Seasonal marketing can be misleading, often pushing brands to create something unique every time due to the repetitive nature of these campaigns and marketers’ eagerness to innovate.
However, it’s not always necessary to reinvent the wheel. You know your brand and audience. That’s good enough to start with. Now it may seem dry, even daunting to start with minimum viable information. But our experience in designing hundreds of Independence Day email templates for our clients proves this is the most effective approach.
To give you a head start, here are some truly inspirational 4th of July email examples from brands that are doing it right.
1. Uber’s fireworks GIF sets the tone
Speaking of GIFs, learn from Uber how it’s done. The GIF is relevant and does not distract. It captures the essence of Independence Day.
Importantly, the code for this email includes a fallback for when some email clients fail to display the GIF properly. The fallback involves using Vector Markup Language to create vector graphics in email templates. By using VML to define vector graphics and fills within a template, the designer ensures that the content remains visually appealing and consistent across different email clients, even if the GIF fails to load properly.
Here’s the fallback code snippet that Uber uses:
<v:fill type="tile" position="1,0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/uber-static/emails/2017/01/July_4th_Fireworks.gif" color="#20abd5" />
The CTA buttons have a pointer, visually indicating that clicking them will redirect the viewer to the correct page.
The overall design is simple, duochrome, and roomy. We love the heading. It’s short, effective, and nicely overlooks the fireworks. Remember to include the View Online and Unsubscribe links at the footer, just like Uber has. You can arrange the links vertically or horizontally. Make sure they work, redirecting the viewer to the correct page.
2. Joe Fresh’s blue and red spotlight the occasion
A key principle of email design is maintaining brand consistency.
But Independence Day is one of those rare occasions where brands can partially set aside their brand palette and celebrate with traditional holiday colors.
That’s what Joe Fresh does in their 4th of July email template. The use of brand color is limited to the brand name. It’s effective because it shows that Joe Fresh values the significance of the day and the emotions associated with it.
We also love how the template border seems to cut off the discount. It brings out the urgency of the sale. Like it’s already fading from the scene…
3. Google seamlessly integrates product highlights
If you have a product to showcase, take a cue from Google.
Products are not inherently relevant or irrelevant to specific occasions. But then, what’s good content for? Google uses content to create relevance for subscribers.
It’s a single-column template which is divided into three content blocks. That’s the perfect layout for featuring product highlights. It keeps the viewer focused.
4. Nest keeps it unbusy on an emotional day
Political wrangling aside, 4th of July is still a pretty emotional day for Americans. It’s not just another holiday.
Knowing that emotions run high on this day, Nest keeps it simple and direct. People want to celebrate, not get bogged down by complex emails and numerous offers. Remember, other brands are also targeting them.
Nest’s email seems to be a glad outlier. No fuss. Clear offer. Simply communicated.
5. Brit + Co leverages the Z-pattern layout
The Z-pattern is one of the most popular layouts in email design. Brit + Co’s 4th of July email template utilizes the Z-pattern to create focused readability.
Done right, the layout never fails. Significantly, it allows for multiple CTAs.
The text is minimal, a critical requirement for such angular layouts. Image and text are nicely balanced. No section is overcrowded at the expense of another.
6. Road Scholar jazzes it up with a quiz
Brand-focused 4th of July email templates can go a long way.
Road Scholar is an American not-for-profit. They offer educational travel programs for older adults. It’s both expected and welcome for such a brand to use history quizzes in their Independence Day emails.
That’s the point we made at the beginning: if you know your brand and audience, you’re all set! That’s your minimum viable information.
Road Scholar’s design utilizes the blue-red color scheme. The all-white background and effective use of negative space enhance the text-focused template.
7. Avocode amplifies its message with a testimonial
Like Google, Avocode uses good content to create relevance for subscribers. From subject line to body copy, the Independence Day focus is clear.
But look at the design. It’s simple, but not simplistic. The screen-wide red above the fold seems to discourage further scrolling with its strong presence. But if viewers continue unmoved, the testimonial below will likely grab their attention. You could almost catch the “but” before “You’re in good company.”
The clear separation between the two parts of the email targets these two types of viewers. These behavioral nuances should be considered while designing emails.
8. Rifle Paper Co. features winning product images
We’ve always maintained that if you have stunning product images, the designer’s job is half-done. At least when it comes to aesthetics.
Rifle Paper Co. features a short-sweet grid of product images in their Independence Day email template. The lilac background is in keeping with the brand palette.
Mentioning the discount offer four times in a short email might seem excessive in theory. But in practice, with a light design and effective use of font size and spacing like in this email, it works well. It’s a question of how much cognitive real estate you’re demanding from the viewer. Smart design is crucial for maximizing attention.
9. Casper goes full stripes to celebrate July
As we’ve been seeing, shorter, single-column emails benefit from a full-bleed hero image. Casper also uses a full-bleed banner featuring stars and stripes with a faded effect. Unlike Google and Avocode, Casper bets on design, not content, to create relevance.
So even if your brand has nothing to do with the 4th of July, you can still stay relevant through smart content and design.
10. Finn sticks to the lowdown on the high day
Finn has designed the perfect 4th of July email template for its niche. It’s informative, helpful, and the color contrasts enhance readability.
We love the hero image. It sets the tone for the entire email. Once again, the layout follows a Z-pattern, but it’s not very prominent due to the rounded content blocks arranged in a linear sequence. A cool way to diversify the angular layout. The blocks are also colored differently to keep the reader interested till the end.
You should be on the lookout for these natural opportunities to innovate.
Design Responsive, High-converting 4th of July Emails!
Independence Day is just a month away, which is like a week in email marketing time.
Our designers can create custom templates that match your brand in just 8 hours. With over 3000 templates delivered monthly, we have the expertise and experience needed. Share your vision with us, and we’ll get started right away.