We’ve discussed how to consider email design for mobile devices before, and this Path Nike + campaign is a good example of a desktop email that works well on a mobile screen. There’s big, easy to touch buttons that link directly to the app store, where you can download the Path app. The copy is also nicely short and easy to follow.
Reactivation emails – campaigns sent to users who haven’t been engaged for a while – can be difficult to proposition, but can also drive results when they’re used properly. This campaign from UK food delivery service Ocado managed to get my attention by using strong copywriting and imagery. The subject line – “We’ve got an Elliot shaped hole in our lives” – also makes use of personalisation in an interesting way.
Forms in email have always been a contentious subject – depending on who you ask, they’re either a very bad idea or very useful for generating conversions. Regardless, there are some places where they don’t work (Outlook 07 & Hotmail, for example).
However users have a lot of recognition for form elements, after all they use them online all day, and they associate them with interaction. Therefore, mock form elements, images that follow the visual style of form elements, can be a useful trick to engage users.
I’ve seen a few campaigns that mimic form fields, but this example from Squarespace is one of the nicest. It helps that there’s a clear concept, and the primary copy line of the campaign leads into the ‘form’.
Elsewhere, there’s a really strong content hierarchy – with short and punchy copy that’s laid out with lots of white space around it. This makes it easy for the user to scan, and also has the bonus of being easier to read on a mobile device.
This innovative campaign from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) turns the idea of images being turned off on it’s head. It shows how a solid creative idea and concept can be used to make a campaign that really stands out in the inbox.
via creative showcase.
Earlier today on Twitter, Chad White over at Retail Email Blog posted this great campaign that breaks the rules, but in doing so stands out from the crowd. The Brooks Brothers email features a huge stack of polo shirts, in every colour under the sun. Much like the water slide email we saw a few years ago, it’s very long and against the usual ‘best practice’, but in breaking the rules it communicates the breadth of the product range.
It also shows why we need to change our approach to “the fold” – instead of filling the top area with product details and buttons, there’s something that engages the user and entices them to scroll down, eventually finding the call to action buttons at the bottom.
Wonderful email from @BrooksBrothers today: The $2,000 Polo… yfrog.com/nzps7yoj
— Chad White (@RetailEmailBlog) April 16, 2012
