The Email Wars

Typically I would have seen this email and glanced over it. I would have noted that it was pretty but not well designed from an optimization standpoint of inbox rendering if images were blocked. But for some reason I decided to click through. Now it has been some years since I have last bought a wet suit (moving to Oregon 18 years ago has slowed my love of surfing growing up in CA), but I thought I would check out what has changed.

So in clicking through I found a very cool landing page with a flash feature that highlights the suit and it’s features. I found myself wanting to learn more about it. So I tried to access the rest of the site. No go. I was not an option. An AJAX window came up and asked for my Cypher code. Cypher code? What was that? I thought about it for a minute and my mind flashed back to an element in the email I remembered seeing. I went back to the email and noticed that the cypher code they were referring to was in the email creative. The blow was that I was not able to copy and paste it due to the fact that it was an image. Drats. 

At this point in time some would have called it quits. Not me as I had already invested time into this exploration. So I found myself toggling back and forth to get the cypher code and enter the site. DONE… but was it worth it. Yes it was very cool. I was satisfied with the experience. 

Overall I would have tried to make this easier on the user IF I was the one designing this campaign idea. I would have coded it better as to make it either easier to get the code OR I would have had the click drive the code activation. But alas it was not my design or campaign. I wonder how many others found this OR got tired of the hunt and moved on. 

Good idea, engaging content, worth the search, but it would have been better if the execution was easier. 

Here is the site link if you want to give it a try.