Memorial Day is a day where we stand and reflect on those brave men and women who have given their lives in service to our country. As a marketer, treat this day respectfully and honestly, while finding ways to engage with your audience and thank them for their support. In this essay, we’ll take a look at five examples of effective Memorial Day email templates and their accompanying subject lines that hit this equilibrium.
Grunt Style – “Worth It: Memorial Day Sale” Subject Line: “We’re Celebrating Our Heroes – 25% Off Everything”
A military-themed clothing retailer called Grunt Style developed a successful Memorial Day email that honored the fallen while also advertising a sale throughout the website. The brand’s patriotism hung in the air throughout the email, including a heartfelt opening line “Today we celebrate those who paid the ultimate price for our nation. Without their courage and hard work, we would not be able to enjoy the freedoms we do. This quip anchors the email and helps customers see what exactly the holiday is about.
The email also contains images of American flags and military members, which further highlights Grunt Style’s affiliation with the military. The 25% off site-wide deal is being pushed by the brand as a way to give back to customers and thank them for their patronage. And by giving customers a big discount and tieing it to the holiday, Grunt Style can make people feel compelled to buy and celebrate the military community.
The Home Depot – “Memorial Day Deal: Support Our Heroes” Subject: “Worth It For Our Heroes, Save Big – Memorial Day Deal”
Home Depot’s email for Memorial Day also highlights special discounts for the military and their families, while acknowledging the day. In the email, a hero photo of a soldier’s boots topped with a folded American flag is embedded along with a letter of gratitude. The savings promotion is pitched as an opportunity to make customers save on home improvements while highlighting what the holiday really is about.
Not only do The Home Depot provide discounts for the military and their families, but they also ship items free with some orders so customers can still enjoy the deals. The email even features a “Shop now and save,” to motivate customers to act and make a purchase.
Kate Spade New York – “Memorial Day: A Day to Remember” Subject: “Cheers to the Weekend – 25% Off Your Favorite Styles”
Kate Spade New York is renowned for their whimsical, playful, and feminine designs, and its Memorial Day email was no exception. The email was colourful and festive, and the holiday theme was somewhat inflected with red, white and blue. “Cheers to the Weekend – 25% Off Your Favorite Styles” was more of a promo for the long weekend and the beginning of summer than a direct Memorial Day sale.
With this more minimalistic strategy, Kate Spade New York not only responded to Memorial Day but also served to satisfy its customers’ cravings for a relaxed and fashionable summer. The 25% discount sparked a huge amount of customers to buy, but it wasn’t the main focus of the email. The email combined the Memorial Day holiday with the Kate Spade New York image to deliver an emotional and unique experience to its recipients.
Pottery Barn – “Memorial Day Sales: 50 Percent Off” Subject Line: “Honoring Our Heroes With Memorial Day Deals”
Pottery Barn, on the other hand, took a less indirect approach to Memorial Day email marketing. Their headline, “Honoring Our Heroes with Memorial Day Savings,” immediately expressed the brand’s appreciation for America’s heroes and their families, and pointed to savings to come.
The email itself started with a touching tribute to servicemen and women, paying respect for their service. The email body contained patriotic home décor items including bunting, flags, and table runners along with the 50% off coupon.
Pottery Barn combines a compelling sentiment of gratitude and honour with an enticing promo to deliver both a meaningful Memorial Day experience and home decor ideas to customers. Using the savings to accompany the holiday made Pottery Barn feel closer to its customers and showed their appreciation for the US military community.
J.Crew – “Memorial Day Weekend: 30% Off Sitewide” Subject: “Red, White, and Set for the Weekend – 30% Off”
J.Crew’s Memorial Day email, meanwhile, was a hoot in its own right to say summer is coming with over the top graphics and an amazing deal. The email title “Red, White, & Get Set for the Weekend – 30% Off” elegantly infused the holiday’s hues with preparations for good times to come.
So vibrant in the email, incorporating red, white, and blue clothing as a subtle reminder of the holiday along with 30% off sitewide being the perfect incentive to update your wardrobe. It really puts the brand’s quality on display and gives buyers some ideas on how to look awesome going into summer.
This email campaign hit the laid-back yet cool brand J.Crew formula and just let their audience just have a few clothes to enjoy without it feeling like it was Memorial Day.
Conclusion:
These 5 Memorial Day email templates illustrate the challenge of finding a sweet spot between capturing the spirit of the holiday and sharing something meaningful with your customers through offers and messages. These companies, using thoughtful design, honest obituaries, and tempting offers, were able to develop motivational emails that captured the attention of their users, and communicated their belief in honoring the heroes who have served our nation.
