Return On Subscriber - Email Marketing Blog

Sarah Palin’s daughter, Bristol, had her son the other day. Congrats! However, I don’t think Yahoo’s ad network feels the same way. Plan B is, well, the morning after pill, and with a great tag line of “Because the unexpected happens”.

Click the thumbnail to view the larger version of the image

As with most agencies, we have a lot of talented folks here at eROI who bring additional skills to the table we don’t get to showcase.  Music is one of those things. We have a lot of part-time DJ’s who rock the clubs afterhours.

Our own DJ Vize and DJ Atonloshe have partnered up to create some unique holiday mixes to make the season funkier.

Thank you for reading the blog this year, and we look forward to growing old with you in 2009!

 Visit the eROI Holiday Microsite

Screaming Deal (Nau: Off the Grid)

What’s comfier than Santa’s lap? (Pier 1 Imports)

Men’s SALE NOW 60% off! KAPOW! (Barney’s New York)

Yelp: Piping Hot & Liquored Up (Yelp - Portland)

Now even MORE $5 Tees! Come and see! (Threadless)

Don’t Miss Out! 24 Hour Sale + Last Minute Deals in NYC and Vegas‏ (Hotels.com)

Jingle Jams: A Holiday Music Mix‏ (NPR Music)

Just a friendly reminder for you to check to make sure your the images in your email have HTML “alt” tags, which displays a text description when the image does not display. Here is why…

Images Off (click to enlarge)

Images On (click to enlarge)

Need I say more? Well yes, I will say more. Read the rest of this entry »

We just launched our newest blog today, eROINYC. Approaching the one-year anniversary of eROI in New York, we decided to launch the blog with some of the most original and unique video footage on New York life and great insight on campaigns, emails, art, and websites by our Director, Chris Masagatani. Check out The Rebirth of Slick.

Theresa Howard at USA TODAY has an article today on the use of email marketing by retailers this holiday season.  Here it is:

Sure, Web videos are cool, but direct marketing can be loaded with incentives that actually get people into stores or onto websites to buy something. In today’s rocky retail climate, that’s more important than ever. The National Retail Federation projects that sales will be up just 2.2%, the lowest growth since 2003, and industry estimates see store traffic actually declining by as much as 9%.

What’s the appeal of e-mail pitches? They’re cheaper and quicker than print inserts or direct mail for reaching millions of shoppers. E-mail messages’ average cost is about $7 per consumer response, vs. $48 per response for traditional direct mail. And retailers can craft and send a promotion in about half the time it would take to print and distribute traditional messages.

“In this economic crisis, e-mail is replacing a lot of the more traditional tried-and-true and more expensive media channels like direct mail and TV,” says Carey Isom, director of digital direct marketing for agency Arc Worldwide. “I’m seeing a lot more promotions, and a lot of coupons that are giving consumers options for free shipping or to get them in the store.”

Saks Fifth Avenue installed a new point-of-sale system with Web capabilities in its 53 stores to gather e-mail addresses and ramp up customized e-mails this season. “We have it in place this holiday season for all stores,” says Kimberly Grabel, senior vice president of marketing, Saks Fifth Avenue. “Our POS allows us to track what they buy, and it allows us to be useful. Many of our customers find e-mail easier, and we’re reaching customers with content they care about.” Read the rest of this entry »

It is hard for me not to rage about this email. I have covered My Coke Rewards Email Marketing in the past.  The emails are rendering correctly now, but today we have bigger issues. As always, we can all learn from others missteps, even Coca-Cola.

First off, I have no Coke Rewards points, which is clearly stated at the top of the email. Right next to that zero balance is a note letting me know my points “rollover” into the next year?!?!?  There is a missed segmentation opportunity here. Someone with a zero balance should be notified of all the great things they are missing. The only mention of what these rewards are is “rewarding experiences.”

Second, this email design is very flawed. The copy is too small and the value proposition is not clearly stated.  Always remember to clearly state the expectations with above the fold copy.

Lastly, the long gray sidebar doesn’t seem to have a purpose here. All it does is waste space that could be used for increasing the copy size or show subscriber value of the program. For me, this email misses on all marks.

What would you have done to make this email better?