Valentine's Day

Ah, there’s nothing like Valentine’s Day to bring a little levity to the inbox! For weeks, marketers have stealthily promoted the holiday, planting seeds early to speak interest in the holiday. Valentine’s Day-themed emails began as early as Jan. 6 with Etsy being among the first to deploy emails around the special day as tracked by Email Institute.

What stood out? Animated gifs always resonate. But an increasing number of marketers realize that Valentine’s Day means more than just chocolates, flowers, and perfume. While those elements are perhaps traditional staples of the day of love, some marketers opted to create more an experience with their Valentine’s Day messages.
Feb. 08, 2013

Give Cupid a Hand

Looking for a clever way to promoting Valentine’s ...

Feb. 05, 2013

♥ Send your love a Valentine with FREE shipping on all orders!

How do I love thee? Tommy Bahama will show you ...

Feb. 07, 2013

früute | cookies + raspberries = love

Who says Valentine’s Day has to be about ...

Jan. 31, 2013

M•A•C Archie's Girls - Love is in the air

Nothing says romance more than a good ‘ol...

Feb. 07, 2013

Your new Valentine

Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate the people ...

Feb. 08, 2013

3 Days Left! Pre-Order Your Chocolate Kissed Strawberries for Your Valentine

It wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without a mention o...

Feb. 06, 2013

Say It With Steak This Valentine's Day

It wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without a scrumptio...

Feb. 06, 2013

Spread the Love

Jan. 29, 2013

V-Day Recipes from HERSHEY'S Kitchens

Hershey’s is jumping on the Pinterest bandwagon to...

Jan. 28, 2013

[First Name]: Deals

Everyone needs a little help now and then, especia...

learn more >>
Slide /

Brand Name:

Industry:

Retail:

Subject Line:

Give Cupid a Hand

Critique:

Looking for a clever way to promoting Valentine’s Day, or any other gifting holiday? Say it ‘loudly’ with email. Uncommon Goods sent this email six days before the big day with a helpful reminder to subscribers. With the word “Cupid” in the subject line, this message literally shouts “Valentine’s Day,” so there’s no reason for recipients to forget. While product images would be ideal in the message, the email is so intriguing without them it begs subscribers to click to see what Cupid might have in store on the brand’s website.
learn more >>
Slide /

Brand Name:

Industry:

Retail:
Retail:

Subject Line:

♥ Send your love a Valentine with FREE shipping on all orders!

Critique:

How do I love thee? Tommy Bahama will show you so many ways! Offering a product assortment all tied to Valentine’s Day gifts is a great way to generate interest and excitement in the holiday. The associated “Love Stories” context is a great compliment to the holiday email. It gives subscribers another reason to click.

learn more >>
Slide /

Brand Name:

Industry:

Consumer Packaged Goods:

Subject Line:

früute | cookies + raspberries = love

Critique:

Who says Valentine’s Day has to be about chocolate and flowers? I’ll take cookies any day. Früute entices subscribers with a different take on the holiday. Using subtle Valentine’s Day messaging, the animated gif makes this email pop. Sometimes you don’t need all the bells and whistles to craft a good email. View the animation here.

learn more >>
Slide /

Brand Name:

Industry:

Retail:

Subject Line:

M•A•C Archie's Girls - Love is in the air

Critique:

Nothing says romance more than a good ‘ol comic strip featuring Archie and his pals. MAC Cosmetics borrows a page of nostalgia and the Archie comic books with this fun email. The play off the comic comes to life via an animated gif that shows the character Betty, which quickly switches to the Veronica character. There’s no need for Valentine’s Day specific messaging. True fans know that love rules all with this content. See the animation here.

learn more >>
Slide /

Brand Name:

Industry:

Entertainment:

Subject Line:

Your new Valentine

Critique:

Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate the people and the things that you love most. The Metropolitan Museum of Art offer unique holiday messaging to inspire people to become a member. The copy makes this email shine and shows subscribers another meaning for love around Valentine’s Day.
learn more >>
Slide /

Brand Name:

Industry:

Retail:

Subject Line:

3 Days Left! Pre-Order Your Chocolate Kissed Strawberries for Your Valentine

Critique:

It wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without a mention of Godiva. The chocolate candy maker takes creativity to new heights with this beautifully designed email. The message commands urgency, yet invites subscribers to enjoy the clean, polished email and the wonders that Valentine’s Day gifting can bring.
learn more >>
Slide /

Brand Name:

Industry:

Restaurant:

Subject Line:

Say It With Steak This Valentine's Day

Critique:

It wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without a scrumptious dinner, or at least the thought of one. Outback effectively uses its subject line to capture attention. The mouth-watering creative complements the messaging, and the prominent calls-to-action persuade recipients to click.
learn more >>
Slide /

Brand Name:

Industry:

Media & Publishing:

Subject Line:

Spread the Love

learn more >>
Slide /

Brand Name:

Industry:

Retail:

Subject Line:

Make a little time for your Valentine

learn more >>
Slide /

Brand Name:

Industry:

Consumer Packaged Goods:

Subject Line:

V-Day Recipes from HERSHEY'S Kitchens

Critique:

Hershey’s is jumping on the Pinterest bandwagon to give subscribers a few options to plan the perfect Valentine’s Day party. The graphics are compelling and make me want to learn more. The calls-to-action make clicking a breeze. Interestingly, the candy company strays from straight chocolate-themed messaging, showing the full depth and reach of the brand.
learn more >>
Slide /

Brand Name:

Industry:

Retail:

Subject Line:

[First Name]: Deals

Critique:

Everyone needs a little help now and then, especially when it comes to gift ideas. Amazon comes to the rescue with this helpful message. Subscribers can easily navigate through the easy-to-read layout. Amazon smartly shows a product assortment of gifts, prompting recipients to click to browse through its many items. Thanks to emails like this, Valentine’s Day gifts are a cinch.

Notice: We utilize cookies and other web technologies on our site. For more information regarding our use of web technologies, please review our Privacy Policy.

Sign Up

Enter your email below to sign up for our Weekly Spotlight Newsletter (sample)