIt
Bronto Software
324 Blackwell Street
Suite 410
Durham, NC 27701
Contents
What is the Mid-Month Email Menagerie? ........................................................................................................................................................... 3
Behold the Fold ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Promotions, Processes and Peeves ...................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Composition Exhibition...................................................................................................................................................................................... 16
Animation Station ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 24
What is the Mid-Month Email Menagerie?
I open nearly 5,000 emails each month. I also click in each one of them. Open…Scan…Click…Repeat…
This carpal-tunnel inducing activity results in the data I use for various reports including my monthly Email Marketing Trend reports. While I can never get enough data, I realized I
view and interact with a lot of friggin’ emails every month, so perhaps I should write something about them. In the slurry of “Free Shipping,” “20% Off,” “Last Day,” and “Hours Left!!!”
it takes a lot to earn my double-take and get labeled for this report.
The purpose of this menagerie, a collection of clever, curious or catastrophic emails from the past 30 days, is to serve as a reference of the best emails in the industry and those that
could be improved. Read about new tactics that you should test in your own programs and others that you should avoid.
Behold the Fold: Eye-catching use of the above-the-fold area of an email
Promotions, Processes, and Peeves: Interesting promotions, various subscriber experiences, and personal annoyances
Composition Exhibition: Designs that standout not always for the right reasons
Animation Station: Various uses of animated gifs in emails
Compliments and critiques represent my opinion only.
Mid-Month Menageries Archives:
August 2012
July 2012
Confidential. Do not distribute.
Page 3 of 27
Behold the Fold
Contrasting colors, textures and patterns can be an effective creative strategy, but this Horchow email with the
subject line “Super-easy update: Super-chic pillows & throws” and “comfy” hero copy features a spikey mirror
that looks like it could give you a rough splinter. The first thing subscribers see is definitely not soft or comfy.
Seeing the mirror first without the contrasting comfy pillows made for a confusing first impression.
Restoration Hardware is one of my favorite brands so I pay close attention to anything I receive from them,
including a recent 15lb fall print catalog. This email initially looks like an empty room of mismatched chairs with
no copy, branding, navigation, or information appearing above-the-fold. A minimalist approach to design can
work well, especially when showing up in the middle of emails containing rows of products and price points,
however it is important to keep some branding or copy visible to make the email easier to understand without
scrolling.
Page 4 of 27
London’s Fashion Week brings out the best of the new collections. MAC Cosmetics got their
subscribers in the mood by giving them a close-up look at makeup trends for autumn and
winter. The extremely up close shots really show the makeup trends while providing a bit of
shock when opened.
Page 5 of 27
Jumpers always make me pause. Similar to using the above-the-fold area for shock value, these emails
relate to human emotions. While Newport News takes a whimsical, happy approach to their “End of
Summer” sale, Eastern Mountain Sports has a daredevil grab your attention for their EMS Rewards
acquisition email.
Page 6 of 27
My first thought when I opened this Athleta email was “Why is Athleta flipping me off?!?” Ends up it’s just a
basic yoga pose… unlike August’s insanely advanced pose.
Like yoga, the inverted human is another frequently seen method of grabbing attention. This Wet Seal email
has the model air-pedaling an upside down imaginary bicycle.
Page 7 of 27
Promotions, Processes and Peeves
There aren’t many official holidays in August and September. Labor Day and Back to School promotions usually fill the void. A different approach is to center a promotion around a
st
lesser-known holiday or event. Blair took a different approach to a Labor Day weekend sale by theming their promotion around the Blue Moon that was in the sky on August 31 to
kick off the holiday weekend.
Fingerhut sent a “Happy Frankenstein Day” email on August 30 along with a recipe for a “Frankenstein
Smoothie.” While not directly tying into any particular product or promotion, the email does help keep
Halloween top of mind for shoppers. Yes, “Frankenstein Day” is a real thing. It occurs every year on August
th
30 to commemorate Mary Shelley’s birthday. HallmarkChannel.com is a great place to find these unusual
th
holidays. Did you know that October 4 is National Taco Day and National Vodka Day???
