We saw some great campaigns during the first three months of 2012, which made the selection process as tricky as ever. But the winners of each category all stood out for a number of reasons… Don’t forget to vote for your favourite, and submit any great emails you’ve received (or sent!) for consideration in upcoming installments.
Best Creative
Winner: Pizza Express’ Valentine’s message
Subject Line: Win your Valentine’s Heart
Why we chose it
The clean, clear design is very much on brand, with bold colours and the instantly recognisable logo. And the mailing effectively conveys a seasonal Valentine’s message but the restrained use of Valentine’s imagery and colouring ensures the message appeals to both romantics and regular customers. It’s also a great example of email best practice, effectively addressing the crucial Who, What and Why questions. Pizza Express have also taken the time to design the ‘images disabled’ version of their mailing. A clever use of background colours has enabled them to convey their branding and communicate their key messages before images are downloaded.
Why it’s great
WHO: The mailing uses very clear branding, incorporating both Pizza Express’ logo and horizontal stripes.
WHAT: The content of the mailing is conveyed in the colours, images and copy used, instantly communicating what the mailing is all about, without going overboard. The bright, clear and descriptive CTAs lead subscribers in what they should do. The ‘table of contents’ links at the very top of the mailing ensure that the £2.50 offer is communicated to all subscribers – even those with images disabled. And by limiting the content to three segments, Pizza Express have ensured these three topics will get attention without overwhelming subscribers.
WHY: The images are very inviting and make the product look tempting, while the copy works well to sell the benefits of interacting. We did think that the CTAs could have been more effective in addressing the ‘Why’ by conveying the benefits of interacting rather than the actions themselves, but overall, it’s a highly effective email.
Best Copy
Winner: Costa Coffee – Coffee Club message
Subject Line: Your free coffee’s getting cold!
Why we chose it
The subject line was the first thing that made us sit up and take notice of this mailing – and open it, naturally. It cleverly conveys a time-sensitive element while also communicating the message content. The mailing then goes on to use informal, inviting language to guide subscribers through the benefits of their new Coffee Club membership.
Why it’s great
WHO: The branding is conveyed through the bold use of background colour and the inclusion of an image of the Coffee Club membership card that recipients would have recently received.
WHAT: The subject line cleverly appeals to coffee drinkers by suggesting (with a dash of humour) that reading the email is a matter of urgency. Inside the mailing, the receipt image effectively conveys most of the information required, leaving the body copy to welcome subscribers and guide them through the process of their new membership. The secondary CTAs then drive traffic to the website to help continue the customer journey.
WHY: The subject line, receipt copy and body copy, as well as the three tiles below the statement clearly communicate how the points can be used through a combination of succinct copy and enticing imagery.
Best Strategy
Winner: Easy Jet – Email exclusive offer
Subject Line: Email exclusive – Amsterdam holiday deal from £159pp
Why we chose it
We saw some clever uses of data this quarter, making the Strategy category a tough choice, but easyJet’s long term view of email strategy helped this stand out from the crowd. It seems so simple to give email subscribers an exclusive offer but it’s something we rarely see come through our inboxes. Email subscribers are given a reason to subscribe and stay subscribed:True value.They are also encouraged to purchase directly through the mailing, avoiding the potentially competitive search engine environment, which successfully meets our First Law of Email Marketing.
Why it’s great
WHO: The orange colour and distinctive font are instantly recognisable as belonging to easyJet. The ‘holidays’ logo in the top right corner further clarifies which area of easyJet the offer concerns.
WHAT: As well as promoting the Amsterdam deal, easyJet are also educating their customers on the value of being a subscriber by presenting an ‘Email Exclusive offer’, and showing them a way of purchasing that could best suit them. As part of a long term strategy, this will continue to provide benefits. Meanwhile, by including the fact that it is an “Email Exclusive offer” in the subject line, they help remind all subscribers that it is well worth continuing to receive easyJet emails, even if they are not interested in this particular offer. Finally, the mailing encourages subscribers to share the offer with a friend, which has the potential to grow their subscriber base.
WHY: The time-sensitive and exclusive offer gives subscribers a great reason to interact if they are in the market for a trip to Amsterdam. However, easyJet have also provided enough information in the mailing and the subject line for subscribers to decide for themselves whether they are interested, showing a respect for their time. Whilst this may not have resulted in the highest possible open or click rate, we would guess that the conversion rates would have been higher than usual. This, combined with the email exclusive offer, shows a great strategy that focuses on the long-term effectiveness of the email channel rather than maximising the open and click rates of each message.
Last updated: Oct 17, 2016 admin
