11 Inspiring Holiday Email Campaigns & Learnings for 2022

2. Here’s your [holiday name] to do list

Holidays are a busy period, both for marketers and consumers alike. Most of us are turn back to the good ol’ pen and paper to put together all kinds of to-do lists.

But what can you do with this information as a marketer? For one, you can create a to-do list your audience will actually enjoy checking and going through.

Holiday email marketing example: Bonobos

Subject line: Welcome to the Holidays, People.

For this year’s Thanksgiving, I received a neat email from an online retail brand named Bonobos.

Unlike other messages I found in my inbox around this time, this one used hardly any visuals. All it contained was a white to-do list on a dark-gray background.

So why it’s so good?

First of all, this email clearly stands out. When scanning my inbox, I actually closed the message first and then had to re-open it, just to take a second look at what I just saw.

Upon a closer look, I’ve noticed that this isn’t just a simple to-do list. At least not one that I’d expect to receive from a brand. It’s more of a list I’d create for myself, with added humor – for example, Memorize cousins’ kids’ names – and hyperlinks that’ll help me complete some of the errands, like Get something nice to wear for dinner.

The humor’s spot on. The copy looks like it was written by someone who understands the target audience very well. The email itself is really easy to scan and fun to engage with. Rather unusual, but I actually enjoyed going through all the points up to the very end of the message.

Lesson for other ecommerce businesses:

3. We do holidays our own way

When you hear the name Black Friday, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? It’s probably one of the following: discounts, sales, or free shipping.

Most brands hop on the Black Friday bandwagon with the same approach. To sell more, by offering a better deal than what their competitors offer.

But what you don’t expect is that a brand you like will remind you about the mission that drives them. The mission that, most likely, made you choose them in the first place.

Holiday email marketing example: United By Blue

Subject line: Why We Picked Up Trash Today

Below is the email I got for Black Friday from a brand that I follow – United By Blue. As you’ll find on their website, they sell responsible durable goods. What does that mean? In a nutshell, they sell products for people who care for the outdoors. And for every product they sell, they pledge to remove 1 pound of trash from the Earth’s oceans and waterways.

Now that you know their story, you’ll also understand where their email’s coming from.

So what’s the email about? It’s a message that explains why for this year’s Black Friday, they decided to do a proper cleanup. Oh, and they called it Blue Friday.

Unlike what you’d expect from a retailer during this time of year, the email doesn’t talk much about their products. Instead, it invites you to learn more about Blue Friday and how to host your own cleanup, and shows you the people who joined them for this wonderful project.

Not so surprisingly, they do also offer a special deal for their customers. But the information about their special sale is only available once you scroll down to the very bottom of the email.

So why it’s so good?

This one, again, comes down to understanding your audience and answering the question – why did they choose your brand in the first place?

With United By Blue, the answer is pretty simple. It’s because they make products for people who, like them, care about nature. How can they prove that their mission statement isn’t just marketing fluff? With their actions.

Having organized the cleanup and shown pictures of those who participated in it – which include their CEO and Director of Operations – they said more than any regular marketing newsletter ever could.

What’s more, their message is mostly about getting people to participate or even host a cleanup in their own neighborhood. The information about the sale they’re holding for Black Friday comes much, much later.

To sum up, even though this email arrived quite late, i.e. on Black Friday afternoon, it’s very effective. It managed to capture my attention and got me to read it all to the very bottom, where the information about the sale was placed.

Even though it arrived later than any other message I expected to receive that day, it sure made an impact and made me reconsider what I wanted to order for Black Friday.

Lesson for other ecommerce businesses:

This may not work for everyone. But if you know your audience well, then you don’t need to use your main CTA button to lead to the sales page. You can focus on content and carry on with your mission, and your audience will follow you.

Are there any other brands that caught my eye because they were doing holiday marketing slightly different? Not many, but the one that has is certainly worth mentioning here.

The team behind Cards Against Humanity once again proved that they know their audience pretty well. Take a look at the following two emails and see for yourself.

Do you think any other brand would get away with closing down their store or simply collecting money to dig a hole nobody could ever find? I don’t.

As you can see, sometimes you don’t need to follow best practices to stand out. Quite the contrary, sometimes it pays off to be different, especially during the holiday season when the competition levels are at their all-time high.

4. You snooze, you lose! The [holiday name] sale will end soon

Even though holiday sales last for quite long, some of us still have trouble finding something special for themselves or their loved ones. That’s why marketers keep sending them multiple reminders and last-minute emails, hoping to convert them before everyone goes offline to spend some quality time at the dinner table.

