The Do's and Don'ts of Father's Day Emails

Have neckties become a weird new motif in all of your dreams? Then Father's Day must be around the corner! I've gathered up a few of the biggest creative trends from this year's crop of Father's Day emails. You might say they're the top of the pops. (Or not. Sorry.)


DO inject some humor into your subject line.

Dad's not afraid of a cheesy one-liner. You shouldn't be, either. Catch your subscriber's eye with a lighthearted joke, a little wordplay, or that hallmark of dad style, a corny pun.

Tommy Bahama, 6/11--Everydad style for Father’s Day | FREE 2-day shipping ends tomorrow!
UncommonGoods, 6/6--25 Ways to Make a Grown Man Cry
DailyCandy, 6/4--Seattle - Put Your Gifts to the Paternity Test
Tablespoon, 6/10--Just Add Beer & Bacon: 20 Treats to Do Dad a Solid


DON'T be afraid to get sappy.

The best Father's Day copy this year proves the way to a man's heart is through his...heart. These examples from Dean & Deluca do a great job of telling a story that appeals to their subscriber's emotions. It doesn't really matter whether everyone who reads this email has a dad who loves baseball or fishing. They're sure to be reminded of what their father IS passionate about, and they'll be inspired to find him the perfect gift.

DEAN & DELUCA, 6/7--A Hot Dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz.

 DEAN & DELUCA, 6/12--All men are equal before fish.

DO be a broken record.

Be honest: how long did it take you to actually purchase a Father's Day gift? Did you put it off a few times before you finally clicked "Complete Order"? If my inbox is any indication, we could all use a little motivation. I noticed retailers sending up to 4 or 5 emails dedicated to Father's Day, each touch upping the urgency. Special consideration was given to last-minute shoppers, with shipping messages taking center stage. The takeaway: don't give up on us, Dad! We'll get you a gift--eventually.

Godiva Chocolatier, 6/11--Last Day! FREE Shipping + Our Top Picks for Every Dad

UncommonGoods, 6/13--The Father's Day Express

DON'T forget the rest of the family.

Not every retailer has a dad-centric inventory. So what? Repurpose your Father's Day send to appeal to anyone in the mood to shop. Moosejaw takes this idea for a snarky spin in this "Not Just for Dads" email. We've all seen retailers prompt shoppers to shop for themselves while they're buying holiday gifts; it looks like this tactic is expanding to other shopping holidays, too.

Moosejaw, 6/3--Father's Day Isn't All About Dads | Finally

Now it's your turn: Which emails have you been enthralled (or appalled) by this Father's Day?

Warm Welcome Emails

Hello, everyone!

My name's Raleigh and while Lyla's out on maternity leave, I'll be sharing trends and observations from my time in the digital marketing space, and I'd love to hear from you, too. I’ll be posting about once a week on retail email trends, offering my insights, tips and best practices. 

I've been out on maternity leave myself for a few months, and in that time, most of my email subscriptions have lapsed. I'm not proud of it. (But I am proud of you retailers for managing your lists. Nice work.) The upside of this is that when I took over this blog, I had the pleasure of signing up for my favorite email programs all over again.  And I gotta say, y'alls welcomes are looking gooooood.

When you're writing welcome emails, there's a basic recipe that always works. It goes, "Thanks for signing up! We'll send you this stuff at this time, but for now, you should start shopping. BUTTON." Add a nice lifestyle image and you've got a workhorse welcome that sets nice expectations and is a lovely introduction to your brand. But just because something works, doesn't mean you shouldn't tool around with it a little bit. That's why I was so pleased to see some fresh takes on the standard Welcome when I revived my poor neglected inbox. Today’s welcomes feel warmer and more personal than ever before. And they’re making it look effortless.

Design Within Reach, 5/28 -- Welcome to Design Within Reach

Check out the open, breezy feel of this Design Within Reach welcome. I feel like I could walk right into this room and have coffee. By keeping the copy minimal and the images juicy, they're catching my interest and getting me excited for what's to come.

Athleta, 5/28 -- Welcome to the Team!

Ditto this nice one from Athleta. A little inspirational copy is all you need to get immersed in their world. Bonus points for putting a new spin on the well-loved "here's what you can expect from our emails" spiel.

Modcloth.com, 5/28 -- Five ways to join in the Modcloth fun!

Finally, this Modcloth email goes against trend and applies their trademark adorable style to this Welcome, which is bursting with cute details. It may not be as streamlined as the Design Within Reach or Athleta emails, but it does a fantastic job of illustrating the features of their website. Whoever created this gem fit not two, not three, but five ways to engage without crowding or coming off as pushy. That's no small feat.

