Season Finale: Halloween 2009
A look back on seasonal trends, email activity and standout B2C marketing:
Start to finish: The first reference to Halloween was on Aug. 9—although there were some references that I consider outliers in July, June and April. The final reference was on Nov. 1.
The distribution curve: The biggest day for Halloween emails was Halloween itself, Oct. 31, followed by Sunday, Oct. 11. Retailers sent the majority of their Halloween-themed emails after Oct. 9.
Most interesting emails: In this Aug. 20 email with the subject line, “Halloween Hannas That Help Kids In Need!” Hanna Andersson uses cause marketing to promote their Halloween products. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a retailer pairing Halloween with a charity effort. Hanna Andersson also uses some clever wordsmithing to promote their “eek-o-friendly” Halloween sleepwear.
The animated gif used by Harry & David in this Oct. 23 email is my favorite of the Halloween season. It’s eye-catching, fun, on-brand and supports the message of the email.
After explaining the origin of Christmas in July this summer (see July 27 AM Inbox), Overstock explains the origin of the Jack O’Lantern in this Oct. 23 email. Everyone loves fun facts like this. Overstock’s “At Home with the ‘O’” is a great, fun segment that definitely makes me scroll down into the email to read it.
In this Sept. 29 email, Drs. Foster & Smith partner a pet costume promotion with some helpful information about getting animals used to costumes and about keeping pets safely away from visiting trick-or-treaters. For shoppers concerned that their pets may not like wearing a costume, the article and video content may put them at ease enough to make a purchase.
Noteworthy trend: Several retailers added a “Halloween” link to their navigation bar, including Drs. Foster & Smith, Kohl’s and Oriental Trading. While many retailers add special links to their nav bars during the holidays, they haven’t traditionally done that for other holidays.
Multichannel tactics: Sephora tries to lure subscribers into their stores with free Halloween makeup lessons in this Oct. 17 email.
Email 2.0 angle: In this Oct. 8 email, Sam’s Club promotes their Pumpkin Patch, which posts the pictures of the best pumpkin carvings submitted by customers.
Standout subject lines:
Bluefly, 10/31 — O-M-Ghoul! EXTRA 25% OFF All Sale Items – Today Only!
Lillian Vernon, 9/9 — Exclusive Costume Ideas for Boils and Ghouls
Lillian Vernon, 8/28 — Costumes are Flying Off the Shelves - Get Yours & 15% Off!
Oriental Trading, 9/11 — Monster-sized savings: 20% off ANY order
Lillian Vernon, 9/23 — Scared You Won't Find a Great Costume? Find Yours & More, Plus 15% Off
Williams-Sonoma, 10/14 — Under $20: No-Bake Halloween Haunted House Kit
Read previous Halloween Season Finales: 2008, 2007, 2006
Explore Halloween 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 Halloween was on Aug. 9—although there were some references that I consider outliers in July, June and April. The final reference was on Nov. 1.
The distribution curve: The biggest day for Halloween emails was Halloween itself, Oct. 31, followed by Sunday, Oct. 11. Retailers sent the majority of their Halloween-themed emails after Oct. 9.
Most interesting emails: In this Aug. 20 email with the subject line, “Halloween Hannas That Help Kids In Need!” Hanna Andersson uses cause marketing to promote their Halloween products. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a retailer pairing Halloween with a charity effort. Hanna Andersson also uses some clever wordsmithing to promote their “eek-o-friendly” Halloween sleepwear.
The animated gif used by Harry & David in this Oct. 23 email is my favorite of the Halloween season. It’s eye-catching, fun, on-brand and supports the message of the email.
After explaining the origin of Christmas in July this summer (see July 27 AM Inbox), Overstock explains the origin of the Jack O’Lantern in this Oct. 23 email. Everyone loves fun facts like this. Overstock’s “At Home with the ‘O’” is a great, fun segment that definitely makes me scroll down into the email to read it.
In this Sept. 29 email, Drs. Foster & Smith partner a pet costume promotion with some helpful information about getting animals used to costumes and about keeping pets safely away from visiting trick-or-treaters. For shoppers concerned that their pets may not like wearing a costume, the article and video content may put them at ease enough to make a purchase.
Noteworthy trend: Several retailers added a “Halloween” link to their navigation bar, including Drs. Foster & Smith, Kohl’s and Oriental Trading. While many retailers add special links to their nav bars during the holidays, they haven’t traditionally done that for other holidays.
Multichannel tactics: Sephora tries to lure subscribers into their stores with free Halloween makeup lessons in this Oct. 17 email.
Email 2.0 angle: In this Oct. 8 email, Sam’s Club promotes their Pumpkin Patch, which posts the pictures of the best pumpkin carvings submitted by customers.
Standout subject lines:
Bluefly, 10/31 — O-M-Ghoul! EXTRA 25% OFF All Sale Items – Today Only!
Lillian Vernon, 9/9 — Exclusive Costume Ideas for Boils and Ghouls
Lillian Vernon, 8/28 — Costumes are Flying Off the Shelves - Get Yours & 15% Off!
Oriental Trading, 9/11 — Monster-sized savings: 20% off ANY order
Lillian Vernon, 9/23 — Scared You Won't Find a Great Costume? Find Yours & More, Plus 15% Off
Williams-Sonoma, 10/14 — Under $20: No-Bake Halloween Haunted House Kit
Read previous Halloween Season Finales: 2008, 2007, 2006
Explore Halloween tag.
_____________________
SEARCH... By Post Category / By Selling Season / By Retailer / By Topic / Monthly Archive
Labels: Animation, Charity, Consumer-Generated Content, Drs. Foster and Smith, Halloween, Hanna Andersson, Harry and David, Navigation, Overstock, Sam's Club, Season Finale, Sephora
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posted at 1:17 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.
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