What if there was a way to make your email stand out from all the other reminders out there? Apparently, there is.

Holiday email marketing example: Casper

Subject line: Snooze through the sales…

Like the email from Bonobos, this message doesn’t look much like anything else you’re used to in your inbox. It’s what you usually see when you’re lying in bed, either going to sleep or just waking up. It’s an image that resembles your clock app.

When you look closer at the image, you see that each alarm has a special name. Along with witty names, you also find information about the super sale and early bird discount the brand’s currently offering.

Just as you’re starting to get slightly nervous that you might miss out on yet another deadline, you find a comforting message, just below the clock app. It says that you can rest comfortably and even sleep through Black Friday, as you can shop with Casper without even leaving your bed. All you have to do is go to the brand’s website and type in the code: SLEEPIN.

So why it’s so good?

Casper is a brand that sells mattresses for your bed. Although to some this may not sound very exciting, they’ve managed to make an impact with their marketing communication more than once.

This is one of those examples. What I like about this email is that it fits in so well with what they actually sell. Bed mattresses, clock app, multiple alarms set not to miss an important date, and finally a discount code with the phrase – sleepin.

The email’s relatively short and manages to quickly communicate that you can shop online, without ever leaving your bed. And of course, you wouldn’t want to leave your bed, even if it was for a great sales event like the ones you expect to see on Black Friday now, would you?

5. It’s not all about Christmas, Cyber Monday, or Black Friday

When referring to the holidays, you might be thinking about Thanksgiving, Christmas, or maybe Hanukkah.

But, there are so many other holidays along the way. They may not be as popular as Christmas, but does that mean you can’t tie them nicely with your brand?

Marketers behind the email marketing campaigns for Casper would disagree.

Let’s take a look at some of their more creative newsletters.

Holiday email marketing example: Casper

Subject line: That extra hour, though.

This campaign is about celebrating the brand’s most favorite day of the year.

Curious what day it is?

It’s the Daylight Saving Time. Because you can sleep in, one hour longer.

And they’re selling mattresses, pillows, and everything else you need to sleep well.

Now isn’t that brilliant?

So why it’s so good?

Besides the idea for the campaign, what stands out about this email is its design. As it’s always the case with this brand, their message looks beautiful.

It’s simple, contains a clear heading – in fact, the whole typography’s really good – and a single call to action button that says “Party on”.

The descriptive, humoristic CTA button is placed next to a discount code and an animated GIF alarm clock that makes the information about the 10% OFF discount impossible to miss.

Then finally, below the main part of the email body, there’s an additional link that lets you “Find a sleep shop near you”. Yup, not a store, a sleep shop.

One more thing worth mentioning about this email is the top bar, located just below the navigational bar.

It’s very subtle. It contrasts nicely with the email body and since it’s in the above the fold section, it’s quick to inform the email recipients about the latest offer.

If anyone’s just skimming through their inbox, there’s a chance they won’t read the whole email but they’ll see that top bar. And if it captures their attention and generates interest, they’ll definitely scroll down to learn more about the offer.

Holiday email marketing example: Casper

Subject line: New season? New bed.

Now I don’t want to sound like a big fanboy, which I may have just become, but here’s another great email from Casper that follows a similar line of thought.

It’s using yet another special time of the year, although not really a holiday, to promote their products.

So why it’s so good?

In this email, Casper’s using the end of the summer and the beginning of “slumber” as the key idea behind their campaign.

Similarly to the previous message, we’ve got the top bar summing up the main offer (located above the fold), one single CTA button that says “Start hibernating”, and a nice image with flip flops and warm slippers that accompanies the whole offer.

The copy? We’ve learned to expect this kind of copy from them.

A slightly awkward rhyme (Summer, Slumber), “Sleepin’ season”, “Start hibernating” – all of these tie in with what their business is selling.

There’s no “buy now” or “start shopping”.

It’s more creative than this.

Everything is put together nicely. The email’s short and sweet.

Although the offer itself isn’t new or creative – just another 10% OFF discount – the email campaign just looks good and is a joy to observe in the email inbox.

Lesson for other ecommerce businesses:

6. Year in review

When preparing their marketing campaigns, most marketers focus on what they’ve got prepared for their customers. Their blow out sale, free delivery, contest, or new line of products.

Less often, they focus on their customers – what they’ve done and what they’ve contributed to.

“Year in review” is one of the less seen campaigns. Perhaps because it doesn’t scream “buy now” and maybe it doesn’t provide a big return on investment.

At the same time, from my experience at least, it’s one of the most engaging types of campaigns.

