Subject Line Hall of Fame: 2008 Inductees
Welcome to the Retail Email Blog’s third annual inductions into the Subject Line Hall of Fame, which honors retailers whose subject lines stand out in the inbox because of their creativity and originality. A great subject line can mean the difference between an opened email and a deleted one—in fact, JupiterResearch says 35% of email users open messages because of what’s contained in the subject line. While mentioning a fantastic deal in a subject line can generate great open rates, you may not always have killer deals to tout. Creativity in 60 characters or less can give your emails the edge. After reading more than 12,000 retail emails during 2008, here are my picks for the most outstanding subject lines:
5. Finish Line, 6/2 — Selling Your Sole Can Be A Good Thing!
This is a fantastic subject line that perfectly complements this email about getting a discount on new shoes in exchange for donating your old shoes to charity.
4. Norm Thompson, 1/11 — Fan mail for socks? Yes! And that's not all...
Product reviews are hot. Subscribers really care what other customers have to say. This subject line taps into that interest, while also alluding to other content. This subject line worked so well that Norm Thompson used the same tactic a couple of weeks later with a Jan. 28 subject line “Our KNIT JEANS get love letters. See what they say...”
3. AbeBooks, 5/28 — Birthday. Happy birthday. Celebrating a New James Bond Release
This is a very clever subject line for an email that’s about the release of a new Bond novel, “Devil May Care,” that was released on what would have been Bond creator Ian Fleming’s 100th birthday. I’ll admit for a second a thought this was an errant birthday email (my birthday’s not until July), but I don’t think that hurt the subject line—in fact, it probably have helped it.
2. Sephora, 12/3 — 10 ways to kiss
A nice, short, intriguing subject line from Sephora promoting their top 10 lip gloss gift sets. You could easily see this as a cover line on Glamour or Cosmopolitan, which I think really speaks to their audience.
1. Bluefly, 10/23 — Rock the Coat
This is a well-timed, short and pithy subject line that puns on the familiar “Rock the vote” saying and taps into the unprecedented interest in the presidential election. Moreover, the subject line is backed up with Bluefly’s Fashion Decision ’08 feature, which asks customers about the fashion choices of the presidential candidates. It’s a light way of getting at a topical, heated issue while staying on brand.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Here are five more subject lines that are worthy of admiration:
AbeBooks, 8/8 — Crisis at the Olympics
Sent on Day 1 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, this email was very topical. However, when I first saw the subject line, I thought it was a news item, that there was indeed a crisis in Beijing. I’m sure some other subscribers had the same reaction and opened it—only to find AbeBooks promoting books about the Olympics. So the subject line was perhaps unintentionally misleading—and while part of a subject line’s job is to generate opens, it’s also to generate clicks by setting the right expectations. While this subject line probably delivered fantastic opens, it probably suffered in the click-through rate department.
Hanna Andersson, 1/24 — Why Are Hanna Babies So Happy?
As a question, this subject line stokes curiosity while also appealing to parents’ desire to make their babies happy. The email pitches subscribers on 100% organic cotton clothes “for absolute purity against tender newborn skin!”
Abercrombie & Fitch, 2/14 — Get Wet In Our Sexy New Swimsuits.
A tad suggestive? Yes. Totally on brand for A&F? Absolutely.
L.L. Bean, 3/11 — Our $12.50 Tees: "Stains Magically Washed Out"
This subject line stands out because of its use of a testimonial and tight construction. The quotation begs the question: Who said that?
Bluefly, 3/12 — Lust Have Shoes for Spring: Up to 40% Off Prada, Cole Haan, Gucci...
A fantastic pun on “must-have”—now if only they’d remembered to hyphenate it, per the rules for multiword adjectives.
HALL OF SHAME
While 2008 gave us some inspired subject lines, it also gave us some poorly thought out stinkers. Here are the worst:
Harry & David, 5/6 — SAVE up to 25% on last-minute specials - there's still time to delight your significant Mother!
This subject line made me shutter. The incestuous pun on “significant other” just made my skin crawl. So very, very wrong.
Sephora, 4/13 — Brand founders pick M-Day gifts!
The use of “M-Day” in the subject line really caught my attention—and not in a good way. Just like marketers occasionally use “V-Day” for Valentine’s Day, this conjures up war associations for me—and I’m not even a boomer. Also, if Mother’s Day is M-Day, is Father’s Day F-Day? Not very flattering.
Macy’s, 10/17 — Guzzle the savings at our One Day Sale: save 20-65% + Web Busters!
“Guzzle”? Like “gas guzzler”? Like “guzzle beer until you forget your troubles”? That seems like an extremely negatively charged word, particularly given the state of the economy at the time.
RedEnvelope, 4/3 — SAVE 25% ON YOUR ORDER -- WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen such a long screaming subject line on a non-spam email before. PLEASE DON’T DO THIS. Retrospectively, with RedEnvelope close to folding and eventually being sold, this subject line clearly conveyed the frustration that RedEnvelope staffers were feeling.
