Email marketing experts from JibJab, Zumba Fitness, CheapAir.com and Hammacher Schlemmer present one of their best and/or most innovative email campaign to outdo each other in their special StrongView Client Summit version of Big Brands Square Off.

1. #SVCS2013

2. THE RULES
• The cage has a diameter as big
as this stage, all of which can be
used by the fighters to
demonstrate their mastery
• The Champion Bout consists of
four rounds, plus Q&A
• The bout will run 45 Minutes
(or until somebody cries “uncle”)
#SVCS2013

3. THIS FIGHT
• This is a Heavyweight Bout
• Unless there is a TKO, the winner
will be determined by you
• Be disruptive…er, uh interactive
FOULS
• Boring the Audience
• Physical Abuse
Verbal abuse is highly encouraged
• No questions from the audience
#SVCS2013

4. Unique Approach:
Party in the Inbox
Alessandra Souers
sr. product marketing manager
Judo Move:
Personalization Pile Driver
Unique Approach:
Pushing Brand not Discounts
Joanna Furlong
marketing manager
Judo Move:
Abandonment Reversal
Unique Approach:
Ignoring Standard Revenue Metrics
Brian Schmidt
ecommerce marketing analyst, email
Judo Move:
Something Unexpected
Unique Approach:
Divide & Conquer
Wayne Miller
sr. digital marketing manager
Judo Move:
Segmentation Sweep
#SVCS2013

5. IT‟S TIME!
#SVCS2013

6. THE BUSINESS
Company:
JibJab Media
Industry:
Entertainment
Product:
Starring You® eCards, satire and assorted tomfoolery
Employees:
55
Snacks:
Unlimited
Personal Years of Experience:
5
#SVCS2013

7. THE CAMPAIGN
Two Goals
1. Broaden personalization
experience by using our most
recognizable and iconic “data”
effectively in the inbox
2. Increase click-through and
conversion rates
#SVCS2013

8. THE CAMPAIGN
So we built a
Personalized Image Engine
#SVCS2013

9. THE CAMPAIGN
How did we build it?
1 - Existing eCard “casting” technology
2 - A little SQL allowing us to combine custom
graphics and user “heads”
3 - A lot of servers to process JPG creation at
peak open times
The culmination of our efforts…
#SVCS2013

13. THE CAMPAIGN
And now… the test!
St. Patrick’s Day 2013
A/B-Split
1. Personalized Mailing
2. Non-personalized Mailing
Three Possible Variations (depending on user state):
1. Users with 0 heads
2. Users with fewer heads than shown
3. Users with all heads
#SVCS2013

16. THE RESULTS
Casted version wins!
• Click rate  35%
• Conversion rate  43%
• Revenue  117%
#SVCS2013

17. THE RESULTS
Reactions & Confusion
• Responses directed to friends in images 
• Requests for more personalization 
• Legal threats 
• Compensation demands 
Clearing Things Up:
• Added explicit callouts explaining security of
personalization
• Added opt-out feature in „My Account‟ section
#SVCS2013

18. WHAT‟S NEXT?
• Deeper testing (location, size, no.
of heads)
• “Create This Card” feature
• Incorporating into transactional and
triggered messages
• Building functionality for children‟s
brand to verify character creation
and highlight educational Starring
You® products
#SVCS2013

19. #SVCS2013

20. TAKE YOUR SHOT!
#SVCS2013

21. THE BUSINESS
Company:
CheapAir.com
Industry:
Online Travel
Industry Size:
$157 Billion
Product:
Flights, Hotels, Rental Cars
Personal Years of Experience:
10
#SVCS2013

22. THE CAMPAIGN
Description:
Abandonment Series
Goal:
1) Bring back customers who
demonstrated an interest in
flights, but didn‟t buy.
2) Remind these prospective buyers
about what makes CheapAir unique.
1) Price Drop Payback
2) Personalized service
3) Mix-and-Match™
3) Not about discounts and coupons.
Target Audience:
Users who searched for a flight, did not
buy, whom we associate to an email
address, and haven‟t purchased another
flight from us in the last 90 days.
#SVCS2013

23. THE CAMPAIGN
Key Metrics Tracked:
Opens, Clicks, Sales
Definition of Success:
Subscriber opens message, clicks and
returns to CheapAir.com
Why it works:
- It‟s personalized
- We make it easy + demonstrate value
(without pushing a coupon!)
#SVCS2013

