I’m particularly fascinated by the phenomenon where something is so bad — so ridiculously inane, unrealistic, repetitive, strange, or low-budget — that it is actually good.

There are countless examples in marketing where this has been the case. For example, it had been said that film executives wanted to change the title of the film Snakes on a Plane to the decidedly less memorable Pacific Flight 121 until Samuel L. Jackson stepped in and said “What are you doing here? It’s not Gone with the Wind. It’s not On the Waterfront. It’s Snakes on a Plane!” He was right. The movie was ridiculous, but everyone in America knew about it before it’s release date despite a limited marketing budget.

Here’s my point: when you think about it, a movie title is a bit like an email subject line; it alludes to what is in store for the audience if they choose to view the full content after clicking/paying. I’m sure that some of you have run subject line tests and felt pretty confident that your cleverest idea was going to win. And I’m sure that some of you have been disturbed to find out that the least clever idea can sometimes be the most effective option.

Have you ever run a campaign test only to discover that the lowest common denominator is actually the best strategy?

Read More »

Every so often, Ben and Erin disagree on approaches to email marketing and need to put their respective thoughts down on paper. Who do you think has a more valid point?

Counterpoint: Despite the current economic crisis, marketers should not bombard their customers with more “doom-and-gloom” scenarios, especially high-end businesses that risk diluting their brand with lower-end offers.

Ben’s first point is exactly correct – everyone knows the challenges facing their consumers right now, and consumers are well aware of the need to save money, which is why, in my opinion, there is no need to add to the gloom by reminding them of tough times. In fact, relying on bad news to sell a product and identifying with the recession can significantly devalue a brand’s image and long-term revenue. 

Don’t get me wrong – for the retailers who make deep discounting and penny saving a major focus of their typical marketing plan, by all means, carry-on! But for luxury brands, high-end retailers and thousands of other businesses who have based their entire messaging strategy around high standards of excellence and exclusive sales and specials, don’t compromise your entire communication plan for something as unstable as the current state of our economy.

Read More »

Every so often, Ben and Erin disagree on approaches to email marketing and need to put their respective thoughts down on paper. Who do you think has a more valid point?

Point: As marketers face the current economic crisis, now is the time to start stressing the concepts of value, frugality, and smart purchases in your email campaigns.

Everyone knows the challenges facing their customers right now — shrinking consumer confidence against a backdrop of global economic uncertainty — so why pretend it’s not an issue? Let’s face it: things are really crazy out there in the real world. Record declines in retail sales! Shrinking home values! The end of TRL on MTV! Spam is on the rise! (the edible kind, at least) Dogs and cats, living together…mass hysteria!

Ok, well maybe that last one came from the 1984 movie Ghostbusters, but many of these fears are in fact justified. 

Read More »

If you’re considering launching an official company page on Facebook but are concerned about measuring results, you’ll be happy to know that the social network has recently created a new application which allows companies to delve deeper into visitor analysis. The application displays a graph which demonstrates shifts in day-to-day visitor trends. A drop down menu allows for additional graph customization in categories such as unique visitors, photo views and wall posts. You can drill down even further by downloading an excel spreadsheet with all the statistics side by side. The spreadsheet allows for comparison of various page activities and tracking new fans based on sex and age group demographics.

If you are actively promoting your Facebook page, the application allows you to quickly measure campaign results. For example, if you email a newsletter to clients promoting a Facebook link, you can instantly see if the communication yielded results by monitoring visitor spikes using the graph as a comparison tool to days when no communication took place. If your company advertises on Facebook and targets specific consumers, this insight can help you determine overall response rates, as well as exactly which demographic groups have been most receptive to your messages.

It looks like Facebook is making constant adjustments to the corporate portion of the site and is starting to understand the importance of measuring marketing results. There are still many kinks to be worked out, but the social network is certainly making strides in attracting advertisers by offering these new tools.

Every so often we stumble across a promotional email that challenges the way we think about a brand. Can you guess who recently sent an email campaign featuring this image?

 Loading ...

Read More »

Every few weeks, we saddle up with our team of email marketing experts to check the pulse of the industry. This week, we are joined by John Malangone, who oversees a number of high profile email marketing accounts in the retail, travel, and catalogue industries.

With the biggest revenue season of the year upon us, how can marketers set themselves apart from competitors and finish the year as strong as possible?

John: It is more important than ever to listen to your customers’ needs and deliver accordingly. Take the next couple weeks as an opportunity to survey customers, track click behavior, and analyze your site analytics. If you can pay attention, and get a good sense of what your customers are doing on your site and with your brand, you can optimize your messaging in creative ways. Pay attention to search terms, driving online traffic to both your and your competitors’ sites, to create new and relevant subject line tests. Take a look at internet traffic data detailing where your customers are coming from before and where they are going after visiting your site to see if you should be promoting yourself elsewhere.

Customers are looking for an easy and economical experience, so make sure you’re sending the right message at the right time, based on all industry, trend, and test data you can find. If you are a retailer, remember that these are hard times for your shoppers, and if you’re not outlining your shipping and return policies, deadlines, and other store policies, you may lose shoppers in the end.  Use email to create awareness around these important details!

Read More »