Page 8 of 27
Did you know there is a new iPhone? I say that sarcastically of course. The news of the new mobile device
saturated every news outlet and several brands were trying to be part of the buzz. Fab occasionally features iPhone
cases and accessories, but why wait for the actual phone to be in the hands of consumers? The day after the new
iPhone was announced, Fab (in partnership with Quirky) sent this email asking subscribers to submit designs or vote
on a few they already cooked up. Shoppers can “start buying the best ones in just a week!” according to the email.
This is a great example of creating subscriber engagement and building anticipation for a new product.
Emails promoting mobile apps are frequently seen. Communicating the value of downloading the app to the
subscriber while visually representing the interactive experience of the app can be tricky. There’s also the issue of
getting the subscriber from the inbox to the app download. They may not be viewing the email directly on their
mobile device and need to either remember to download the app later or grab their mobile device and translate the
information between mediums. This Dunkin Donuts mobile app email balances a lot of information without having the
message appear too minimalistic or bloated. “Pay with Your Mobile Phone” is the largest headline rather than the
call-to-action to “Download our App” followed by the reasons the subscriber will benefit. The app screenshot shows
the a payment method in action and a bulleted list
provides additional reasons Dunkin Donuts customers
will benefit from using the app. Direct links are shown
for Apple and Android users, which works well for
subscribers viewing the message on their mobile
devices. An additional option of texting a shortcode to
download is also included for subscribers who are not
viewing the email on their mobile device. This saves the
subscriber time by sending a short link that directs them
to the appropriate Apple or Android download rather
than asking the subscriber to launch their app store,
search, and then download.
Page 9 of 27
Oh yes… the holidays are here! Late August and early September saw the launch of dedicated holiday themed
emails and promotions. Horchow let customers know that “Santa and Horchow both offer free shipping” this
holiday season and linked to their “Holiday Shops.” While many consumers have not started their holiday
shopping, this early positioning of ongoing free shipping and their dedicated shops will help keep the brand top-ofmind when customers have their lists ready to check off.
Emails asking subscribers if they want to work for their brand during the holidays always throw me off a bit. I’m
used to being marketed to but I never expect brands like Pier 1 Imports to send me employment opportunities. I
do receive a few of these each year so they must be effective. The social sharing component is a nice touch
though I think placing the sharing feature higher in the email could drive more clicks.
Page 10 of 27
Awww shucks. Here are two brands that think I’m special! Customer appreciation emails are an excellent
way to break from direct promotional messaging and make a personal connection with subscribers. Of
course the personal connection is made by leveraging behavioral or profile data with keeping a sales goal
in mind. Still, the effect can seem very personable.
According to the copy in this email, Blair sat down for their weekly site review and thought I really needed a
seersucker shirt. This is probably based on click data. I open every email I receive and usually blindly
click on a random link. In this case, it was probably a seersucker shirt. I am seeing more emails based on
click and site-browsing data. Unfortunately, many of them have a few breakdowns. In this Blair example,
the copy states there are multiple products they are recommending (“these items” “these styles”) yet only
one product is shown. Considering I have clicked on multiple products, it seems like the data would be
there to populate more products. Always make sure you have your automated messages covered for
every scenario. In this case either require more than one product before the message is triggered, or if
there is only one product adjust the copy to a single product focus.
I use American Apparel examples often. Not only do they send unique emails, they also rarely
repeat themselves. I initially thought this email was a simple, non-promotional “thanks for being a
customer” email. Then, I saw the free shipping coupon code. Well, I’m sure that the touchy-feely
balanced with the promotion was effective, but I wonder how the email would have performed if
there was no promotion and relied solely on the personal connection between brand and
subscriber?
Page 11 of 27
Another approach is to send an old-fashioned letter.
