Get the Click: Honda

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Honda Email Grade: B

 

Subject Line

4

Preview Pane

4

Eye Path

5

Clarity of Message

5

Call to Action

5

Offer

0

Sense of Urgency

5

Credibility

5

2/27/12 — Five days before this year’s Super Bowl, Honda sent an email with a link to a television commercial that would be played for the first time during the game. The ad for the new 2012 Honda CR-V stars Matthew Broderick in a reprisal of his role as Ferris Bueller in the classic 1986 movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Although we don’t know Honda’s criteria for this email list, we do know that current CR-V owners – including those who recently purchased a CR-V – were on the list.

The subject line for the email – “A sneak peak at our CR-V ad for the big game” – informs recipients about what they’ll find in the email, as well as piques their curiosity about the new ad. Once recipients open the email, a strong headline visible in the preview pane (with and without images) follows through nicely: “See our ad before 100 million people do.” Without having access to the open and click-through rates or any testing Honda may have done on alternate subject lines, this subject line and headline combination seem to successfully accomplish what they’re supposed to as far as driving opens and click throughs.

The eye path on this email works well – going from the powerful headline that also helps create a sense of urgency, to the large and recognizable image of Matthew Broderick, to the clear call to action “WATCH NOW.” The email message effectively builds on the hype and excitement of the big budget advertising that debuts during the Super Bowl each year.

In this email, the offer is not relevant. The primary goals of this email are to nurture the relationship between Honda and Honda owners, as well as to build brand loyalty with CR-V owners. This email does a great job of meeting these goals. And when recipients click on the call to action and watch the commercial, they not only feel proud to be a CR-V owner now, but they also want to be one in the future. Plus, for those people who may be interested in purchasing a CR-V in the near future, a photo of the 2012 CR-V along with a link to all the new features are clearly accessible right below the call to action.

It would be interesting to see the open and click-through rates based on various segments of the list. In comparing all Honda owners to CR-V owners, for example, were CR-V owners more motivated to respond to this email?

Disclaimer: FulcrumTech does not have access to the performance data relating to this promotional email, so any tests performed on this email can’t be reflected in FulcrumTech’s commentary.

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