Urban Outfitters, 6/16 — 50 x 100
This is perhaps even more cryptic than the “A+” subject line Urban Outfitters used earlier in the year. Clearly they’re banking on subscribers opening it because (1) it’s from Urban Outfitters or (2) they’re curious to find out what the subject line means. My advice is always to look at things from the subscribers’ point of view: How well does this subject line convey the subject of this email? Graded on that, this one gets an F.
NOTABLE TRENDS
During 2008, there were a couple of significant subject line trends worth pointing out. First, retailers responded to rising gas prices by stressing that online shopping saves subscribers money. They also emphasized products that allowed subscribers to better enjoy their time at home since many people had to cancel their vacation plans because of costs. Here are some representative subject lines:
Toys “R” Us, 6/27 — Save $10 on Stay-cation Shopping!
Lands’ End, 6/13 — Great vacation values, and not a drop of gas to get here
Blair, 6/6 — Save gas and enjoy 99 cent per item shipping
TigerDirect, 6/4 — Over 150 Gallons of Savings from TigerDirect - See How...
TigerDirect, 6/3 — TomTom 4.3" GPS $149 - Save Time, Money & GAS
Sports Authority, 5/19 — Save $10 On Gifts For Dad + Free Gas Card Offer From Callaway
KB Toys, 5/8 — Save Gas by Shopping Online + FREE Shipping
And second, retailers made much more use of video content during 2008 and frequently promoted it in their emails and called it out in their subject lines. According to a MarketingSherpa case study, U.K. vacation park operator Haven Holidays was able to boost opens by 14.6% by including the word “video” in their subject lines. Here are some subject lines that highlight video content:
Saks Fifth Avenue, 9/5 — Beauty in Action: How-To Videos
Ralph Lauren, 2/18 — RLTV Presents: Cape Lodge, An RL Home Video
Harry & David, 7/31 — NEW! Watch our videos for easy, delicious recipes!
MLB, 6/18 — Vote now for your favorite "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" Video
Neiman Marcus, 11/17 — MANOLO BLAHNIK Exclusive video + Free gift wrap & Free
Abercrombie & Fitch, 10/30 — Check Out Our Latest Film.
Want more subject line inspiration? Check out the 2007 and 2006 inductees into the Subject Line Hall of Fame, as well as the Outstanding Subject Lines section of every Season Finale and the Subjectivity Scanner at the end of every AM Inbox.
5. Finish Line, 6/2 — Selling Your Sole Can Be A Good Thing!
This is a fantastic subject line that perfectly complements this email about getting a discount on new shoes in exchange for donating your old shoes to charity.
4. Norm Thompson, 1/11 — Fan mail for socks? Yes! And that's not all...
Product reviews are hot. Subscribers really care what other customers have to say. This subject line taps into that interest, while also alluding to other content. This subject line worked so well that Norm Thompson used the same tactic a couple of weeks later with a Jan. 28 subject line “Our KNIT JEANS get love letters. See what they say...”
3. AbeBooks, 5/28 — Birthday. Happy birthday. Celebrating a New James Bond Release
This is a very clever subject line for an email that’s about the release of a new Bond novel, “Devil May Care,” that was released on what would have been Bond creator Ian Fleming’s 100th birthday. I’ll admit for a second a thought this was an errant birthday email (my birthday’s not until July), but I don’t think that hurt the subject line—in fact, it probably have helped it.
2. Sephora, 12/3 — 10 ways to kiss
A nice, short, intriguing subject line from Sephora promoting their top 10 lip gloss gift sets. You could easily see this as a cover line on Glamour or Cosmopolitan, which I think really speaks to their audience.
1. Bluefly, 10/23 — Rock the Coat
This is a well-timed, short and pithy subject line that puns on the familiar “Rock the vote” saying and taps into the unprecedented interest in the presidential election. Moreover, the subject line is backed up with Bluefly’s Fashion Decision ’08 feature, which asks customers about the fashion choices of the presidential candidates. It’s a light way of getting at a topical, heated issue while staying on brand.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Here are five more subject lines that are worthy of admiration:
AbeBooks, 8/8 — Crisis at the Olympics
Sent on Day 1 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, this email was very topical. However, when I first saw the subject line, I thought it was a news item, that there was indeed a crisis in Beijing. I’m sure some other subscribers had the same reaction and opened it—only to find AbeBooks promoting books about the Olympics. So the subject line was perhaps unintentionally misleading—and while part of a subject line’s job is to generate opens, it’s also to generate clicks by setting the right expectations. While this subject line probably delivered fantastic opens, it probably suffered in the click-through rate department.
Hanna Andersson, 1/24 — Why Are Hanna Babies So Happy?
As a question, this subject line stokes curiosity while also appealing to parents’ desire to make their babies happy. The email pitches subscribers on 100% organic cotton clothes “for absolute purity against tender newborn skin!”
Abercrombie & Fitch, 2/14 — Get Wet In Our Sexy New Swimsuits.
A tad suggestive? Yes. Totally on brand for A&F? Absolutely.
