As we bid farewell to summer and swap sunscreen for sweaters, it’s the perfect time to reflect on some of the most brilliant email campaigns that lit up our inboxes during those sunny months. Sure, the beaches were great, but these emails? Even better. From vibrant visuals to captivating copy, brands went all out to grab our attention, and let’s just say mission accomplished!
Whether you were sipping on iced lattes or braving the heatwave, these summer emails were like a refreshing breeze of creativity. If you’re looking to inject some of that energy into your next campaign, you’re in the right place. Grab your sunglasses, and let’s dive into the most inspiring emails that made this summer sizzle.
It’s summer Stripo’s choice again, and this time, I was drawn to emails that reflected trends and hit the right summer mood, as well as digests that helped me stay up to date.
Fashion email campaigns that nailed summer vibes
Fashion brands closely monitor visual trends, so their email campaigns always have something to inspire you and something to learn from. This summer, bright colors and the use of food to advertise clothes, accessories, and cosmetics were especially popular, and here’s how they were reflected in emails.
1. Email from Urban Outfitters: Promo for new fragrances with dessert scents
Subject line: a NEW fragrance brand?! (oui oui)
Sender: Urban Outfitters
(Source: Email from Urban Outfitters)
Why it stood out: This Urban Outfitters email campaign is a great example of how to play up the launch of new fragrances using desserts. The design of this summer email immediately draws attention to the pistachio macarons, caramel cream, strawberries, raspberries, and lemon, which, in addition to the spectacular visuals, create an atmosphere and perhaps even a scent. You will definitely want to smell it, at least.
Takeaway for marketers: Lean into sensory elements in your email design to evoke emotions and create a memorable experience. Visuals, colors, or even implied scents that tap into your audience’s senses can make your campaign irresistibly engaging.
2. Email from BaubleBar: Create an ocean breeze and a cool pool
Subject line: Pool or Beach?
Sender: BaubleBar
(Source: Email from BaubleBar)
Why it stood out: Opening this email, the reader immediately dives into summer’s atmosphere. Imagining yourself on vacation, even if you are still sitting in the office, is a great motivation to go to the site and choose new jewelry for your vacation — and the brand knows this well. Look at how they use a blue background with an imitation of water to touch different senses, what samples of goods they have chosen, and how easy the text is to read.
Takeaway for marketers: Use visuals and colors that evoke specific emotions or settings, like a summer getaway, to create a strong connection with your audience. Pair this with clear, easy-to-read text and well-chosen product imagery to make the shopping experience feel seamless and aspirational.
3. Email from Pandora: The sun also rises
Subject line: Alina, look to the stars for style inspo
Sender: Pandora
(Source: Email from Pandora)
Why it stood out: Sunbeams are what we all love about summer. This is the expectation that Pandora marketers used in one of their summer email campaigns. The rich yellow background sets a summery mood. What I always notice in Pandora emails are the pleasant personalization for each recipient and the use of GIF animations to call attention to the products.
Takeaway for marketers: Leverage bold, mood-setting colors, like Pandora’s rich yellow background, to capture attention and instantly convey a seasonal vibe. Combine this with personalized elements and subtle animations, like GIFs, to enhance engagement and keep your audience focused on your products.
4. Email from Old Navy: Promo campaign in jeans style
Subject line: Introducing: Good Jeans Since ‘94 (the on-screen extravaganza!)
Sender: Old Navy
(Source: Email from Old Navy)
Why it stood out: This Old Navy promo campaign differs from their usual product offer emails and immediately attracts attention.
The email design leverages the strongest design trends of this summer:
- a rich, blue jeans color scheme in everything from the background to the product itself;
- references to popular celebrity photo shoots that seem to say, “You will also be a star in this product”;
- “a pixel of humanity” — an imitation of photos that seem to have been taken with a Polaroid.
This entire visual composition creates a feeling of brand popularity among the same people as the email recipient. Special attention should be paid to the GIF animation, created not only for dynamic content but also to show the brand team’s unity.
(Source: Email from Old Navy)
Takeaway for marketers: Infuse your campaigns with current design trends, like Old Navy’s use of rich color schemes and celebrity-inspired visuals, to resonate with your audience’s aspirations. Incorporating human elements and creative animations can also build a sense of connection and community, making your brand feel more relatable and popular among your target audience.
5. Email from Free People: GIF animation as a separate art form
Subject line: NEW 🍊 NEW 🍊 NEW
Sender: Free People
(Source: Email from Free People)
Why it stood out: I like the overall style of this email campaign from Free People, but my main attention, of course, is attracted by the incredible GIF animations. It creates the impression of a large screen divided into sections or a trendy Instagram page. The movement opens up new products and new looks, and you are already unnoticeably choosing a new thing for the summer.
Takeaway for marketers: Experiment with dynamic layouts and GIF animations that mimic popular social media aesthetics, like Free People’s grid-style design. This approach grabs attention and subtly guides your audience to explore new products, making the shopping experience intuitive and engaging.
