I must admit to feeling a tiny thrill when an email from BBC Audience appears in my in-box. Maybe I’m a bit star-struck, or perhaps the unexpected glamour brightens up my day, but I will always open these emails to see what’s on offer.
I opted in to this mailing list a number of years ago after trying (unsuccessfully) to get tickets for ‘Jools Holland’s Hootenanny’. Since then I have been successful on a few occasions and have been in the audience for ‘Not Going Out’, ‘Up the Women’ and ‘The News Quiz’. I have also been spectacularly unlucky, missing out on every episode of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ ever recorded as well as ‘In Concert With… Elbow’ which I was particularly disappointed about. Perhaps it is the fact that sometimes you win with these emails, that keeps the recipient clicking.
The email itself is well designed: the BBC logo is prominent, the sender is identified, there is an option to unsubscribe if wished, and the message is clear. However, there is one issue:
I think it suffers from having such a large picture; the recipient is required to scroll down past ‘the fold’ to find details of the recording dates and instructions for applying. Another minor point I would make is that the text at the top of the email, about adding this email address to your contact list, detracts from the main thrust of the email and would be better placed at the end.
Once past the picture, however, the point is clearly made. A selection of dates are shown, with the promise that you can enter any or all of the random draws for free tickets to be in the audience. The copy is written in the second person; the text is brief and to the point, focused on one event; a link to a web version is provided; the whole look is eye-catching and relevant to me (as comedy and radio are two of the genres I have opted into.)
All of the above points are included in the Direct Marketing Association’s ‘Email marketing guide’ as examples of good practice, and it is no wonder they are followed, it is the BBC after all! I did wonder about the purple text on the dark grey background which I feel doesn’t show up terribly well – perhaps not enough contrast, as suggested in this interesting blog: Choosing the Right Font: A Guide to Typography and UX.
Ellis-Chadwick and Doherty (2012) explore the appropriateness of the email subject line. This example ticks all the boxes: the email sender is clearly identified (BBC Audience), the subject line gets straight to the point (“The Infinite Monkey Cage returns with two more recordings”) and the headline sums up what is on offer (“Be in the audience: tickets for shows”).
Is “the receiver interested, intrigued, or motivated by the subject matter? (Ellis-Chadwick and Doherty, 2012). My interest is certainly sustained as the content is relevant to me, and if I decide to apply for tickets there is a nice big Call To Action button labelled ‘Apply Now’ which I just need to click on. This re-directs me to the BBC website; such interactivity was found to be of real value in their study of marketing emails. Some further interaction is provided by the ‘Follow us on Twitter’ link at the very bottom of the email.
To sum up, this is a good example of a relevant, well-designed event-triggered marketing email sent to comedy fans who have opted-in to the BBC’s mailing list. It was not, however, a golden ticket for me – I never did get to go and see Professor Brian Cox and his weird puppet friend. That won’t discourage me, though… I’ll keep clicking and maybe one day I’ll get all the way to Strictly…
Direct Marketing Association UK Ltd (2014) Email marketing guide.
Ellis-Chadwich, F., & Doherty, N. F. (2012). “Web advertising: The role of e-mail marketing” Journal of Business Research Vol. 65, pp. 843-848.
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