Novelty value in email design: risks and rewards

We’re all familiar with the idea of novelty value and how it wears off with time. But it gets scant acknowledgment in email marketing.

We sometimes treat email users like goldfish with their fabled 3-second memory*, where everything they see is always as new and stimulating as the first time they encountered it.

But email users are not fish (there’s a sentence I never thought I’d write).

It’s easy to ignore that fact when doing one-off tests on such novelties as video email…to the detriment of our campaigns.

What drives response?

People pay attention and respond to an email for many reasons. A key factor is obviously seeing something worth their attention or a response.

A big part of email copywriting and design (and email marketing as a whole) is to ensure people actually see what you want them to see and also find it worthwhile responding.

So a larger “shop now” button might boost response by attracting more attention to the call to action.

A trigger email might boost response by including a more targeted offer related to the previous purchases of the recipient.

Novel email design elements, like animations and video, can impact response positively by attracting attention. And by providing some kind of value, even if nothing more than to make the recipient smile or engage their curiosity longer.

Novelty impacts and true value

Part of that value is the value of novelty itself: most of us like new things. We’re initially attracted to explore new experiences.

This value declines with repetition. A “click here” link no longer inspires wide-eyed wonder and fascination.

Then there’s what you might call the true, inherent value of the new thing compared to the alternative. Value that lasts. That value might be fun, entertainment, a richer experience, a better understanding, etc.

Let’s assume a fashion email contains an animated image which cycles through the different styles the displayed garment comes in.

There’s still a novelty factor in animated images in emails (“wooo! bits of this email move!”) and we hope there’s true value, too.

Perhaps the recipient gets a better understanding of the choices available and is more likely to find one they like.

When we test the animated image against a static one we might get a response boost. So we ensure similar emails in the future now feature animated images.

The danger here is that long-term we might get the opposite results.

As the novelty value wears off, so its contribution to improved responses declines. Maybe (in our hypothetical example) it turns out that the animation distracted people from the copy and fewer end up buying.

The novelty value more than compensated for that problem in our initial tests, leading to better results for the animated image.

But the same test repeated once animation is a standard feature would show that it now actually hurts response.

Clear lessons for your emails

Some obvious lessons leap out here.

1. If you try something different (a quirky subject line, a video email, an animation) and it has a positive impact, be sure to see if this impact drops off with time…by watching the numbers or repeating comparative tests at regular intervals.

2. Novelty value is real while it lasts. The earlier you use a novel design element, the higher that novelty value. I’m pretty sure the first clickable link in an email got a 100% CTR.

Animation, video, personalized images, personalized videos and horizontal scrolling are a few examples of novel techniques that are still rare enough in email to excite curiosity and attention in their own right, regardless of what they offer long-term in terms of attention and value.

3. The value of novelty for its own sake wears off quickly. So look for novel ideas that also offer true value to the recipient to get longer-lasting response boosts.

A video .gif that gives viewers a better understanding of how and where a product might be used is likely to perform better than one that just cycles through animations of your logo.

4. There are good and bad ways of implementing animations, videos etc. And right and wrong times for using them. These links will help ensure the response changes are positive and durable:

• Animated GIFs in email: advice and links
• Top 14 Animated Emails of 09
• Video email: 8 recommended practices
• Video email: when to use it

5. Novelty works better where it’s understood. Confusing people with something completely different is not a great idea unless it’s all part of some avant garde brand message/image.

On the other hand, people are familiar with the concept of online video. So a video in an email might be new, but it’s not confusing or scary.

6. If some tactic lives entirely from its novelty factor, then use it irregularly so habituation doesn’t set in.

A subtle animation that brings a wry smile and little else works wonderfully the first time. After that its impact largely disappears. So use it sparingly or find an alternative subtle animation for next time.

Getting inspiration

If a novel approach is an obvious win, it would already be a best practice. So you’ll need to dig deeper to find good ideas.

Check the “design inspiration” section of this post for a host of blogs and other resources that specialize in highlighting interesting and innovative email approaches.

Any other thoughts on the role of novelty in emails?

*it’s a myth: the goldfish’s memory is actually much longer.

Find related articles:

• Channel: Email design

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