JCPenney sent another email from “Ron” (aka the CEO of
JCPenney) sharing news of the month and asking
subscribers to share any feedback with him.
Both emails addressed me as “Dear Customer” which
immediately created a disconnect. For an email like this,
where you want to evoke a human connection, drop the
“dear” line altogether if you don’t have first name in the
database.
These emails also ask subscribers for something they
don’t like to give you: their time! Both of these examples
are lengthy reads compared to a typical email. If you take
this approach, make sure your message is worth it and
that the value proposition can be understood without
having to read multiple paragraphs.
Page 12 of 27
The oddest pairing of products award for the past month goes to CVS for their Diet Coke and
Neutrogena combo coupon. I have no clue how skin care and diet soda mix in usage or price point
but this coupon is perfect to unclog pores while enjoying some calorie-free soda.
Reeds sent a back to school themed email that appears to be dynamically populated based on
state. Many marketers want to segment or use dynamic content more often than time and
resources allow. Taking the time to add this layer of relevant messaging can result in increased
engagement and conversions.
Page 13 of 27
“Email is Dying” “Email is Losing Steam” Yes, those headlines cycle through every year. Either email has more lives
than a clowder of cats (yes that’s the correct term) or the headlines just aren’t true. This month, two brands used email
to reference print campaigns.
American Apparel lets subscribers explore the company’s print advertising archives, and reminds them that print ads
help build the foundation of their business.
Like a few other brands, LinenSource asked subscribers to vote on the cover of their holiday catalog. This is the time of
year to lock your brand in the top of the consumer’s mind and this method of participation in the holiday marketing can
build anticipation for receiving (and shopping!) the new catalog.
Page 14 of 27
Mistakes happen each month… and they happen to everyone. By no means are these
examples meant to reflect the level of effort that goes into a deployment, but they should serve
as a reminder to us all to test everything before clicking send and to verify that messages are
rendering properly in a mix of web browsers, operating systems and devices.
Table alignment issues struck Target. This is usually seen when there is a shift in the number of
columns or rows used in an email. The HTML code will render nicely in a web browser, but
view the message in an inbox and it breaks.
Dunkin donuts mistakenly sent an email to an audience wider than the intended New England
based segment. A playful apology email quickly followed explaining the error. Remember,
always keep a flexible, easy-to-edit template, like this one from Dunkin Donuts, on hand to help
get your apology emails out in a timely manner. Ironically, apology emails often see higher
engagement and conversions than the original email. In addition to explaining the mistake,
letting the customer know when it will be fixed, and any make-good, include links to shop and
you may drive some additional sales!
Page 15 of 27
Composition Exhibition
There are some brands you can tell dedicate time and resources to produce beautiful email designs. In my opinion, Bergdorf
Goodman is one of those brands. This minimalistic email features a standard product show of a pair of interestingly shaped
$1,900 boots. Only the top of the boot is immediately visible requiring the opener to scroll down to see the bottom of the boot.
This lets the opener understand the scale of the boot length and then the reveal of the interestingly composed base of the boot.
As someone who opens a ton of marketing messages, I found this to be a unique product experience helping me to understand
how the boot was built.
Horizontal emails that require the subscriber to scroll right to view the entire message aren’t uncommon. The extended width
usually looks like a vertical email that was rejiggered to a horizontal layout. This email from American Eagle Outfitters takes a
different approach. The areas containing play buttons are animated giving the subscriber a preview of what they can see if they
click. The right portion of the email does not contain any price points or promotional copy. This email felt more like flipping a
page rather than scrolling through an email.
Page 16 of 27
Q&A emails are a fun way to get your subscribers to engage with your brand. This approach also breaks the beat of
heavy marketing messages that can saturate a subscriber’s inbox during holiday related sales. This email from ICE
tackles the annual fashion question of wearing white after Labor Day. Subscribers are directed to collections of color or
only white based on their choice. I did notice that opposite images of the woman are used on the landing pages. FYI,
according to an Elle Magazine survey, only 11% still adhere to the “no white after Labor Day” rule.
