Ah, 2022. You were a year of brilliant, innovative email campaigns. We thoroughly enjoyed ploughing through our inboxes each month to constantly be surprised and delighted. So to get this year off to a strong start we have decided to take a look back at some of the stand-outs that graced our inboxes. These will certainly take some beating in 2023. Let’s get to work!

1. Marleybones

SL: Well, Eddie has become a kitchen stalker

Chosen for: Customer reviews

Good reviews are there for sharing and celebrating, and this is a lovely example of doing it well. It was great to see a brand choosing to start their new year by shining a light on their own achievements in a positive way, rather than opting for the standard New Year Resolution messaging. The clever selection of a funny quote from the review makes an effective headline and made us want to read more.

2. Ben & Jerry’s

SL: NEW Ben & Jerry Valentine’s Day Cards

Chosen for: Theme

A fun take on the unavoidable at this time of year: Valentine’s Day. Cleverly used to highlight the ice cream brand’s new limited edition range of cards.

Chosen for: Copy

So many fun puns and phrases here: ‘Spoon on the couch’! ‘Send your snack a snack.’! ‘10 signs you might be in a relationship with Ben & Jerry’s.’ All. So. Good!

3. Beards & Daisies

SL: 4 plants your furry friends will love

Chosen for: Content

Using ‘national days’ is a great way to encourage reader engagement, even when you think it may not quite align to your brand. Plants and pets - what’s not to love?

Chosen for: Design

An eye-catching animation is a treat upon opening the email, which then draws the gaze to its editorial style design. The CTA’s stand out with their brightness, alongside the other occasional pops of colour. Love!

4. Fast Company

SL: [Deadline Approaching] Only 4 Days Left to Apply

Chosen for: Design

This part of the year saw a trend for bold colours in backgrounds and hero images, and one of our favourites was from Fast Company. The email’s colour palette stood out among the many, plus their use of a countdown clock hammered the ‘last chance’ message home a treat.

5. Lacoste

SL: Sporty cuts. Fresh colors. Under the sun.

Chosen for: Design

The large lifestyle hero image sets the tone of the email alongside the theme, with vintage styling on all imagery throughout. They've kept copy to an absolute minimum, which when implemented well is extremely effective - especially for fashion brands - allowing their products to sell themselves.

6. Disney

SL: You've got mail

Chosen for: Gamification

A mid-year round-up favourite! This email from February featured quiz style tap-to-reveal CTAs which were really engaging, adding value to the user’s email experience. We scrolled through without thinking twice - and had fun along the way!

7. Deciem

SL: A message to our fellow humans.

Chosen for: Content

Like many brands, in 2020 Deciem committed to help fight racial and social injustice. It was nice to find an email that updated their customers on their journey and ongoing approach in a tangible and meaningful way.

8. Surreal

SL: We’ve made cereal ice lollies 🧊🍭

Chosen for: Tone of voice

Witty copy, friendly tone of voice, and willingness to take the mick out of themselves. You feel like you’re chatting to a mate as you read, giving that sense of familiarity that brands crave so much. Great work!

9. Taylor Nation

SL: 🕰️ Taylor Swift's new album Midnights

Chosen for: Design

The flickering flame in this email was instantly impressive. Just…flawless. The animation gif file size is pretty large, and whilst there’s no hard and fast rule for gif file sizes in email - the larger the file, the longer it’ll take to load. But, still. We love it.

10. Jib Jab

SL: Send Spooky, Scary, Skele-TONS of Fun! 💀

Chosen for: Personalisation and Copy

Halloween-themed animations featuring faces from our very own office + punchy pun-tastic copy = the ideal email!

11. Planks

SL: Single Use Plastic? Problem (Dis)solved 💧

Chosen for: Animation

It’s often easier to explain things visually and this GIF does a great job at that. Demonstrating how simple it is to dissolve their new ‘Leave No Trace’ garment bags, without the need for loads of copy.

12. BarkBox

SL: Dog people give the best gifts

Chosen for: Copy

This email ticks all the boxes in the most simple but effective of ways. Funny, appealing to its audience, to the point. And very on brand. All with hardly any copy whatsoever. Round of a-paws!