               

Has anyone out there experienced a particularly warm welcome lately? Share it with the group! And for some smart tips on getting personal with your customers, check out Maeghan Ouimet’s fantastic post on the New School Marketing Blog.

Introducing Raleigh Briggs

Greetings Readers,

Tomorrow I begin maternity leave, and couldn’t be happier to let you know that Raleigh Briggs will be taking the reins of the Retail Email Blog beginning next week.

Raleigh is a Responsys Creative Services veteran and brings considerable copywriting experience to the Retail Email Blog. She has worked with brands including REI, Yahoo!, See’s Candies, Tablespoon.com, Safeway and Make a Wish Foundation.

Please join me in welcoming Raleigh, and I hope you are looking forward to reading her posts as much as I am!

All the Best,
Lyla Reinero

AM Inbox: First Mention of Cyber Monday (!?)

The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

OfficeMax, 5/20 -- We’re Halfway There… Cyber Monday Deals!
While a quick perusal through the Subjectivity Scanner below will show that many retailers are getting an early start on Memorial Day promotions, OfficeMax is getting a REALLY early start on Cyber Monday! This email's subject line helps it stand out as unique from the others in my inbox, by using Cyber Monday Deals as the intro. The countdown clock imbedded into the email helps to increase the sense of urgency for the prospective purchaser.

LOFT used a similar tactic by using Cyber Monday in their email send on Mar. 31. Check out my post here.

SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Crate and Barrel, 5/20 -- Sun drenched. Shade ready.
ModCloth.com, 5/20 -- 3 fresh app features -- how 'Pinterest'-ing!
Anthropologie, 5/20 -- This with That: mastering monochrome.
Petco, 5/20 -- Get the jump on summer deals! Up to 40% off pet essentials!
katespade.com, 5/20 -- the options are endless
Ross-Simons, 5/20 -- HUGE Clearance Sale: Memorial Day Event!
Express, 5/20 -- ☠ Rock the rebel look
Pottery Barn Kids, 5/20 -- Make a splash! Up to 40% off inflatable pools, sprinklers and more
Walmart, 5/20 -- Huge, huge, really HUGE ROLLBACKS – while supplies last
Williams-Sonoma, 5/20 -- Everything You Need to Eat Outside
The Home Depot, 5/19 -- Memorial Day Savings Starts Early
Tiny Prints, 5/19 -- Sneak Peek at Our Memorial Day Sale


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AM Inbox: First Mention of Dad's day + a Do and a Don't for Subject Line Personalization

The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

Snapfish, 5/15 -- 5 must-haves for Dad | Print sale | Free shipping +30% off books and more
With Mother's Day just behind us, and Memorial Day and Graduations just ahead, there is no dearth of occasions for email marketers to promote right now. This email from Snapfish is the first sighting for The Retail Email Blog for Father's Day promotions this season.

LOFT, 5/15 -- Lyla, You're the first to know…
This email from LOFT is a nice example of a "Do" for subject line personalization. It leads with the subscriber's name, and is further enticing with the ellipsis. Another nice touch is the segmentation of the  locale dynamically populated in the pre-banner.

The Home Depot, 5/15 -- Colma: You Don't Want to Miss This Week's Ad
And here is the "Don't"... This subject line from Home Depot is personalized by the subscriber's preferred store location. Unfortunately, it reads a bit awkwardly, as if the store location is a salutation or form of address. I would recommend rewording the subject line to clarify that Colma is the store location being featured, such as You Don't Want to Miss This Week's Ad for Our Colma Store.

On a positive note, I applaud Home Depot for their delivery of a weekly flier via email (thinks of the trees saved!). The main body of the email shows a scaled down covered shot of the flyer, which has text too small to read, but clicking on the call-to-action takes the viewer to an online version of the flyer, which is nicely proportioned, and easy to read.

SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Snapfish, 5/16 -- 50% off site-wide | 3 great print deals
Crate and Barrel, 5/16 -- We love this table + Free furniture delivery.
Coldwater Creek, 5/16 -- Magic Hours Sale In Store & Online...
Anthropologie, 5/16 -- Traveling? Take note.
Petco, 5/16 -- Final day to save 20% sitewide!
west elm, 5/16 -- 5-Day Furniture Flash Sale: 20% off your faves...
J.Crew, 5/16 -- 9, 8, 7, 6...
CB2, 5/16 -- up to 50% off planters. contain your excitement.
The Home Depot, 5/16 -- Psst, Memorial Day Savings Start Today!
Walmart, 5/16 -- ☼ Pools from $99.97? Get OUT for family summer fun.
TOMS, 5/16 -- Exclusive summer plaids: get checked out!
The Children's Place, 5/15 -- Don't Miss Out! 30% Off Everything Ends Tonight!
LOFT, 5/15 -- Lyla, You're the first to know...
The Crutchfield Team, 5/15 -- Our best gear. Our best prices.
west elm MARKET, 5/15 -- Get fired up (20% off + free shipping)

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AM Inbox: Introducing Deal of the Hour

The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

Coach Factory Online, 5/10 -- Now $79: Deal #1 at the Deal of the Hour Event!
Move over Deal of the Day… Coach Factory Online has started rolling out Deal of the Hour campaigns. A surefire way to keep the serious shopaholic engaged, Coach is offering twelve deals with special pricing, with a new deal every hour, on the hour. In order to avoid flooding their subscriber's inboxes with a dozen emails in one day, Coach sends the emails for a third of the deals: #1, #4, #7, and #10. Ordinarily, four email in one day from a single retailer would constitute over-saturation in my book, but I think it works in this case. Enough to keep the sense of urgency going, but not so much as to be obnoxious.

SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
fredflare.com, 5/13 -- Just charge it
The Container Store, 5/13 -- Our Travel Buyer's 5 secrets to a great trip
Mark and Graham, 5/13 -- Free shipping on all gifts for the graduate
Spiegel, 5/13 -- Work It! Extra 30% OFF New Workweek Styles
Harry & David, 5/13 -- Shop Now And Save Up To 50%
BabiesRUs, 5/13 -- Want to Save on Top Brands? It’s Your Lucky Day!
LOFT, 5/13 -- NEW arrivals: Summer kind of wonderful
Walmart, 5/13 -- Special Buys? ✓ Clearance? ✓ More cash in your wallet? ✓
Anthropologie, 5/12 -- A breeze of a blouse.
west elm, 5/12 -- Just pick the place...
J.Crew , 5/12 -- Beauty and the beach (and shop our sale, in stores & online)
ModCloth.com, 5/12 -- Everyone's buzzing about... 1920s-inspired fashion!
Lowes Home Improvement, 5/12 -- Final Day? We Prefer Grand Finale.
Harry & David, 5/10 -- Save Up To 50% In Our Spring Fling Event!





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AM Inbox: Great Cross Promotions for The Great Gatsby

The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

katespade.com, 5/9 -- have you met our great gatsby clutch?
This email sent by katespade.com is perfectly timed to coincide with tomorrow's release of The Great Gatsby. Other than the timeliness of the email, there doesn't appear to be any relationship to the movie. The featured product is of a classic book clutch. A click to the email takes the subscriber to a landing page where The Great Gatsby is one of 6 classic novels featured in the clutch collection. However, much like Kate Spade products, the classics never go out of style.

Tiffany & Co., 5/2 -- The Jewels of The Great Gatsby
Every once in a while, a retail email completely sucks me in, and this one from Tiffany & Co. is a prime example of such, as I was inspired to click on every link in the main body: 1) The collection of Gatsby inspired jewelry. 2) The video that details the collaboration between Tiffany & Co. and the costume designer and production team of The Great Gatsby, and 3) The Pinterest Page.

Tiffany & Co. has got to be the brand most ideally suited for product placement for The Great Gatsby movie. I'm fairly certain I'll be dreaming of jewels and fabulous Art Deco parties all night…

SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
The Home Depot, 5/9 -- Up to $150 OFF—Special Buys
Anthropologie, 5/9 -- Dresses for here, there...
Tiffany & Co., 5/9 -- Tiffany Gifts for Mom Under $500
Coach Factory Onlin, 5/9 -- Perfect Picks for Summer | 12 Exclusive Deals: Tomorrow!
Spiegel, 5/9 -- Unforgettable Styles Now on Sale
Bluefly, 5/9 -- Happy Feet for All! Shoe Sale Up to 70% Off
Hallmark Gold Crown, 5/9 -- Only 3 days left to save on sweet gifts for Mom. Coupon inside.
Cabela's, 5/9 -- Time is almost up!
Harry & David, 5/9 -- 20% Off + Last Chance To Send Treats For Mother's Day!
Foot Locker, 5/8 -- Approved Styles You Need to be Seen In.
Wayfair, 5/8 -- ✿New styles in full bloom.
Bluefly, 5/7 -- Almost Over: Extra 10-50% off Every Mother-Lovin' Thing

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