ebook series spring 2016 final

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What bloomed, what stayed the same, and how marketers can plan for 2017 How 2016 Spring email campaigns got it right showers flowers bring april email

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Page 1: 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

email

Page 2: EBook series spring 2016 final

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.

Page 3: EBook series spring 2016 final

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%#

Page 4: EBook series spring 2016 final

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.

Page 5: EBook series spring 2016 final

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!

Page 6: EBook series spring 2016 final

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!

Page 7: EBook series spring 2016 final

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

Page 8: EBook series spring 2016 final

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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••

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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!

Page 9: EBook series spring 2016 final

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