The AA's Jonathan Pearce reviews email marketing

by Jonathan Pearce, Head of acquisition, the AA, Marketing Direct 26-Jul-07

The use of email continues to grow, as businesses realise its power. There are good examples of the medium being used incredibly well, but others abuse it, seeing it as an opportunity to blast their base for a quick buck.

In our experience, success lies in remaining true to direct marketing principles: great creative and an unerring focus on clarity. It is for this reason that The Hub newsletter from computer game The Sims (1) leads the pack. It covers a fair amount of ground without trying to do too much, and focuses clearly on introducing new services and deepening relationships.

Although non-personalised (shame), it wins on clarity and layout, and has great continuity once you click through to the website. Purely in its execution, this piece should hit the mark.

Now to an email that begs the question: "Why bother?" Such is the strength of the Innocent (2) brand, with more than £10m of squashed fruit sales behind it, that anyone receiving or opening a communication from it will have high expectations.

With the familiar endearing language that makes Innocent appealing, the email aims to 'keep people posted'. But it feels like a communication without a cause. I'm not convinced, having opened this email, that the consumer would bother to do so again.

Asda (3) has included most of the necessary ingredients to create a standard insurance email: price comparison, discount and testimonial, using a simple layout and good use of colour. This should work well, but this formula can sometimes breed laziness, which seems to have happened here.

The need to concentrate on the core purpose (that is, car insurance) is immediately disrupted by a navigation panel cross-selling other products - instant distraction. It's a shame this isn't where you find the neat 'squishy Asda' creative device, which is hidden at the bottom. In financial services, I think you need a little bit more magic to get cut-through.

In tackling a dual audience of parents and children, Nickelodeon (4) is setting itself a big challenge - and appears to have been caught in the middle of both audiences. These pieces contain a lot of information - perhaps too much - and the small font size makes them difficult to read. I'd focus on a specific audience to narrow the breadth of message.

Hugo Boss (5) has chosen music as a way to engage with the audience, offering an audition, gig tickets and a free sample. But the brand lacks real involvement, making the offer feel insincere. It is a good example of where basic direct marketing principles of clarity, relevance and audience could gain greater cut-through and success.

1. THE SIMS
Objective: To acquire and retain customers and build long-term loyalty
for The Sims 2 game
Target audience: Current opt-ins on the UK Electronic Arts database that
have associations with The Sims franchise. This includes those who have
registered The Sims products, as well as prospect data
Client: Electronic Arts
Agency: Inbox Digital
Art director: In-house
Copywriter: In-house
Medium: Email

2. INNOCENT DRINKS
Objective: To keep people up to date with company news and products
Target audience: Innocent customers who have signed up to receive the
newsletter
Client: Innocent
Agency: In-house
Art director: In-house
Copywriter: In-house
Medium: Email

3. ASDA INSURANCE
Objective: To encourage recipients to click through to the Asda.com site
for a car insurance quote
Target: audience Cold and warm email addresses with a known car
insurance renewal date
Client: Asda Financial Services
Agency: Ashley Bolser Agency
Web designer: Richard Carter
Copywriter: Belinda Green
Medium: Email

4. NICKELODEON
Objective: To build closer relationships with Nickelodeon's viewers
through email interaction and downloads
Target audience: Nickelodeon viewers aged 2 to 12 years and their
parents
Client: Nickelodeon
Agency: Underwired
Art director: Jason Holland
Copywriter: Jason Holland
Medium: Email

5. HUGO BOSS
Objective: To tell people about the Hugo Manchester music event,
encourage them to register to win gig tickets and request a free
fragrance sample
Target: audience Procter & Gamble database, male and female aged 18-35
Client: Hugo Fragrances (Procter & Gamble)
Agency: twentysix Leeds
Design and development director: Guy Sharman
Copywriter: Claire Hartley
Medium: Email

- Send samples of work in any medium, along with a print-quality scan to: Claire Foss, senior reporter, Marketing Direct, 174 Hammersmith Road, London W6 7JP.