How to Get Memorial Day Email Marketing Right

Memorial Day means different things to different people, but some of the email marketing I haven’t been seeing in my inbox bothers me a little. It’s a 3-day weekend, and the unofficial start of summer. There’s plenty of sales to promote with red, white, and blue highlights. Lots of beach towels, barbeque grills, food. And yet … Last year I had to scramble to find examples of email that recognizes that Memorial Day was originally about honoring the sacrifices of soldiers who died serving our country. This year was no different. The best emails were truly few and far between. Many used a patriotic image to get attention, like the one in this email from Publix, the supermarket chain. It says some nice things, but that’s about it. It misses an opportunity to further engage shoppers. But Vinesse, one of the country’s largest wine clubs, hit all the right notes a few weeks ago. This promotion centers on a special offer for Purple Heart Red Wine from C. Mondavi & Family, a Napa Valley brand. Proceeds go to the Purple Heart Foundation, a group which help veterans recover from wartime injury and trauma. Here’s a key connection for me: Peter Modavi, Sr. served in World War II. And the two winemakers are more recent veterans. The email explains this, and with the strong visual, inspires a bit of patriotism. I also liked this one effort from the American Red Cross that went out yesterday. It acknowledges that Memorial Day “also heralds a much more solemn occasion”: remembering our soldiers. The letter goes into all of the ways that the Red Cross’s services have an impact. Picture like the ones here show a lot of what it does for military service members around the world, as well as veterans, and families. And, the email links to a video showing its work, and ask people to share it. The only ask for a donation is in the P.S. So, you can either acknowledge the holiday’s true meaning in a big way, a respectful way, or not. Maybe the best thing to do is to just pick one, and move forward. As for me, I’ve got a cemetery to visit, and a promise to keep.

Copywriting

How to Get Memorial Day Email Marketing Right

Paul Bobnak

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Paul Bobnak