This technique accomplishes a few important things worth highlighting.

First of all, by summarizing the main offer in the form of a text link in the header, Brooks Brothers gets their most important call to action above-the-fold where it is easily found in the preview pane. This is a fundamental issue for any email campaign, regardless of industry or the type of message.

Secondly, the text link in the header is a great way to grab the attention of text-only viewers, many of whom tend to be mobile users. Think about it: if you were Brooks Brothers, a retailer held in high regard by the business set, why not make your email campaigns as Blackberry-friendly as possible? I’d be willing to bet that an above average portion of Brooks Brothers subscribers view their messages on handheld devices due to the nature of their business.

When it comes to email creative, you can never be too attentive to the needs of your customers. Email header testing is a worthwhile investment, and I would recommend testing similar techniques to see what works best with your customers.