What makes a great email a great email? It should be crisp and beautiful, user-friendly and relevant. As a bonus, such as the case with Tiffany & Co., it can also be compelling enough to inspire a new content series on a company’s blog.

Given where we work, Marigold Engage by Sailthru’s marketing team tends to go through the emails we receive with a fine-tooth comb. We note strong subject lines, dissect subtle instances of personalization and nod approvingly at proactive triggered messages, inclined to share these examples with the rest of the team. Enter Email of the Month, where we take turns gushing about the emails that impress us.

“The World of Tiffany”: The Storied History of Tiffany & Co.

Lately, we’ve been seeing a lot of super long content+commerce emails that have strong editorial feels.

This one is my favorite. The blend of content and commerce is perfect, with an equal number of product calls-to-action and fun facts. If you see a reference to Tiffany & Co. publishing the country’s first direct mail catalog in any future Sailthru content, you’ll know where we learned that.

What makes this email really stand out to me is its strong branding. Visually, the pops of color, which work particularly well given the brand has a signature hue, are certainly eye-catching. But more than that, I mean the invisible “luxury” branding. Luxury shoppers pay a premium for these brands because of what they represent: heritage, top-notch craftsmanship, and a certain sophistication and stylishness. This email really drives the brand’s heritage home. The “Tiffany Diamond” was named nearly 150 years ago, not long before the founder popularized the engagement ring as we know it.

Rather than present the company as a relic, this email shows its evolution into modernization throughout the years. In 1980, Tiffany & Co. launched a collection inspired by New York City graffiti. Last year, the brand introduced a diamond sourcing initiative that demonstrates how Tiffany embraces modern technology (blockchain is involved, but not explicitly called out on the website) while also highlighting that its diamonds are both high-quality and ethically-sourced.