Example 1

American Airlines

Email: Monthly Rewards Statement

Date Sent: Wed 1/8/03 1:03 AM

From: AADVANTAGE [summaries@esummary.info.aa.com]

Subject: AAdvantage eSummary At Your Request

 

Example 2

GetSmart (Providian)

Email: Mortgage Solicitation to Registered Users

Date Sent: Tue 1/14/03 8:43 AM

From: GetSmart [getsmart_4655+708436.618493713.3@ getsmart.reply.tm0.com]

Subject: Take Advantage of low mortgage rates - find a loan now.

Pros

• Well-designed, short and to-the-point

Cons

• Vendor gobblygook in the Sent-From address
• No contact info

Example 3

TrueLink (TransUnion)

Email: Credit Monitoring All-Clear

Date Sent: Tue 1/14/03 12:12 AM

From: TrueCredit [support@truecredit.com]

Subject: No new Credit Alerts: Monthly Summary

Dear James,

During the last 30 days, no credit alerts have been triggered by changes to your credit report.

To view a complete history of your credit alerts, please visit--https://www.truecredit.com/user/returnUser.jsp?mn=77

*********CHOOSING YOUR ALERT PREFERENCES**********

During your subscription, there may be weeks in which no alerts occur.  When this happens, TrueCredit.com feels it is important to email you and let you know that all is well. You can choose to receive these "all clear" notifications on a weekly or monthly basis.

To change your alert preferences, simply login to your account at http://www.truecredit.com/user/productPreferences.jsp?mn=72

**************************************************

If you need help remembering your login or password, please contact the Customer Service Team toll-free at (800) 493-2392. Representatives are available weekdays from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Eastern Time.

To receive a list of frequently asked questions and answers, simply reply to this email.

TrueCredit.com
Manage your credit. Manage your life. (sm)

Toll-free: (800) 493-2392
Weekdays 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturdays 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Eastern Time

Pros

• Given the limitations of text-based messaging, it’s well-laid-out and concisely written
• Customer service phone number and hours
• Sent from TrueCredit domain
• Can reply to the email for a FAQ
• Explanation and link to account preferences

Cons

• No customer service email address
• Subject line a little confusing
• Copy could be improved with clearer explanations

 

 

 

Example 4

DeepGreen Bank

Email: Refer-a-Friend Solicitation to Current Customers

Date Sent: Wed 2/12/03 6:07 AM

From: DeepGreen Bank [Precision@Dialogue.rsc03.com]

Subject: Share the Value of DeepGreen Bank

Pros

• Simple and attractive message with two
  action buttons

Cons

• Sent-from email address is vendor gobblygook
• No compelling user benefits
• Dull landing page
• No ability to customize the sales message sent to your friends

Example 5

Wells Fargo

Email: Monthly Marketing Letter

Date Sent: Tue 2/11/03 4:33 PM

From: Wells Fargo Online [online@wellsfargo.rsc03.com]

Subject: Your February WellsWire

Pros

• Good tax-time message with timely offer
• Great interactivity with quick poll, five opportunities to provide feedback, and 12 other clickable links
• Divided into three articles with headline at top and full text “below the fold” (not shown)

Cons

• Sent-From the vendor’s domain
• Too much of a good thing: 1400 words+275 fine print

Example 6

American Express Opt-in Solicitation

Email: Credit card offer to opt-in customers of third party (Institutional Investor)

Date Sent: Tue 2/11/03 12:16 PM

From InstitutionalInvestor.com [4962.22411372@ems.iinvestor.net]

Subject: Get Up To 5% Cash Back from American Express (r)

Pros

• Attractive message with clear user benefits
• Email clearly from trusted third party (see top)
• Good landing page further spelling out benefits

Example 7

NetStock Sharebuilder (via Wells Fargo)

Email: E-statement notification to customers

Date Sent: Thu 2/6/03 10:45 AM

From: owner-events@customer.sharebuilder.com

Subject: January Statement and Tax Notification

Pros

• Very short, just 78 words in the body and 40 in the fine print, plus a few more in the right-hand column
• Good interactivity with login button, stock search, stock browse, and top requested index funds
• Timely and low-key IRA cross-sell with action button

Cons

• Copy and design could use a little more warmth
• No mention of co-brand partner, and primary trusted party, Wells Fargo in the email title, sender, or sent-from address

 

 

 

Example 8

US Bank

Email: General marketing message to customers

Date Sent: Tue 1/28/03 6:04 AM

From: U.S. Bank [1800USBanks@usbank.com]