Is it going to work for everyone? Probably not.

It should work for brands, services, or SaaS platforms that customers really care about.

It’s not just about summarizing the products someone bought over the year – that wouldn’t work unless these products meant a lot for the customers.

It’s about…

Well, let’s see what it’s all about :).

Holiday email marketing example: Sevenly

Subject line: Thanks! Because of you…

Sevenly is an online retailer, that runs charity-themed campaigns and gives back part of their profits to those in need.

As you can read on their website, they pledge to donate $7 per purchase in their 7-Day Campaigns and 7% from their cause-themed collections.

So, every time you buy from them, you get that instant positive feeling that you’re doing something good.

The challenging part is that, over time, you may feel less motivated to help out in this way. Especially if you’re not seeing the direct outcomes, like what the money’s been invested in.

To counter this, Sevenly came up with this idea to send out a “thank you” campaign that summarizes just how much the brand and all of those who’ve participated in their campaigns, have contributed over the year.

As you’ll read in this email, in 2017 they’ve raised $4.9 million in donations, 1.7 million people helped them out, 2.4 billion free impressions were made for their selected causes.

So why it’s so good?

There are several things that make this email special.

It’s the idea behind the campaign. Summing up all the milestones can definitely help the customers feel that they’ve made a difference in someone’s life.

The sender’s name, aka “from” name, also stands out. In your inbox, it says the email came from “Your Friends at Sevenly”.

If you’re trying to build a community, that’s definitely one way to do it.

As for the design, the email looks nice. It’s not overcomplicated, but the point of this campaign was to provide information to the recipients and thank them for their contribution. It’s not meant to sell.

So, although I can’t say much about the design, it seems to fit with the goal of this campaign.

Holiday email marketing example: Spotify

Subject line: Everything you need to know about your year in music

Now, there are two emails I really want to show you.

Both of them were sent by Spotify, in different years – 2016 and 2017.

The idea behind them was to summarize everything the Spotify users have listened to over the year. The number of minutes, most popular songs, favorite genres, and so on.

By doing so, they wanted to engage the users, make them reminisce on the things they’ve listened to in the past and have fun analyzing it.

And I think they succeeded in this.

In fact, I remember that we’ve had lots of fun sharing the results with our colleagues over the last two years.

I bet it was similar in your office or among your friends, too.

So why are these so good?

First of all, I want to emphasize the differences between them.

Except for the most obvious – one’s in English (sent to my colleague), the other one is in Polish (that one’s mine).

The idea behind them was slightly different.

The 2016 one summarized and placed everything in the email. The 2017 one directed you to a landing page where you could have generated the results once you’ve logged in to your account.

I guess the newer one is better for Spotify in terms of activating their users and getting them back to their site.

The other one, however, is more complex and I appreciate it more, mainly because it used dynamic content to personalize the experience for their users.

Other than that, both of them are very nicely designed.

The more complicated one especially, given how different the results could have been for each individual of their customers.

I have to say, aggregating this amount of data and using it to personalize the content for their user – great. Making it pretty at the same time – awesome.

I’m sure this idea could work just as well for other brands. In fact I’ve seen Grammarly, Google Local Guides (example below), and Tripadvisor send out similar “summary” emails.

Unfortunately, they still have a lot to improve, if they want to be as engaging as this inspiring email from Spotify.

7. Only for you

Exclusivity is a powerful thing, and marketers have known this for a long time.

The holiday sales season is a perfect moment to remind your contacts that being on your list has its perks.

Holiday email marketing example: Williams Sonoma

Subject line: 20% Off Fall Decor – Wreaths, Plants & More

This is a holiday newsletter I’ve received from Williams Sonoma shortly before Halloween.

Design-wise, there’s not much to say about this message. It’s very similar to all the other email campaigns sent out by this brand. Well, consistency in design is a good thing.

Perhaps the only thing that stands out about this email’s design is the uncommon use of the preheader section. You don’t usually see links like “Shop now” or “Find a store” before the “View email with images” URL.

I assume this was done for the mobile audience, but I’m not sure whether this tactic is very practical. As always, it’s one of the things you just have to test on your own.

While there isn’t anything particularly remarkable about this email’s design, the idea behind the campaign is very interesting.

So, if it’s not the design, what makes it great?

Let’s see.

So why it’s so good?

What I like about this holiday newsletter is that it makes the recipients feel special. Maybe not all of them, but the cardholders for sure.

This approach has three clear benefits. It makes their cardholders feel appreciated, and it motivates them to buy more frequently. Plus, WS presented the offer to their entire newsletter audience, so other recipients may feel inspired to join the WS cardholders club.

