I have written a fair amount about email marketing campaigns – pointing out effective ones and confusing ones (sorry Apple). I often point to Amazon as a best-in-class marketer on many fronts… and here is another great example.

As a gift, I purchased an item in their kitchen department and matched it with a cooking book (that they recommended). Within a week, I have an email from Amazon that is:

- Pertinent: it is clearly relevant to my recent order (I have no reason to ask “why I am receiving this?”)
- Enticing: the email is positioned as a reward (now whether it actually is a special discount, I don’t know… but 50% off is always attractive)
- Simple: the email is three sentences long. I know instantly whether I want to take action.
- Good looking: the focus on the special 50% offer / button is clear and the email’s layout is attractive

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

Your recent purchase at Amazon’s Cookbooks store qualifies you for an extra 50% off select bestselling magazines, including Food Network Magazine, Vegetarian Times, Food & Wine, Saveur, and EatingWell.

You can use this offer to start a new subscription or renew an existing one. The extra 50% discount will be automatically applied at Checkout for each eligible subscription.

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