Our task was to put that brand creativity to work and drive up holiday sales.

Our challenge was to make the Icebreaker brand stand out against the barrage of holiday emails coming from every other retailer.

While the creative grabbed the attention of the viewer, the content kept people clicking and purchasing.

Using a total of 11 emails, the campaign helped to substantially increase the holiday sales of 2009 from the previous year.

Strategies we used in the 2009 Icebreaker holiday campaign included:

• Increased frequency of sends (2-3 per week)
• A/B Testing – offers and copy
• Free shipping offers
• Product bundles
• and more…

See the emails and stats from the campaign»

Lucky for me, and you, eROI shares in my adoration for the aforementioned things.

To commemorate the holiday season we wanted to say “Cheers in the Name of Frugality” to all of our clients, supporters and friends.  Joyfully, the entire company is as narcissistic as I am and thought the perfect gift to you was pictures of us (my go-to gift outside my professional life).

Highlights included: beer showers in the kiddy-pool, “organized falling”, clothing removal and, of course, pet cameos.  It was loads of fun and brought all of us together even more.  This one will be hard to top.

See the email we sent out »

See the Holiday Cheer landing page »

Sleek and chic – how can you not love the new Intuos4 tablet from Wacom.  Very psyched how this integrated campaign turned out.  For all the marketers reading this blog post, there are some really good insights to this case study.

Wacom Technology Corporation worked with eROI to launch their brand new product, the Intuos4.  As you will find out, it is more than just a sleek site.  This case study outlines the integrated online strategy used by Wacom, including results of the multi-pronged campaign; email, microsite, and offline channels working together to seamlessly promote the unique aspects of the new Intuos4 tablet.

Check out the finished site »

“We’re absolutely happy with the number of visitors. We believe we’ve received a 70% awareness of our target audience. I mean, that’s really good. Not many companies are going to achieve that kind of awareness for a new product launch.”

~ Marketing Director, Wacom

Download the Case Study

Being the giver that I am, I was sure to pass on my family traditions to my eROI family.  Thus began the institution of the birthday email.  Even though every employee is guaranteed to get a card late, I made sure that these mild affronts showed up right on time.

Below are a few of the highlights throughout the year.  I hope I don’t lose friends over this.

Our fearless leader in a stylish ‘stache.  Click here for the real thing.

VP of Products, going to his version of The Dark Side.

Our controller, she is known to party with rock stars from time to time ;)

Senior Account Executive may be his day job title but at night he is at the DJ Booth spinning for Homeless Panda.

Always put together Director of Account Services, St Tropez style.

And as an update for all of you waiting with bated breath about the fate of the dishwasher.  Yesterday we officially got a new one.  It’s time to put the Mom Jeans away.

It’s a place where you can evaluate and track your relationships, get advice on things happening in your life and catch up on celebrity gossip, all while Mooning your friends.  Really “Mooning” is checking your compatibility but that doesn’t sound nearly as fun.  We are so excited to see this dream become a reality.  For me, an internal brainstorming session for Moonit was the very first meeting at eROI I ever attended.  I feel an attachment to Moonit, I wonder if I put in the site’s launch date and my birth date if we would be compatible…

Beyond my fondness for the site, Moonit has been getting really positive reviews.  They had the honor of being a part of the TechCrunch50, in what felt like minutes after the launch, allowing them to showcase the site and even bribe a security guard to allow them access to a special room in exchange for figuring out his “crazy love life.”

The site is fun, easy to use and is a perfect compliment to your social media life (you can even use facebook connect.)  If nothing else, at least you can moon your boss.

Moonit Press:

The Moonit Blog»

Read the blogher Article»

Moonit on Forbes.com»

“Friend or boyfriend” in the examiner.com»

I’m usually curious enough to click on the links she offers and yesterday I found myself at her new site.  What I was surprised and delighted by was the ease at which she engaged the user in a multitude of interactions.  As a first time visitor to the site you are invited to “Get The Zoe Report” by simply giving your email address and zip code.  The call to action is straight forward and simple.

Next you are taken to a thank you page where they segment your gender, age and preferences with an option to add a category they haven’t listed.  I think this page starts to build the relationship with the user.  You are asked about what is important to you and given the chance to elaborate, in a way it sets the tone for the pages that follow.

Next you are asked to engage with Rachel Zoe via social network.  “Have an idea for the Zoe Report? Send your suggestions to Rachel through Twitter!”  Underneath the headline there is a text box set up to instantly @reply to Rachel on Twitter.

Finally they encourage more social interaction in the final thank you page with a call out to share on Facebook.

Each of these steps is voluntary with a link to “skip this” and with a full top and bottom nav bar to navigate away from the information gathering pages at any time.

Once you are done you are greeted with a thank you email with information on what you have opted into, a suggestion to add the newsletter email address to your address book, share on facebook and the option to unsubscribe.  The copy that surrounds all of these options make them a little more special.  For example “The Zoe Report will never go out of style, but if at anytime you wish to stop receiving it, you can unsubscribe.”

I think this is a great example of a website taking the extra step to engage their users and get them excited about visiting the site while collecting valuable information for their email campaign.  Well done Rachel Zoe!

Check it out for yourself »

Comment below and tell me what you think of the process.

I hope some of you can understand my pain.

Even online, where it’s easiest for email marketers to track the path of subscribers, we’re not getting credit for much of the action that our messages drive. That’s because 33% of permission-based email recipients say they usually visit sites directly, instead of clicking on an email link, according to Epsilon. This means conversions may be undercounted by 50%.

Taking into consideration the action that email drives offline and directly to Web sites, email marketing’s ROI is probably closer to $130 — about three times the DMA’s estimate. And that’s clearly ignoring email’s ability to drive interest and actions in other channels like catalogs and social networks.

Email Marketing’s ROI Probably Closer To $130 Than $43.52
By Chad White

Read the rest of the MediaPost article »

Statue by the Penguins holding the event program and enjoying Cascade Brewing’s Razberry Wheat

Luckily for me, Ryan was going to our New York office to meet with clients so I happily went in his place.  It was a perfect day for music, beer and friends.  This fact was only enforced when all the tickets were sold out by 6:30!

The deliciously potent Lagunitas 2009 Correction Ale 7% ABV

With over 20 breweries to choose from and 10 tastings included with admission, who could blame the throws of thirsty Portlander’s enthusiasm?  There was a selection of seasonal summer ales along with tried and true favorites.  The only line that seamed to suffer was the one for root beer.  We don’t proudly state “Keep Portland Beered” for nothing.  My only complaint is that there is only one a year.

Beer lovers lounge in the field while listening to the Crazy 8′s

Photos by Keith Kunis

Once discovered, KillROI showed his support for Lance Armstrong and, always the ham, posed for pictures.

When the race was coming to an end, KillROI, showed his appreciation for the intense athleticism of the bikers with a standing ovation and cheers.

Where will he go next?  We will just have to wait and see.