What’s surprising is that I don’t often see campaigns like this one, although developing one shouldn’t be particularly difficult.

That said, let’s look at one more holiday newsletter template which uses a similar approach.

As you can see in this message from Mark and Graham, right below the navigational bar and above the main headline in the header, there’s a message that says, “Email Exclusive Offer”.

What this tells the subscriber is that this offer is nowhere else to be found. It’s exclusive, unique, and available only to the chosen ones.

If you’re a marketer, you know that offering something like this isn’t difficult, nor expensive.

All you need is to offer early access to your new product lines, exclusive products, additional bonus points, free shipping and returns, or additional content that’s available only through email.

Lesson for other ecommerce businesses:

What’s the benefit of being your subscriber or a loyalty club member? If you figure this out, make sure to communicate it to your audience. Make them feel special, and they’ll pay you back.

8. Didn’t get the gift you wanted?

Is it possible to sell Christmas gifts after Christmas has ended?

As it turns out, it is.

You just need to focus on a different audience.

Holiday email marketing example: Mahabis

Subject line: no mahabis under the tree? treat yourself instead…

For most people, holidays are about spending time with family and friends, eating dinner together, and exchanging gifts.

Because of that, marketers spend most of their time coming up with new ways of convincing their audience to spend their holiday budget on gifts for others.

In this holiday newsletter below, Mahabis took a slightly different approach.

They focused on the fact that you too might have wanted to receive a special gift.

Perhaps nobody knew that all you dreamt about was a pair of Mahabis slippers. Does that mean you shouldn’t get them? Definitely not.

What you see in this message is a clever discount offer that lets you extend the holiday feeling by treating yourself with one of their products.

They also playfully called their campaign “unboxing day”, referring to the boxing day that takes place on the day this message was sent.

So why it’s so good?

I really like the idea behind this campaign. You don’t often receive a holiday newsletter that focuses on the recipient. Instead, most of them help you buy gifts for others.

If you’re a fan of this brand and have long been waiting to buy a pair of their slippers, this message would’ve definitely caught your attention.

After Christmas is over, the odds are that 1) you’re short on money and could use a discount code, and 2) you’ve not received the gift you truly hoped for.

In this holiday newsletter, Mahabis is betting that this is the case for you.

And I think this is a solid strategy.

Lesson for other ecommerce businesses:

When preparing your holiday campaigns, consider changing the focus to your recipients (instead of their family and friends!) Think about what they need or want this holiday season.

Maybe they want to look good at the Christmas dinner party? Perhaps they’re hosting the party and want to make sure it’s going to be a blast? Or maybe they just want to treat themselves with something nice?

Go ahead, be creative, and try something new!

9. Give – and get

There’s something special about holiday gifts. We like giving them probably just as much as we enjoy receiving them. Now, what if you could combine these two positive experiences?

One way to do this is by giving your customers a gift every time they buy something for others. This incentivizes someone to buy a gift from you knowing they’re getting extra value and a little something for themselves.

Holiday email marketing example: Taco Bell

Subject line: 🎁Buy a $15 eGift Card and get one $5 eBonus card 😋

For their holiday campaign, Taco Bell came up with an ingenious idea.

Every time you bought a $15 gift card, they’d give you an extra $5 gift card for free.

In other words, by buying someone a gift, you’re also receiving one. And if you and your friend or a family member are big fans of Taco Bell, then it’s an experience you want to share.

So why it’s so good?

What I admire about this campaign is the overall idea behind it.

Instead of offering a significant discount code on that one single purchase, they:

• made the buying experience more positive because the person buying the gift also receives one for themselves,
• and made sure the customer comes back to them & probably spends more than the $5 on the prepaid card

As a result, I bet both the conversion rate and sales revenue from this campaign were noticeable.

Lesson for other ecommerce businesses:

This is a simple idea, but it can have a significant impact on your sales revenue. And you can apply it to pretty much any business, whether you’re offering gift cards, store credit, or coupons.

The bonus gift card is a common and great example of this type of offer because it accomplishes two things in the audience’s mind – they feel like they’re getting $5 for free and 25% off the total price, all while finding a gift to give!

10. Don’t forget about X

While doing holiday gift shopping, we often focus on our loved ones and friends. And sometimes we forget about those who are just as close to us and love us unconditionally – our pets.

That’s why if your business offers products or services for pet lovers, you’ll need to remind us about those who don’t always voice their needs.

Holiday email marketing example: BarkBox

Subject line: Dog people give the best gifts