Ogilvy on Email Marketing: 5 Signs you have your next BIG idea.

"No Idea is big unless it will work for 30 years.." - David Ogilvy

In a world where we get frustrated if our lattes take more than 2.5 minutes from buy to try, a thought like this is refreshing, even if it was proclaimed over twenty years ago. The late David Ogilvy, known by some as the "Father of Advertising", knew what he was talking about. I mean, he was the one with a roster a mile high that included some of the greats :American Express, Sears, Ford, Maxwell House and even our dear friend Barbie. I highly recommend reading Ogilvy on Advertising if you haven't already, he fills his pages with tips, blatant honesty and humor that gives you a unique perspective on advertising that remains true to this day.

One luscious morsel of goodness I found was his concept of the Big Idea: a checklist on how to know if you have the next best concept staring you in the face. Of course, upon reading this, I immediately began to think of the ways this could be incorporated into the world of email marketing:

1. Did it make me gasp?

It's hard to impress people in email, especially when they've got their mouse hovering over the spam button like it's the $1000 question on Jeopardy. Every once in while, however, a star will rise in the ranks with an email marketing gem that gets noticed. Marketingsherpa does an excellent job showcasing these email rock stars in their Email Marketing Awards 2007 wrap-up.

The Winner for Best Email Opt-in Campaign was one of my favorites. Voltimum, an online portal dedicated to electrical installation professionals, devoted an email campaign to the prospects who left their email addresses at one of their industry's trade shows. Each email was personalized with a picture of the rep they were introduced to at the show. Acquiring double opt-in permissions doesn't have to be a bore, and Voltimum did a great job making it look easy.

2. Do I wish I had thought of it myself?

According to the RetailEmail.BlogSpot, Gap was one of the first to create a "See Other Emails" section allowing subscribers to see samples of other newsletters. While most email marketers use a link to their preference pages, this allows the user to see all the newsletters GAP has to offer in their email. Imagine, a woman who usually receives the women's clothing newsletter while she's expecting. She takes a peek at the Gap Baby or Gap Maternity newsletters, and decides to subscribe. Creating this new spin on email preferences sets this company apart from the competition, while giving its followers that pang of regret for not thinking of it themselves.

My favorite "I wish I had thought of it myself" idea -- Bench advertising. You drive up to a red light, look to your right and see the snide bench ad leering back at you, "You just proved bench advertising works!".

Annoying -- but brilliant.


3. Is it Unique?

Thinking up the next best email to whip your customers into an email frenzy could be tough work. This is why thinking out of the (in)box is sometimes necessary. For example, instead of selling your customers something, why not ask them to help you? Abercrombie & Fitch's casting call last August was an excellent eye-catching campaign which asked the customer to send in their best photos for a chance at a modelling contract. A few months later, their newsletter showcased the behind-the-scenes video with the winners of the contest.

4. Does it fit in the strategy?

So you've come up with the next best thing, but before you go viral, stealth or astroturfing ask yourself, "Does this fit with the original plan?" Does your big idea fit with your company's objectives? Is it increasing customer loyalties?

Here at InboxMarketer, we have dedicated all our efforts to create unique ideas that also fit into the overall email marketing strategy. When you've hit upon the next BIG idea, the last thing you want to do is forget the processes and best practices that will give you the results you crave. We've created The InBox Guide to Strategic Email Marketing that we can send straight to your inbox to help you increase your Sales & Marketing ROIs in time for your next email campaign.


5. Could it be used for 30 years?

With such an intense focus on social media now, it's tough to say if we'll ever see the long 30-year-old campaigns Ogilvy talks about in his book. But instead, we ask the question, "Can we make this viral?"

Marketingsherpa created a listing of 2006's Best Viral Campaigns, and they are impressive: These campaigns include Peerflix's Paparazzi Celebrity Game, Beer.com's Virtual Bartender or the insanely perfect campaign "Blog in Space" by MindComet which highlighted the huge marketing potential of the blogosphere.

Keep these tips handy for your next BIG idea, and don't worry, even if your idea doesn't pass the test it doesn't mean that it's not a step in the right direction. Like Leo Burnett said, "When you reach for the stars, you may not quite get one, but you won't come up with a handful of mud either."