L.L. Bean, 3/11 — Our $12.50 Tees: "Stains Magically Washed Out"
This subject line stands out because of its use of a testimonial and tight construction. The quotation begs the question: Who said that?
Bluefly, 3/12 — Lust Have Shoes for Spring: Up to 40% Off Prada, Cole Haan, Gucci...
A fantastic pun on “must-have”—now if only they’d remembered to hyphenate it, per the rules for multiword adjectives.
HALL OF SHAME
While 2008 gave us some inspired subject lines, it also gave us some poorly thought out stinkers. Here are the worst:
Harry & David, 5/6 — SAVE up to 25% on last-minute specials - there's still time to delight your significant Mother!
This subject line made me shutter. The incestuous pun on “significant other” just made my skin crawl. So very, very wrong.
Sephora, 4/13 — Brand founders pick M-Day gifts!
The use of “M-Day” in the subject line really caught my attention—and not in a good way. Just like marketers occasionally use “V-Day” for Valentine’s Day, this conjures up war associations for me—and I’m not even a boomer. Also, if Mother’s Day is M-Day, is Father’s Day F-Day? Not very flattering.
Macy’s, 10/17 — Guzzle the savings at our One Day Sale: save 20-65% + Web Busters!
“Guzzle”? Like “gas guzzler”? Like “guzzle beer until you forget your troubles”? That seems like an extremely negatively charged word, particularly given the state of the economy at the time.
RedEnvelope, 4/3 — SAVE 25% ON YOUR ORDER -- WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen such a long screaming subject line on a non-spam email before. PLEASE DON’T DO THIS. Retrospectively, with RedEnvelope close to folding and eventually being sold, this subject line clearly conveyed the frustration that RedEnvelope staffers were feeling.
Urban Outfitters, 6/16 — 50 x 100
This is perhaps even more cryptic than the “A+” subject line Urban Outfitters used earlier in the year. Clearly they’re banking on subscribers opening it because (1) it’s from Urban Outfitters or (2) they’re curious to find out what the subject line means. My advice is always to look at things from the subscribers’ point of view: How well does this subject line convey the subject of this email? Graded on that, this one gets an F.
NOTABLE TRENDS
During 2008, there were a couple of significant subject line trends worth pointing out. First, retailers responded to rising gas prices by stressing that online shopping saves subscribers money. They also emphasized products that allowed subscribers to better enjoy their time at home since many people had to cancel their vacation plans because of costs. Here are some representative subject lines:
Toys “R” Us, 6/27 — Save $10 on Stay-cation Shopping!
Lands’ End, 6/13 — Great vacation values, and not a drop of gas to get here
Blair, 6/6 — Save gas and enjoy 99 cent per item shipping
TigerDirect, 6/4 — Over 150 Gallons of Savings from TigerDirect - See How...
TigerDirect, 6/3 — TomTom 4.3" GPS $149 - Save Time, Money & GAS
Sports Authority, 5/19 — Save $10 On Gifts For Dad + Free Gas Card Offer From Callaway
KB Toys, 5/8 — Save Gas by Shopping Online + FREE Shipping
And second, retailers made much more use of video content during 2008 and frequently promoted it in their emails and called it out in their subject lines. According to a MarketingSherpa case study, U.K. vacation park operator Haven Holidays was able to boost opens by 14.6% by including the word “video” in their subject lines. Here are some subject lines that highlight video content:
Saks Fifth Avenue, 9/5 — Beauty in Action: How-To Videos
Ralph Lauren, 2/18 — RLTV Presents: Cape Lodge, An RL Home Video
Harry & David, 7/31 — NEW! Watch our videos for easy, delicious recipes!
MLB, 6/18 — Vote now for your favorite "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" Video
Neiman Marcus, 11/17 — MANOLO BLAHNIK Exclusive video + Free gift wrap & Free
Abercrombie & Fitch, 10/30 — Check Out Our Latest Film.
Want more subject line inspiration? Check out the 2007 and 2006 inductees into the Subject Line Hall of Fame, as well as the Outstanding Subject Lines section of every Season Finale and the Subjectivity Scanner at the end of every AM Inbox.
Labels: Abebooks, Abercrombie and Fitch, Bluefly, Finish Line, Hall of Fame, Hanna Andersson, Harry and David, L.L. Bean, Macy's, Norm Thompson, RedEnvelope, Sephora, Subject Line Hall of Fame, Subject Lines
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posted at 12:03 PM by Chad White
I love Smith-Harmon's enthusiasm. It's so great to have a connection with people who really "get" and get excited by email marketing. (Truly, there are not that many of us out there!) I count myself very lucky to have found such accomplished enthusiasts to collaborate with on the REI program. They are helping to bring amazing opportunities to fruition with panache.
2 Comments:
A very interesting post indeed Chad, well written and researched. 12,000 subject lines, I'm impressed.
I also like your review of what you thought was good and why.
I was hoping you'd pick this one from Circuit City...
Circuit City, 8/17 — Save on campus must-haves (beverages not included)
I have to admit we were pretty amused with ourselves on this one and it sparked many water cooler chats that week.
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