Season Finale: Father's Day 2009
A look back on seasonal trends, email activity and standout B2C marketing:
Start to finish: The first reference to Father’s Day was on May 12 by Barnes & Noble. The final reference was on June 22, the day after Father’s Day.
The distribution curve: The biggest day for Father’s Day emails was Sunday, June 14, followed by Sunday, June 7. Retailers sent the majority of their Father’s Day-themed emails after June 8.
Most interesting emails: This June 13 Neiman Marcus really stood out because of its soft-sell approach, appealing to subscribers’ feeling toward their fathers rather than a discount. The black-and-white treatment adds to the sentimentality and timelessness of the moment, and gives them an older feel, which probably appeals to their older customer base. I imagine that these are photos of NM staff members’ fathers.
This May 28 email from Orvis is a solid example of messaging aimed at presenting a variety of gift paths—from a number of product categories and personalized gifts to an experiential gift of fly fishing school.
Home Depot does a good job of working lots of elements into this May 28 Father’s Day email. There’s a viral appeal, three highlighted product categories, a countdown until the end of guaranteed delivery with standard shipping, a box about gift cards, and a “shop by price” module.
Most bizarre email: There were many retailers that mixed Father’s Day and graduation messaging, a well-established “dads and grads” tradition. But you have to be careful when changing the language associated with various images. In this June 9 email, Office Depot pairs Father’s Day messaging with a graduation message. Presumably, at some point the language referenced both Father’s Day and graduation.
Standout subject lines:
Hallmark, 6/17 — Father's Day is Sunday! Get great ideas for Dad!!
NFLshop, 6/15 — Guaranteed Delivery for Father's Day + Great Gift Ideas
Neiman Marcus, 6/13 — FATHER'S DAY is June 21 + Free online shipping at ANY PRICE
Orvis, 6/8 — Free Shipping - We make it easy to find the perfect Father's Day gift.
Saks Fifth Avenue, 6/8 — Father's Day Best Sellers
Sports Authority, 6/7 — Father's Day Gift Center + $10 Off Your $50 Purchase
Costco, 6/6 — Celebrate Dad and Make Lasting Memories!
Home Depot, 5/28 — Make Dad Happy and Save!
Saks Fifth Avenue, 5/29 — Gift Ideas for Every Dad
Read previous Father’s Day Season Finales: 2008, 2007
Explore Father’s Day tag.
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SEARCH... By Post Category / By Selling Season / By Retailer / By Topic / Monthly Archive
Start to finish: The first reference to Father’s Day was on May 12 by Barnes & Noble. The final reference was on June 22, the day after Father’s Day.
The distribution curve: The biggest day for Father’s Day emails was Sunday, June 14, followed by Sunday, June 7. Retailers sent the majority of their Father’s Day-themed emails after June 8.
Most interesting emails: This June 13 Neiman Marcus really stood out because of its soft-sell approach, appealing to subscribers’ feeling toward their fathers rather than a discount. The black-and-white treatment adds to the sentimentality and timelessness of the moment, and gives them an older feel, which probably appeals to their older customer base. I imagine that these are photos of NM staff members’ fathers.
This May 28 email from Orvis is a solid example of messaging aimed at presenting a variety of gift paths—from a number of product categories and personalized gifts to an experiential gift of fly fishing school.
Home Depot does a good job of working lots of elements into this May 28 Father’s Day email. There’s a viral appeal, three highlighted product categories, a countdown until the end of guaranteed delivery with standard shipping, a box about gift cards, and a “shop by price” module.
Most bizarre email: There were many retailers that mixed Father’s Day and graduation messaging, a well-established “dads and grads” tradition. But you have to be careful when changing the language associated with various images. In this June 9 email, Office Depot pairs Father’s Day messaging with a graduation message. Presumably, at some point the language referenced both Father’s Day and graduation.
Standout subject lines:
Hallmark, 6/17 — Father's Day is Sunday! Get great ideas for Dad!!
NFLshop, 6/15 — Guaranteed Delivery for Father's Day + Great Gift Ideas
Neiman Marcus, 6/13 — FATHER'S DAY is June 21 + Free online shipping at ANY PRICE
Orvis, 6/8 — Free Shipping - We make it easy to find the perfect Father's Day gift.
Saks Fifth Avenue, 6/8 — Father's Day Best Sellers
Sports Authority, 6/7 — Father's Day Gift Center + $10 Off Your $50 Purchase
Costco, 6/6 — Celebrate Dad and Make Lasting Memories!
Home Depot, 5/28 — Make Dad Happy and Save!
Saks Fifth Avenue, 5/29 — Gift Ideas for Every Dad
Read previous Father’s Day Season Finales: 2008, 2007
Explore Father’s Day tag.
_____________________
SEARCH... By Post Category / By Selling Season / By Retailer / By Topic / Monthly Archive
Labels: Father's Day, Home Depot, Neiman Marcus, Office Depot, Orvis, Season Finale
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posted at 12:28 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:
Unbelievable! I just received the first email that mentions Christmas - today - July 1!. Congrats to Hallmark and their keepsake ornaments. Is this in line with what other retailers do?
Tina,
Actually this is really normal. There are a handful of major retailers that run "Christmas in July" campaigns and inevitably someone drops an email on July 1.
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