Subject: U.S. Bank Helps Improve Your 2003 Financial Outlook

Pros

• Excellent layout and graphic design
• Concise, well-written copy arranged on as single screen covering 3 subjects; only 200 words not including 75 of fine print
• Obvious where its from, U.S. Bank in the Subject, Sender, and Sent-From email address
• The bank’s toll-free number is embedded in the Sent-From email address
• Timely tax-time copy and special offer
• Great subject line
• Links at top to: (a) view message on Web page, and (b) forward to a friend

Cons

• Customer service phone number should be in the body

 

Email Example 9

PayPal (issuer = Providian)

Email: Credit card solicitation to customers

Date Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2003 1:46 PM

From: PayPal Visa [announcements-paypalvisa@paypal.com] Subject: Introducing the PayPal Visa

Pros

• Less than 50 words, not counting 180 in grayed-out mousetype, below the fold (not shown)
• Great layout with five clear user benefits
• Easy-to-find Apply button with 30-second approval time noted

Cons

• Could use a little more graphic design such as a second color (it’s blue on white with black type)
• Subject line doesn’t have a user benefit           

 

 

 

Example 10

Comerica

Email: Small business marketing to any registered user

Date Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2003 6:41 PM

From: Comerica Small Business Services [Comerica_Small_Business-e2-15699@processrequest.com]

Subject Comerica Business Insights Volume 1

Pros

• No-nonsense look and feel; tabs are a good touch
• Good links to outside experts

Cons

• Vendor domain in sent-from address
• Needs to be pared down; total of 500+ words with some especially long-winded areas, for example, 66 words in the middle-right box to say “click here for customer service”

Example 11

E-Loan

Email: Mortgage Refi Rate Alert

Date Sent: Wed 1/29/03 6:44 AM

From: E-LOAN [mortgagemonitor@eloan.com]

Subject: E-LOAN Alert: We can save you $68398 on your mortgage.

We’ve been getting this message every couple months for the past two years, when we established a Rate Watch at E-Loan. The text-only format is ugly, but the headline is highly effective:

Pros

• Extremely clear user benefits in headline
  and copy
• Copy explains the loan process
• Sent from E-Loan domain

Cons

• Too long and needs a better layout with more white space and sub-heads
• Vendor domain in sent-from address
• Should be sending it to me in HTML format (apparently not yet an option)
• The top link in the message just dumps you back on the home page; it should take you to the Rate Watch area where you can alter the parameters or unsubscribe, or the application page

Example 12

Chase Credit Cards

Email: Balance Transfer Solicitation to Cardholders

Date Sent: Fri 1/10/03 1:40 PM

From: Chase Credit Cards [chasecreditcards@chase.bfi0.com]

Subject: Important Account Information about Your Chase credit card

Pros

• Short and to-the-point, just 70 words not including the fine print
• Clever banner and clear lay-out

Cons

• Sent from the vendor’s domain; helped by having “Chase” included in the address
• User benefits are a weak, “could be eligible for a money-savings low APR;” if you have a good offer (which they did), spell it out quickly before I lose interest
• Generic message Subject (title); although it will help get by the spam filters
• Needs more graphic design, for example an action button
• No customer service email or phone number, although in the fine print there is a link to the Website to contact Chase via email

 

 

Example 13

Free Debt Consolidation (spam)

Spam: Debt consolidation

Date Sent: Thu 2/6/03 6:55 AM

From: TurboRocketOffers [TurboRocketOffers-replyto-368-131772932@lists.zoanmail.com]

Subject: Want More Ben Franklins In Your Pocket?

Pros

• Even though it’s spam, the layout/graphics/copy are much better than most legit messages

Cons

• Sounds too good to be true; questionable value proposition

 

 

 

Example 14

Citibank Credit Card

Alert: Signup form and sample

Date Captured: 2/11/03

Example 15

NetStock Sharebuilder (Wells Fargo co-brand)

E-statement Navigation

Date captured: Feb. 12, 2003

 

Example 16

TIB Bank of the Keys

E-statement

Date captured: 1/30/03

 

Example 17

American Bank

Email: Routine Security Education to Customers

Date Sent: Wed 1/22/03 12:48 PM

From: American Bank [marketing@pcbanker.com]

Subject: Helpful Hints for Internet Security from American Bank

We’d only had an account a short time at American Bank www.pcbanker.com ,  when we received this email outlining ways to avoid logging in to a fake
Web site.

 

Pros

• Good concept; makes you feel like the bank knows what they are doing, helping themselves by helping users avoid fraud.
• Sent from the bank’s domain, although an address other than “marketing@” would probably have more credibility given the subject matter.
• Thorough and well laid out, with numbered lists and third-party references.
• Contact info for customer service, both phone and email.
• Signed by the CEO

Cons:

• A little tedious at 400+ words (not including the fine print), and probably overkill for most; could have been written more from a lay user’s perspective.
• The most important info, not to respond to fraudulent emails claiming to be from PC Banker, is buried in the second-to-last paragraph; it should be at the top.