24. THE RESULTS
48%
58%
#SVCS2013
Open Rate
Click-to-Open Rate

25. WHAT‟S NEXT?
• Testing message timing
• Additional landing
pages
• Personalized letters
from our in-house travel
advisors
• Expansion of program
to Hotels and Cars
#SVCS2013

26. TAKE YOUR SHOT!
#SVCS2013

27. THE BUSINESS
Company:
Hammacher Schlemmer
Industry:
Internet & Mail-Order Retail
Industry Size:
$270B in 2012
Product:
High-End Gadgets and Gifts, First-to-Market Goods
Target Market:
Individuals looking for The Best, The Only, and The
Unexpected – either in solutions to everyday problems or
unforgettable gifts.
#SVCS2013

28. THE CAMPAIGN
Description:
Something Unexpected
Goal:
Drive high engagement to help
maintain activity and deliverability
Target Audience:
Entire email file, from prospects to
buyers
Why It Works:
Everyone loves surprises and
hovercrafts
#SVCS2013

29. THE CAMPAIGN
#SVCS2013

30. THE CAMPAIGN
Key Metrics Tracked:
Primary:
- Opens, Clicks, Unsubscribes
Secondary:
- Orders, Revenue, LTV Changes
Definition of Success:
An increase in engagement coupled
with an increase in subscriber
retention and maintaining long-term
deliverability to major ISPs
#SVCS2013

31. THE RESULTS
• 38.21% Open Rate
• 11.13% Click Rate
• 42% Reduction in Unsubs
• 99.2% Deliverability
• 98.5% Inbox Placement
• 100% at Major ISPS
#SVCS2013

32. WHAT‟S NEXT?
• Personalization based on site
actions
• Complex Lifecycle Onboarding
Program
• Segmentation based on
category
• Frequency self-selection
#SVCS2013

33. TAKE YOUR SHOT!
#SVCS2013

34. THE BUSINESS
Company:
Zumba Fitness
Industry:
Health/Fitness, Consumer Products, Apparel
Product:
Professional Fitness Training/Education; At-home Exercise
DVDs; Video Games; Apparel, Footwear & Accessories; Music
Employees:
285
Target Marketing:
THE WHOLE WORLD
Personal Years of Experience:
7
#SVCS2013

35. THE CAMPAIGN
Problem
• We are too awesome
• We operate in numerous verticals
• We present new instructors with an
overwhelming number of
offers/products/programs/benefits
• We did it all at once
#SVCS2013

36. THE CAMPAIGN
Messaging Flow Chart:
#SVCS2013

37. THE CAMPAIGN
Target Audience:
New members of the Zumba
Instructor Network (ZIN™)
Description:
Understand instructors‟
motivation for joining the
network and target message
sequence accordingly.
#SVCS2013

38. THE CAMPAIGN
Goals:
Increase engagement/conversion rates, lower
disengagement, build loyalty and strengthen
retention
Key Metrics Tracked:
•
•
•
•
Opens/Clicks/Unsubscribes
Specialty Training Registrations
Affiliate Program Registrations
Apparel & Product Sales
#SVCS2013

39. THE CAMPAIGN
• Initial message sent as
part of welcome series
• Use tracking logs (+
wizardry) to identify clicks
• Target following
messages based on
interests
• Introduce additional brand
offerings later in customer
lifecycle
• Testing offers to generate
more interest
#SVCS2013

40. THE RESULTS
Opens/Clicks:
Targeted follow up messages achieved :
• 65-75% open rates
• 20-40% click-through rates
Conversion:
Significant revenue and participation lift
across all categories
Disengagement:
Unsubscribe rate dropped nearly 40%
within the first 30 days of membership
#SVCS2013

41. WHAT‟S NEXT?
• Continue optimizing welcome series –
testing creative, subject lines, offers…
• Additional messages to help construct
more accurate user segmentation
• Better consumer (non-instructor)
onboarding/welcome series
• Real-time dynamic content
#SVCS2013

42. TAKE YOUR SHOT!
#SVCS2013

43. AND THE WINNER IS…
#SVCS2013

44. #SVCS2013