Olympic Email Design: 5 Ways Brands Are Leveraging the Games

The world is abuzz with all things Olympics — our inboxes included! Brands are incorporating Olympic email design, from the simple to the ornate, to get in the sporty spirit. Here are five of the methods we've seen marketers use to reference the games in their email campaigns.

1. Channeling gold champion products

The Olympics have us all wishing we were gold medal winners. Some brands offered to give readers a piece of the glory by putting their products on the podium, using Olympic-inspired product promotions. Both companies use a simple approach: Olympic-themed copy coupled with a touch of gold throughout the email design. This Olympic email design only takes a little foresight and planning and is easy to implement. Paired with a winning subject line, these email campaigns are ready to compete.

2. Adding athletic action with animation

Other brands prepared for the Olympic debut with more detailed email design, sending a series of swimming-inspired emails with illustrated GIFs, or animation that invites readers to "sleep like an Olympian." One food delivery service did something less common: instead of having a GIF as the hero image, a small GIF was added as part of its logo, positioned at the very top of the email to snag attention. From small to large, the animated GIFs accomplish a few things simultaneously: they capture attention and make a statement. Brands using themed GIFs in their Olympic email design might be perceived as being current, approachable, and generally lighthearted and fun.

3. Sustaining event excitement with a drip campaign

Before the Olympics even began, one hardware retailer sent a five-day promotional drip campaign to drum up excitement for opening day, with each day themed around a different sport and a one-day offer. Together, the five messages build up readers' anticipation for opening day, playing off that anticipation with product promotions. This kind of Olympic email design also follows best practices for drip campaigns:

1. There's a central design theme (repeating the same colors, fonts, and/or images).
2. The same calls-to-action are used throughout the campaign.
3. A consistent first module format unifies the messages into a cohesive group.

4. Creating content connection through competition

Many of us are inspired by the Olympians we see on TV. When we hear about their lives and see them compete, we feel like a part of their stories. Publishers played off that connection with content that let readers feel like they could be Olympians in their own lives — offering gym membership promotions, stories on workout hairstyles, features on how Olympic athletes eat, and even playful takes on how toddlers would fare as Olympians. Marketers and content strategists tie content to relevant news all the time, and the Olympics is no exception. With great stories, headlines, and subject lines, brands hope to tap into readers' admiration of accomplished athletes and increase email clicks. Email designers can boost attention to stories by:

1. Using the story headline in the subject line
2. Positioning the story at the top of the email
3. Pairing the story with a great CTA button
4. Pairing the story with a high-quality stock photo or animated GIF

5. Showing spirit with header illustrations

One e-commerce site took a simple and effective approach to Olympic email design: an Olympic-themed header illustration coupled with an Olympic-focused headline. This is an especially flexible design approach because it doesn't require creating specific content or updating the entire email design — the brand can simply apply themed imagery at the top, then design the email as usual. A little creativity can go a long way!

Wrap up: Olympic Email Design

Want to connect a current event to your brand's email design? Try these approaches:

1. Take one prominent symbol or color and infuse it in your email design (and copy).
2. Use animated GIFs to show readers you're all-in on the fun and festivities.
3. Plan a drip campaign to coincide with the event (or build up to it).
4. Create content connected to the event and feature it prominently in your design.
5. Build a universal email header that can be used throughout the event.