Download - EBook series spring 2016 final
What bloomed, what stayed the same, and how marketers can plan for 2017
How 2016 Spring email campaigns got it right
showers
flowersbring
april
bloomin’ emailsIntroduction
Spring is a happy transition: the start of a bright awakening, of finally emerging from the gray and cold and wet. These celebrations open with Easter and then point us across three months to Memorial Day. Earth Day and Mother’s Day arrive in between, along with other, more general spring commemorations. All are occasions for gift-giving, wardrobe updates, travel opportunities, or gestures of respect for nature. Of course, marketers can’t resist observing these occasions, and the emails they send about them are always useful to analyze.
In this “Look-Book,” we share six notable spring 2016 marketing emails. In collaboration with eDataSource, Inc., Epsilon’s email experts have reviewed the subject lines, open rates and creative of these emails, and provided commentary on their execution and opportunities for improvement.
#Happy Spring!
Key insights
• Smart multichannel retailers are mindful of their brick and mortar businesses. Positioning a prominent store locator within the email is key.
• Selective cross-selling references provide very attractive lift opportunities targeted using actual product purchase associations.
• Clean, simple creative, along with clear CTAs, improve both focus and response. As always, effective mobile rendering is critical.
• Embedding animation within the email is another strong engagement driver, especially when it demonstrates product features.
• Personalizing offers to known customers’ locations or interests improves response, goodwill and retention.
MOTHER’S DAYSimple yet appealing creative. I loved it!
And, the vinyl record-shaped gift card is perfect
for mom. Barnes & Noble did an excellent job
of promoting their retail storefront in this email
with the “explore your local store” in the upper
right-hand corner. The cross-sell messaging
was very clean with great real estate to
promote what’s available now, upcoming
releases and the opportunity to upgrade your
vinyl experience.
Mara CrisafulliSenior Relationship Manager, Client ServicesEpsilon
MARA’S QUICK TIPS
• While I love the vinyl record approach of this email, I’d consider featuring some additional items like the NOOK®.
• Barnes & Noble could consider engaging the social channels with their vinyl campaign. They could send alerts and messages for things like “Throwback Thursday” and include the top five vinyl records of the 80s. - #TBT
Subject Line:
This week in Vinyl – Bette Midler Exclusive & More Gift Ideas for Mom
#Barnes & Noble
Read rate: 37.4%#
Read rate: 40.5%#
SPRING FASHIONS
Subject Line:
Easter Fashions Come in All Sizes!
Nice work, Build-A-Bear!
This simple email was right to the point, and
the price range of what’s being promoted was
affordable and fit within a parents’ ‘Easter
basket budget.’ The cross-promotion with The
Children’s Place was very fitting (pun intended).
And, I loved the selected imagery – the spring
clothes and Easter graphics of the ‘build a
bunny’ work well. Additionally, the engagement
in the social channels reflected both brands’
fun spirit of the Easter holiday. Nice work, Build-
A-Bear!
Amy Pepler, Senior Relationship Manager
Client Services - Epsilon
AMY’S QUICK TIPS
• PHT: Shop Now - Spring outfits for bunnies and kids!
• Subject line: Easter Fashions for all sizes!
• Headline in email: Spring Fashions for the Kids & their Furry Friends
#Build a Bear
Bring the cross-promotion with The Children’s
Place more front and center and connect the
dots for the recipient. It tends to get lost within
the body of email.
Read rate: 18.5%#
Subject Line:
Celebrate Earth Day With Ryan Reynolds & Eddie Bauer
Nice play! When leveraging holidays for promotional
opportunities, it’s important for retailers to not lose
sight of their brand. Eddie Bauer did a nice play here
on Earth Day as a holiday with their offer to plant a tree
for every dollar donated. Additionally, the inclusion of
the celebrity endorsement helped to reinforce Eddie
Bauer’s point of view and reached a larger audience
on the need to preserve our forests. This campaign
was also supported with video content leveraging Ryan
Reynolds voice over and was hosted on all of Eddie
Bauer’s social channels, including Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram. In addition, the 10% discount offering along
with the free shipping sustained the retail-apparel’s
focus of the Eddie Bauer brand.
Lauren Gentile, VP Executive Creative Director
Digital Solutions - Epsilon
LAUREN’S QUICK TIPS
#Eddie Bauer
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Consider embedding the video content
from your social channels in email;
including video even in subject line can
increase opens by up to 19%.
Feature your social hashtag; it’s a great
way to drive campaign awareness – even
consider live content to feature live tweets
and Instagram posts.
To accomplish this, consider modifying the
CELEBRATE EARTH DAY!
Utilize adaptive (or dynamic) content that
recognizes location to provide the modular
deals from the recipient’s home airport for
further engagement.
Include personalization in the subject line and
consider including the preferred departure
airport. Keep relevancy top of mind.Read rate: 22.5%
#Subject Line:
We’re makin’ it rain low fares!
#Jet Blue
Creativity at its best! I loved how JetBlue seized the opportunity of the rainy
season we experienced here in the northeast in early
May with their catchy subject line! Additionally, their
choice of colors within the email worked well and really
popped. The navigation bar worked well on both mobile
and desktop. The CTAs were clear and concise and did
not ‘overshadow’ one another. And including a little
sense of urgency with a banner on their hero image
certainly helped to add to the high-read rate.
Amy Crouch, Account Manager - Epsilon
AMY’S QUICK TIPS
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IT’S RAINING LOW FARES!
Read rate: 35.4%#
Subject Line:
Don’t Miss this Must-Have item for Memorial Day
Summer fun with the NFL! Football and summer? While the game might not
officially be played during the Memorial Day holiday,
the NFL is playing on the summer fun theme with
the promotion of their stars and stripes collection.
Personalization + sports team passion = win! The
‘up to 70% off’ is a huge savings and entices fans to
shop and plan ahead for their desired team gear for
opening day!
Kara Trivunovic, Vice President
Client Services - Epsilon
KARA’S QUICK TIPS
#NFL
Consider including the 70% discount offering
in the subject line to bring this to the viewer’s
attention before the time of open.
Consider adding countdown timer to the
official opening day of the NFL season.
MEMORIAL DAY
Read rate: 29%#
Subject Line:
Don’t Miss this must-have item for Memorial Day
100% CHANCE OF TRAVEL Although including glyphs (symbols) in subject lines
is not a new idea, it’s a tactic that has proven results.
On another positive note, Original Penguin took an
optimistic approach in their PHT with “great in the sun,
even better in the rain.” The use of animation ‘brings
to life the jacket’ and the wonderful features it has. –
When water gets on the jacket, it transforms from a
solid to a playful pattern.
Jason Kertz, Senior Art Director, Epsilon
JASON’S QUICK TIPS
#New Hydro Jacket
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There’s a bit of redundancy with the PHT
below the image. I’d suggest moving
directly into the support which explains
technology.
Original Penguin could take it a step further
and play on the color and pattern design of
the jacket --- it’s ‘blue skies’ when the sun
is shining and a ‘tropical rainforest’ when
it’s raining.
SPRING CLOTHES FOR RAIN OR SUN!
Conclusion
As demonstrated, a lot of great creative work went into the 2016 Spring
holiday planning. And, it’s in no doubt due to the fact that marketers are in
planning mode months ahead of time. Marketers begin with their Spring
season planning strategy in the early part of Q4. Keep this ebook handy to help
you with your planning for next year. It will be here before you know it!
Want to hear more from our experts about the Spring season? Please visit our Epsilon blog site, a Brand New View.
Driving response through creativity in email marketing