Not quite the apple of my eye.

The Hunt
Message Content, Layout and the Email's Anticipated Rendering (or what I like to call CLEAR) are probably the three most important physical aspects of your email communication. With proper segmentation, targeted offers and an optimized creative design, you can ensure that you are delivering the right message - but have you accounted for the variables of rendering across a multitude of email clients? Does your message pass the CLEAR test?

The Skunk
I've actually purchased a few trips from Apple Vacations that have resulted in great getaways. These bookings might not have been directly related to a specific promotional email but their offers that pop into my inbox help keep their brand top of mind when I am looking for a good deal (or just daydreaming.)

For the most part, the content of the email (the specific offers they send to me) are relevant to what I may be looking (wishing) for and the layout, better or worse, manages to adequately convey the brand, offers etc. Even with "images on" there are a few missed opportunities when it comes to improving the code to help drive the message home.

The images below show the same email, as delivered through gmail. The first is with "images off," second is with "images on" and third is the hosted "Having troubles viewing?" link. With gmail being the 4th largest email service provider, I think there are a few tweaks that can be made to optimize for this and other email clients.


The Resolution
The header navigation could be easily be coded to actual HTML text versus images based copy. Clear navigation links (even with images suppressed) are great reminders on where the recipient can do more research – even when the offers don't resonate with reader and they just want to poke around the website.

Those CSS style definitions don't do much good when they are stripped out and replaced with the default rendering as applied by the email client. To control the look and feel (as best you can,) define fonts, sizes and color using inline coding practices. The bigger, blue and bold call-to-action on the price gets lost in the copy when it doesn't render as hoped.

Image ALT tags. When you feature top brands, don't forget to add the image ALT tag, especially when featuring image logos. If you look at the placement of the current promoted brand logos that are near the top, an image ALT tag could be just enough to trigger the recipient to either enable images or read further. Use image ALT tags for all images.

What you can't see? Try this exercise with your email - review your communication with images off, including other elements that might get moved around or rendered differently than expected. Look for the most important elements of your message, are they there and more importantly, did it render as expected? This type of review can reveal that the secondary copy text is visually now the "feature" rather than supporting backup for your main call-to-actions and critical messaging points. This exercise can also help determine what elements can be removed with little or no effect of message tone or its strength - optimizing for a clean layout with few distractions.

Straw or brick? Creatively speaking...

The Hunt
With so many messages in the in-box these days, you (and your customers) most likely triage incoming messages in a multitude of ways and on more than one device. For me, it mostly depends if I'm using my laptop or mobile device. I look at sender, subject line and, if it makes the cut, a quick visual scan of the communication. Messages that make it open don’t have much time to get the point across before the reader decides to engage, save or delete.

The Skunk
I've been a registered member of Handango (mobile device application "and more" provider) for a few years. They don't abuse the frequency of their emails - at least not that I've seen, so when this email was waiting for me when I got up this a.m. I gave it a look. They get points for using a great text image ratio and content that is specific to me and the device that I own; however, this message was visually/creatively all over the place and missing a few key components for those recipients that are obviously mobile users.


The Resolution
Considering the sender – a mobile application provider – it is odd there is not a link to view on mobile device. As marketers try to figure out the least common denominator for how to best code messages for standard email client rendering AND mobile rendering, it's best not to ignore the basics. Provide a quick link for a mobile friendly message.

Don't forget the pre-header. For a large number of email users, the pre-header is the "Cliffs Note" to the content of the email. It also can help readers determine if they want to save the message for later review.

Any marketer using the email channel needs to ensure that the creative adequately represents the brand. Use a template that has a good flow, is optimized for above the fold rendering and is easy to read. Your emails are not just an extension of your brand identity, they are your brand. Emails have to be able to creatively represent your brand to keep your customers confident and engaged in your communications. Yes, it can be tough but consider how valuable the in-box real estate is these days. You can't afford to be building homes made of straw if the competition is using brick.

I heard it really loud on the radio (satellite radio).

The Hunt
Admittedly I sign up for a ton of email, mainly to keep my finger on the proverbial pulse of what is going on (right and wrong) with email campaigns from marketers small and large. When it comes down to it, there are not many email marketers that get it right 100% of the time but there are quite a few that are really trying. It is a tough balancing act to optimize both the "message" and the actual communication all while accounting for those elusive "email best practices." Sometimes the biggest opportunities I see with email messages that may have gone wrong are the simplest to correct.

The Skunk
I think that Sirius Satellite Radio does a good job at collecting profile information regarding their users both on the website as well as opportunities within their communications; however, the way they use the information in not so readily apparent in the messages that I recall over the last few months. I'm sure they also have access to the stations that I listen to online as well.

The message below recently arrived in my inbox and besides not featuring stations that I would recognize or consider adding to my radio in my car or online player. I'm curious as to why they would use such a complicated creative execution in the top of the messages and move the most important part, the call to action, to the bottom. In any case, the "all image" execution of the message as you can see below, doesn't do a lot of good when it gets delivered to the inbox when images are suppressed. Even with the images "on" the messages is a bit difficult to comprehend.


