Smashburger is a new, innovating fast food chain which brings quality to quick food. There mission statement is to ”bring a fresh approach to burgers and help the nation burger better” – so they try and express they’re all about the status of food via email marketing methods used in the example below.

The colour scheme of black, white and red is simple, however classy as they aren’t overpowering and gives the email a modernized tone which makes it user friendly and easy for the target audience to read. This is followed through the whole email, including the clear, unique logo of Smashburger which is replicated in a fist – which is iconic and relates to the businesses essence. The use of red gives the company the power to make certain items of the email stand out more than others, in this case they have highlighted they’re social media links, in order to hopefully gain more popularity and interest through internet connections.

The language which Smashburger uses is carefully selected intentionally to make the audience feel special and like an individual, in this case the email subject starts with ”Harry, enjoy a drink on us” – which immediately gives a personalized message to the audience, and makes the possibility higher of the email being opened up and viewed. Giving away a free drink will also appeal to audiences not only who enjoy Smashburger, but others who might consider visiting for the first time as it gives them an incentive. Statements like ‘beginning of a smashing friendship and ‘that’s what friends do’ also creates a relationship with the consumer, and gives the feeling of an obligation that they actually have to visit as there is some sort of personal bond there, while keeping it light hearted with subtle puns by collaborating the name of the company within the promotional message. ”E-mail marketing is an important medium of marketing communication especially for companies seeking to build and maintain closer relationships with customers” (McCloskey, 2006 and Chaffey et al 2003).

Different styles of focus being used on the images provided in the email represents clearly what the main product is from Smashburger is, as the burger and its features stands out the most, with clear focus, good lighting and placement in the image, while the other products (beer, wine, condiments etc.) feature in the image also, but are blurred out in the background but are still easy to view but don’t take the attention away from the main product.

Acceptance of the free beverage when visiting in store could be seen as one of the Opt-In features which is provided by the email, however it also includes links to the official website for Smashburger found at the bottom in red. This link takes you to the websites landing page where in depth details are found about to company, including a mission statement, locations, options to join ‘Smashburger club’ and a interactive menu. ”Once an e-mail has been opened various executional tactics are used to attract attention. According to experimental research (Sundar and Kalyanaranman, 2004 and Yoo et al 2004) animation is the most prominent attention-getting device in web advertising and is far more effective than static advertising.” Giving evidence that Smashburger have used an interactive menu instead of a list format in order to keep viewers immersed and occupied.

It is clear that Smashburger have got the right idea with promotional methods, and I believe they have conducted a well designed marketing email, which allows the audience to cooperate with and feel they are part of the ‘Smashburger club’. However the question is will the unique idea of a high quality fast food restaurant be popular in the competitive market? Free offers and informative newsletters and emails are definitely are good start.

References:

• – Ellis-Chadwick, F., & Doherty, N. F. (2012). Web advertising: The role of e-mail marketing. Journal of Business Research, 65(6), 843-848
• – Smashburger . (2016). Smashburger. Available: https://smashburger.co.uk/. Last accessed 3 November 2016