Page 17 of 27
Similar to the customer appreciation emails in this report, the “What’s New” letters also ask subscribers to
commit drastically more time than a regular, more visually composed email. These examples also use vague
personalization: “Dear friends and family” and “Dear Shopbop Customer” when leaving this out completely or
dynamically populating first name only for those subscribers who have a value in the database could have
been better.
Another miss in my opinion for both of these emails is the lack of visual enthusiasm. Both are informing the
subscriber about exciting new ways to shop and updates to their sites. Why not bring some of that
experience into the email to entice the opener to become a clicker rather than giving them a bulleted list of the
enhancements.
However, what I love about these emails is that it shows that marketers behind the scenes are building their
communication plans around more than just this weekend’s sale. Another effective tactic is to send a series
of countdown emails before the launch of the new site. This can help ease customers into the new design
and functionalities and build excitement for the big reveal.
Page 18 of 27
I’m starting to see bigger, bolder and more direct calls-to-action. Willow Ridge used an insanely large “click
here” call-to-action dwarfing the line informing subscribers what will happen if they do. This is similar to what I
saw last month for Bedford Fair.
CompUSA let the “72 Hour Extravaganza” do the heavy lifting in this email by including a call-to-action to “Skip
this page…. See the deals” before showing any products and price points. This could be an effective way to get
people onto the site, however, over time this could begin to devalue the content of the actual email by making it
“skippable” in the minds of subscribers.
Page 19 of 27
Next up, two of my favorite brands… Moosejaw and Restoration Hardware. I’m offering these
two emails as a compare and contrast example. While a minimalistic approach may fit into your
brand, this white font on black background email from Restoration Hardware goes too far for me.
This email could have been composed in a Microsoft Office program. While a postcard style
email can be effective and help drive urgency rather than a putting a focus on products or their
discounts, this email really disappointed me.
Moosejaw swung in an entirely different direction with their fall “Paella Sale.” Products and
product categories are tossed in the dish along with the other more edible paella ingredients.
The email is humorous, a bit crowded, but still functional. I recommend going off script with your
email creative every now and then but make sure the email remains functional or the attempt to
be lighthearted could result in frustrated subscribers.
Page 20 of 27
Is that a unicorn? No, it’s just a QR code within an email. These rarely seen beasts were included in a
CVS email asking subscribers to download the CVS app. The primary images effectively informs
subscribers that they can print on their computers or from their smart phone but I was a bit confused
whether the offer was only redeemable on a mobile device. Also, if you use QR codes in an email, make
sure you clearly set the post-scan expectation. This email uses Android and iPhone specific codes but
the label for each is in small font below the code.
ShopNBC has some beautiful email designs. Subscribe to their program if you have not already and I’m
sure you will get some ideas for your email designs. I included a very similar email by ShopNBC in last
month’s report and commented about the product shot of the iPad showed a black and white ebook with
every reference to “Alice” highlighted. It seemed an odd way to sell something as colorful and dynamic
as an iPad. This more recent email not only shows a more colorful screen, but it also features the
ShopNBC app. While I don’t know how this email performed in comparison, I think this design is much
more effective.
Page 21 of 27
I get stumped every once in a while when I open an email. I had to spend some time (a few
seconds) to figure out both of these emails. Remember, “a few seconds” is a lot of time to expect
from your subscribers. This J.Crew email equally spaced letters and numbers over multiple rows. At
first glance, I could not tell whether I was supposed to read horizontally or vertically. I thought it may
be a puzzle, word find game, or a string of promotional codes. Then I scrolled around to realize it
was just an oddly spaced email. Remember all of that happened in a matter of seconds for
someone who has an interest in finding odd emails. Subscribers may not invest that much time
before deleting the email and moving on to your competitors.
