Always take the weather

Getting weather-related emails right is trickier than it first appears. While a cold spell can work well as an anchor for a promotional email, marketers need to be careful they’re not too flippant as to offend people badly affected by the stormy weather. Here are a few examples of recent snow-related emails that hit the mark for us:

We like to consider ourselves practical shoppers, which is why this email from Presents for Men has a particular appeal. Titled “Ready for the big freeze? Best cold weather gadgets”, the email features a main image of a duck with the accompanying copy: “Are you ready for the first big freeze of 2013? Essential gadgets to duck the cold weather”. Below that is a selection of handy cold-weather goods like windscreen covers, hand warmers and ice grips. We also thought that its plug for sister brand Travel Paraphernalia & Outdoor Leisure showing a sunny, waterside scene was a nice touch—nothing like daydreaming about our next holiday to help beat the January blues.

Speaking of which, “Beat the January blues with our outstanding offers!!” is the subject line of an email from cookware retailer Procook.  Packed with ideas like what to do with the kids because school is closed, to tastier ways to keep our healthy eating resolutions, there’s even a competition to “really brighten up your day!”

We also didn’t fail to notice how the colour scheme shifts from bleak to sunny as we scrolled down the email—a  neat trick.

Another subject line that caught our eye was “Snowed in? Warm up with our fabulous Winter Offers…” from Feather & Black. Sadly, this was the only reference to the snow in the email, which could have been titled “Up To 50% Off + Further Savings With This Week’s Special Offers!”, as per the first line of text in the email. Still, the message is loud and clear: don’t bother getting out of bed. Stay in and shop online to make your home even cosier.--MT