Monday, October 19, 2009

AM Inbox: The evolution of Sony's preheader

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

Sony, 10/14 — October OUTLET SAVINGS Offer ends 10/17/09‏
Sony has been gradually tweaking their preheader over the past month. As seen in this Sept. 23 email, they used to have a preheader message on one line followed by “view with image” and “view on mobile” links on another line:

Click to view this Sept. 23, 2009 Sony email full-sized

Starting with a Sept. 30 email, they condensed their “view with images” and “view on mobile” language down so that it could fit on the same line as their preheader message:

Click to view this Sept. 30, 2009 Sony email full-sized

And then starting with this email, they’ve added five community links to their preheader for greater visibility:

Click to view this Oct. 14, 2009 Sony email full-sized

The other change in this email is that they used “Sony Outlet” as their sender name. In the past they stuck with “Sony Electronics” when sending outlet messages. So long as you lead off with the overarching brand, this can be a good messaging tactic. HSN is a big believer in this tactic (see Oct. 17, 2008 AM Inbox).

Kohl’s, 10/16 — Must-Have Savings + 15% Shopping Pass, Shop Now!
Kohl’s gives us our first holiday header of the season. As discussed in the Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season, holiday headers can include countdowns, seasonal colors and imagery, and links to a “Holiday” or “Gifts” department—as Kohl’s does in theirs. Some retailers change their holiday header over time, so it’s possible that Kohl’s may add other elements in a few weeks when we’re closer to Christmas.

Click to view this Oct. 16, 2009 Kohl’s email full-sized

SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Costco, 10/14 — Spruce Up Your Home For The Holidays and More from Costco.com‏
Petco, 10/16 — PETCO Huge Sale Event! Save On Fall And Holiday Items + FREE Shipping!
Sam’s Club, 10/15 — Build and share Halloween slideshows and scrapbooks‏
Williams-Sonoma, 10/14 — Under $20: No-Bake Halloween Haunted House Kit‏
RitzCamera, 10/14 — Up to $100 Savings + Halloween Costume Photo Contest!
Lillian Vernon, 10/14 — Don't be Scared, There's Still Time to Save Big on Halloween Needs‏
Target, 10/14 — Don’t miss out: Great offers on Halloween costumes, apparel and furniture.
Kmart, 10/14 — The Savings Will Make You Scream - Costumes and Decor on Sale‏
Harry & David, 10/15 — Free Standard Delivery + $5 OFF Select Halloween Treats and Gifts‏
Oriental Trading, 10/16 — Special Halloween Offer - Get FREE Shipping on ANY order‏
Linens ’n Things, 10/16 — SpooktacularSavings: $15 Off Your Order Over $149 plus Free Shipping‏
Norm Thompson, 10/14 — 48 hrs: FREE SHIP. What's your color personality? Take a look.
Neiman Marcus, 10/14 — Multiply the ways to wear your favorite coat + Free online shipping at ANY PRICE‏
Bluefly, 10/14 — Win this Season's Most Coveted Bags - Sweeps Starts Today!
Brookstone, 10/16 — Digital picture frames now play videos and music + FREE Sitewide Shipping‏

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