The Resolution
When your subject line is: Get a Free Radio for Your Summer Road Trip, you don't want to hide that message within the actual communication especially when your call to action and any offer details that are served up exclusively using images. This particular communication uses a clever but hard to understand combination of image based copy and station logos to tell a "story." With the images suppressed however, both the story and call to action are not visible. Better to place the call to action and offer in HTML coded text so that the recipient is pushed to download images if they don't first appear. Make sure that your call to action is within the "golden rectangle" the top 2 inches or so of your message – email recipients scan, not read messages to determine if they want to interact further.

I'm making a bit of an assumption here but those users of satellite radio are probably a bit more email savvy than the general population, with a higher likelihood of viewing email on a mobile device. Including a view on handled link would also benefit the sender if only for the recipient that says "I'll save this for later when I’m back at my computer."

Lastly, it's best not to render your offer details in the form of an image. This is simple text and should be coded as such.

Does your recipient data go the distance?

The Hunt
It's been several years since email marketers combined the power of email with product lifecycle messaging. It's a perfect fit for makers of electronic goods and computer peripherals. I gladly register my products with the brand website and review email offers that help me improve my experience or provide me with special deals to compliment whatever device that I have attached to my computer. The fact that I get a notification from my HP printer to let me know that my magenta ink cartridge is running dry makes me giddy. Supporting promotional emails; however, need to be keyed off of data or information you know about me and the products that I've purchased. If your data doesn't go the distance, neither will your offer.

The Skunk
My little trusty "all-in-one" HP printer, fax, scanner gets a pretty good workout in my home office and for the most part, the emails that HP send regarding the device that I registered with them are very relevant to me and my needs. The email that I received today is not so much a “skunk,” but rather a “you should have done a bit more homework with this special offer.” The promotion arrived with a subject line stating $50 Cash Back - Trade In Your Old Laser Printer Today. This is all fine and good but I've never owned a laser printer and my 3-year old printer is working great!


The Resolution
So there are a few things I would have considered if I was on the sending end of this message. First, does the recipient currently own one of our products, and, in this case, is it a laser printer that is old and may need replaced? Depending on the product, a lifecycle-type message promoting an upgrade or replacement after a year or so may not be a bad idea.

Second, be careful with making an offer that hinges exclusively on the recipient meeting criteria that you can't confirm (or didn't take time to confirm.) If I don't have an old laser printer lying around my office, there is not much I can do with this offer. This email did contain other links to items that would be of interest but the main call-to-action is not applicable to me.

Last but not least, use your data regarding your recipient/user to determine if the offer is applicable or at least tailor the offer so that it will not exclude the recipient if they don't meet the necessary criteria to be able to participate. I'm a self proclaimed gadget freak and am not opposed to the idea of upgrading to a new printer but I can't do anything with this offer. It's a little like inviting a friend over for dinner when you know they are going to be of town.

I'm not ready for a two-piece.

The Hunt
It seems like everyone is getting ready for warmer weather. Here in the Windy City it has been slow coming but the promise of sunshine and weekends at the beach is nearly here. Marketers have been taking advantage of this change of season and clothing retailers particularly have been featuring the season's newest items through their email programs. We all talk about need for relevancy within email communications and seasonality offers a logical approach to ensure your product offerings are timely and geared to what the shoppers are looking for - if you are leveraging it correctly.

The Skunk
I recently received an email from Active Endeavors (from name and email stated the same) but the branding was that of Couture Candy. In the footer of the message the physical mailing address was for Active Endeavors as well. I'm thinking that this is an online brand that is either part of or affiliated with Active Endeavors but the discrepancy from the name and branding threw me for a loop.

Besides the branding discrepancy, the email as you can see below features only clothes for women - I'm a guy. The greeting is "Dear Valued Customer." I’m not sure how I ended up on this list. I probably have signed up for email from Active Endeavors since they have clothes for men and women. The ambiguous greeting however; leads me to believe that they only have my email address and no other information about me. My "valued customer" greeting doesn't leave me feeling so valued. I'm also curious as to how my possible sign-up to Active Endeavors get's me signed-up to Couture Candy as they appear and act like two separate brands.

After this message arrived, I did use my email to enhance my customer profile but the information they collect is very limited. If I choose to add my billing or shipping information I can add my name to my profile but that's about it. I wonder how many other recipients find themselves in the same situation - why am I getting an email trying to sell me on this season's hottest two-piece swimwear for women?

The Resolution
Email marketers should be crystal clear regarding the sender and actual brand being referenced within the messages. If this is a partner email that is being sent out by Active Endeavors, the communications should be branded as such. Confusing your recipient with a "from name" and email address that doesn't match the content of the message can lead to many issues, opt-outs and SPAM complaints are just a few of them.

I did a bit more digging on both the Couture Candy as well as Active Endeavors websites and both collect only limited profile information. All email marketers take note, if you have products or services that are geared to one sex or the other (or both) make sure that you account for this information within your registration process. Also, if you are going to send partner messages, make sure that you let your recipients opt-in or choose not to receive emails from partners, be clear about the message that you will be sending. There are many cases where an email recipient would want to receive both types of messages - especially when the recipient may be making purchases for other family members however; you can’t assume that irrelevant messaging will not do harm to your email programs.