6. Email from Puma: Let’s play with the Olympics
Subject line: Living For the Summer of Sports
Sender: Puma
(Source: Email from Puma)
Why it stood out: Puma’s promotional email campaigns often feature minimalism in their designs, but extremely strong ideas and copywriting. Look at this email: It used a hero image with the champions of the 2024 Olympics, which many people closely followed this summer. Of course, this was a trend at the peak of popularity, which attracted attention to the email.
Takeaway for marketers: The recipe from Puma’s email marketers is to make their customers feel like Olympic champions. This inspires new achievements and purchases.
Create attractive and original fashion campaigns quickly and easily with Stripo templates designed specifically for the fashion industry. We have done everything to ensure you can realize your best ideas and inspiration.
A digest of email newsletters that were interesting to read this summer
I write materials for a SaaS product blog dedicated to email marketing, so it makes sense that I pay attention to the digests that other products send out. The flow of information is huge, so it is important to me that the digests are useful and, at the same time, convenient for receiving information.
Check out this summer selection. It might help you prepare future newsletters.
7. Email from MacPaw: Industry news digest
Subject line: MacPaw Digest is now Purr Tech
Sender: MacPaw
(Source: Email from MacPaw)
Why it stood out: MacPaw updated its design for the digest dedicated to new technologies while keeping it as recognizable and relevant to the brand as possible. The delicate background colors make the email look visually light. There is space between the various structural blocks, and the email does not turn into a long sheet. Original arrows for going to articles and cats for rating the impression at the bottom add zest to the email.
Takeaway for marketers: Maintain brand consistency while refreshing your design by using subtle background colors and ample spacing, as MacPaw did, to keep your email visually appealing and easy to navigate. Incorporate unique elements, like custom icons or playful touches, to add personality and encourage interaction with your content.
8. Email from Placeit by Envato: Seasonal thematic digest
Subject line: Back-to-school season is here!
Sender: Placeit by Envato
(Source: Email from Placeit by Envato)
Why it stood out: This digest contains useful materials for marketers to prepare back-to-school promo campaigns. I like the theme — everything is focused on one topic and easy to navigate. The blocks with announcements are visible, and it is immediately clear what will be inside.
Takeaway for marketers: Focus on a clear and cohesive theme to create a digest that is easy to navigate and visually organized. Ensure that your content blocks are distinct and straightforward, allowing readers to quickly understand what each section offers and find the information they need.
9. Email from Stripo: Weekly blog digest
Subject line: Missed our latest articles? Catch up now!
Sender: Stripo
(Source: Email from Stripo)
Why it stood out: The key feature of this digest is minimalism. There is nothing superfluous in it. The email structure is clear and logical, and the recipient can immediately go to the blog and read all the new articles or read short announcements and choose a topic that interests them. In addition, the digest includes updates on TikTok and webinars on the YouTube channel, which are highly convenient for those who prefer to watch rather than read.
Takeaway for marketers: Embrace minimalism in your email design, focusing on clarity and logical flow to guide readers effortlessly through your content. Include a mix of formats, like TikTok updates and YouTube webinars, to cater to various audience preferences and keep your digest engaging and versatile.
By the way, the Stripo email marketer uses the smart elements editor functionality to create announcements and links quickly. Smart elements allow you to add information to an email by copying a link, while all the formatting of the block in the email remains unchanged.
10. Email from Check Point Software: Webinar invitations
Subject line: Upcoming Webinars to Build Your Cyber Resilience
Sender: Check Point Software
(Source: Email from Check Point Software)
Why it stood out: This digest is extremely convenient. It collects webinar announcements in a compact form, and what awaits there is immediately clear. The combination of colors and the overall design of the email correspond to the brand colors and build trust in the sender.
Takeaway for marketers: Prioritize convenience and clarity in your digests by compactly organizing content like webinar announcements, making it easy for readers to understand what’s on offer. Ensure that your design and color scheme align with your brand identity to reinforce trust and recognition with your audience.
To make digest emails easy, you can use special Stripo email digest templates.
Bonus: Slogans that caught my attention
In this selection of Stripo choices, I decided to include slogans from email bodies, with which companies motivated their readers to take action, as a bonus instead of subject lines. Here they are.
Slogan №1
Here’s YogaDownload’s slogan, and I think it’s universal. Replace the centered word with your own, and use it in your campaigns to grab attention.
(Source: Email from YogaDownload)
Slogan №2
Want to encourage customers to buy new clothes, but in a subtle way? Show them how they can thank you for compliments. Like this:
(Source: Email from Free People)
Wrapping up
As we close the book on summer, these email examples remind us of the endless creativity that can be packed into a single campaign. From vibrant visuals to clever messaging, these brands found unique ways to capture the season’s essence and connect with their audiences. Whether you’re planning your next big promotion or looking for inspiration, let these summer standouts guide you. It’s your turn to bring that same energy and innovation to your upcoming campaigns. Happy emailing!
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