Thanks for the positive feedback. Much appreciated. I agree that they most likely did not unsub anyone unless they clicked the unsub button, but as you point out…it is a bit misleading. Why not be very clear?

Overall…they rocked it.

dj

They might be a little misleading when they say, “since you opened this email, we’ll keep you on the list” when they could have said, “unless you click unsubscribe, we’ll keep you on this list.”

That being said, the email is still pretty genius. Thanks for letting us know about it!

I agree with your comment on “list shrinkage.” Very good point. My overall thoughts are to think before you make decisions…evaluate what the potential consequences could be.

dj

If this were going to everyone or to a relatively untargeted group, then I’d be worried about the list shrinkage you mention, DJ.

But if you’re only communicating with people who have really disengaged (haven’t interacted with any of your emails in a long enough time), then who are you losing if your list shrinks? As far as I’m concerned, anyone who doesn’t respond was already as good as gone anyway.

Cool discussion, thanks for starting it.

Regarding your comment….

I think you analysis of “do nothing” is incorrect. I don’t think is “We’ll keep you on the list if you open.” I think it more of an “We’re going to keep you on the list unless you actively unsubscribe”

The copy says very clearly…

1. Do nothing! Now that you’ve opened this e-mail, we will continue to send you travel deals hand-picked by our editors.

However, maybe we are arguing semantics and not intent.

Either way, I think @maddyhubba’s analysis is an interesting one. On many levels, what she is suggesting is a “better” approach. Asking your subscribers to take an action to re-engage is one way to go. I’d caution, however, that using this method will result in a big-time cleaning of your list. You will certainly get those subscribers who are truly engaged, but be ready for your list to shrink. Not saying this is necessarily a bad thing…just have to understand the consequences of your actions.

Thanks to all for comments. Great discussion.

dj

That said, this is way beyond what a lot of email marketers do, and is a (side)step in the right direction.