Maidenform won the most photoshopped email award of the month.
Page 22 of 27
I mentioned Alabris’ non-functioning search box in last month’s report so I was excited to see it missing in
this email. I immediately read the 3-steps to free shipping copy. I think marketers can sometimes
underestimate a consumer’s need for something to be spelled out in such a fashion. Alabris does that well
in this email. After being doubly happy with this email, I saw a squiggly orange line after step three. That’s
when I noticed a call-to-action at the very top of the email asking subscribers to “Search here to save with
free shipping” even though the search box is just an image and not capable of searching. Dang, so close!
Origins cleverly paired a mascara brush and a leaf that looks like an eyelash. The mix of two unrelated yet
visually similar elements for the function of the product caught my attention… and reminded me of the
mirror in the Horchow example in this month’s “Behold the Fold.”
Page 23 of 27
Animation Station
(Click to view animation.)
Yea, Abercrombie & Fitch! Their emails can be a bit repetitive but this one included a rotating
model letting the opener seen the jeans from all angles. Way to break up the routine!
Note that only 256 colors can be used in an animated gif. Using frames with too many
contrasting colors will result in pixilation. There are other components of gif optimization that
can result in random artifacts that make images less appealing. This example from Pottery
Barn shows really crisp images in the foreground, but the pixilation of the background
immediately distracted me from the email’s primary focus. Check every area of your animated
images and make sure you understand all of the image optimization features available to you.
Page 24 of 27
Nasty Gal emails are a party in your inbox. They will always be fun when you open them up. They also
use animation often and usually very effectively. I featured some 3D animated images they used in a
previous report. They are worth checking out…
I found two animations from Nasty Gal worth pointing out. The email on the left shows a few frames of
the model dancing. The dance begins and ends with the model’s arms on her side which makes for
smooth looping of the animation. The email on the right is promoting the new magazine. My guess
would be that the animation is intended to give subscribers a sense of what’s inside the magazine and
encourage them to get a copy. The animation is really fast and contains copy. My first instinct was to
read the copy but with the speed of the animation, I couldn’t figure out what each frame said. Then I
saw the magazine call-to-action. For the most part, animated gifs are a visual experience. If copy is
used, frames should be timed to allow enough time for the subscriber to comprehend the message.
Page 25 of 27
It’s tough to tell a story in an animaged gif. These two examples pull it off. MAC ties in their “Overtime. After
Hours – Gorgeous” themed “Office Hours” promotion with this peak-a-boo animation.
The subject line of this Container Store email was “Wish you could magically
transform your space?” The answer is revealed by using animation when the
email is opened. A blank room is shown and the animation builds to include
the empty shelving product and finally items displayed on the shelves. This
helps the subscriber to understand where and how they could use the product
not just than all shelves are 25% off. Also notice that the animation is sliced
away from the rest of the email. (screenshot to the right) Separating these
sections decreases the number of colors required in the animated gif resulting
in a better quality animation.
Page 26 of 27
Helzberg Diamonds featured their “Create your own” charm braclet online feature and used animation to show the subscriber how easy it is
to customize the piece. The cursor grabs a charm from the bottom of the email and drags it onto the charm. Showing your subscribers how
to actually perform a task on your site can help decrease any perceived complexity or lack of understanding that could discourage a click.
While Helzberg Diamonds, like The Container Store in the previous example, sliced out their animation, Madewell sliced their animation in
half! The boot on the left taps its foot a couple times when the email is opened. Nice concept but there are a couple issues. The top and
bottom of the boot are separte images. When I opened the email, the top of the boot moved before the bottom resulting in an animation is
is out of synch. The animation did not loop so the tapping is only seen once. Had this imaged looped, the disconnect between the two
images would have increased. Keep animations as one image but do slice out the minimum amount of the overal email design to optimize
the colors needed.
Click to view animation: 1
2
Page 27 of 27

September`s Mid-Month Email Menagerie

Transcription

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