Not normally one to get overly excited about creative execution in email, Nike’s weekly offering has put a smile on my face and made me nod with appreciation.
Sure, the email is packed with good looking, quality shots of snazzy-looking sporty goods, but it’s the little touch in the header that’s caught my eye.
See how the iconic Nike tick is visible, despite images being defaulted off?
Nice.
So why has this turned the head of a grizzled conversion-focused marketer like myself? A couple of reasons:
- You HAVE to respect the attention to detail and effort that’s gone into making this happen; essentially hundreds of HTML grids shaded to create the effect
- When it comes to generating revenue through email, every little helps. In this case, Nike have done all they can to push brand recognition when all the factors of the inbox are stacked against them. And strong brand recognition increases the likelihood of a recipient engaging with, and ultimately buying from, an email.
While we’re at it, the preheader/header real estate as a whole has been put to pretty good use.
A rich text nav bar, a pre-header message (with click through) and a save to address book message all accompany the obligatory web version link.
Maybe there’s scope for a stronger CTA above the fold and, taking a guess at the audience, perhaps links to Blackberry and Mobile versions wouldn’t go amiss. But this is nitpicking (and the latter point pure speculation).
Clothing retailers, with their marketing emphasis based around sleek imagery and distinctive design, are always going to struggle to churn out best practice emails. Here though, I’d suggest Nike have done all they can.
-Stuart Russell
Tags: Email
