Email review
Apple vs. Samsung

Uncover the secrets behind Apple and Samsung's engaging emails — usability, brand consistency, accessibility, and design that make them successful.

First impression

Let's begin by examining the first impression each email made and what caught our eye.

Apple

  • Apple captivated us with "Hello Yellow.” It's a succinct yet impactful method to capture the recipients' attention, especially when introducing a new product color, yellow.
  • Featuring an image of a person holding the phone reinforces relatability, it fosters a deeper connection than standalone product shots.
  • Focus on key product features such as display size, 5G connectivity, battery life, and more.
  • Offering a trade-in can be a significant saving. Who wouldn't appreciate purchasing an impressive new product at a discounted price? The "Trade-in" option is detailed, ensuring recipients understand the process immediately.

Samsung

  • With the opening phrase, “Be the first to experience,” Samsung appeals to our vanity, making us eager to own the product and excited to read more about it.
  • GIF on the first screen showcases the product from multiple angles, while the presence of joyful and confident individuals enhances its allure.
  • Samsung offers a $200 rebate for pre-ordering the new phone. Even though they did not explain how you can spend this money, saving some is always nice.
  • The countdown timer instills a sense of urgency, clearly indicating the time left to secure this flagship phone and be among its first owners.

Usability

Apple
Samsung

Email web version

Clickable images

Why are these two points important?

Sometimes, due to network errors or other unpredictable issues, images in emails may not load correctly in an email client. The web version link offers an alternative method to access the content.

Many recipients naturally expect that images and banners, will lead them somewhere if clicked. By not making such images clickable, you might confuse or frustrate the recipient.

Design

Email design is intricate. We'll address each aspect individually.

Optimization for mobile devices

Starting with the mobile-first approach, both brands shine — there's no horizontal scrolling, and the text is easily readable with appropriate font sizes.

Optimization for dark mode

Both emails are well-optimized for the dark mode. Yet, Apple's light-yellow background shifted to an olive hue (or something akin to that color). However, everything else in their email displays perfectly in both dark and light modes.

Brand consistency

Both brands maintained their colors, tone of voice, and even their brand fonts, even though most email clients typically substitute custom fonts with default ones.

Email accessibility

Email accessibility is not an option. It is a must today for social, business, legal, and humane reasons. So, are the emails from these famous brands accessible?

Apple
Samsung

Left-aligned copy

Center-aligned text is not recommended for dyslexic readers

Sans serif font

Both, Apple and Samsung belong to the Arial family, Sans serif.

Color contrast

Tested with Accessible colors.
The contrast ratio is 1.74, falling short of the required 7. (Features are written in a medium gray color on the light gray background at the bottom of the email)
The contrast ratio stands at 14.88, surpassing the required 7.

Line spacing at 150%

Extra space around headings

Single-color backgrounds

Punctuation marks at the end of sentences and lists

The “lang” attribute

Both brands narrowly missed the mark on accessibility. We hope for improvements in their next attempt.

Legal requirements

Each country or continent has its own regulations with different rules, like CanSPAM, GDPR, etc. It is important to abide by them. And if you are a global product, which our heroes are, you should consider the laws in the target countries.

Apple
Samsung

Physical postal address

Unsubscribe option

In the US, simply detailing how a recipient can opt-out of newsletters is acceptable, as demonstrated in the email sent to US audiences. However, in Europe, an explicit "Unsubscribe" option is required.

The reason why they’re reaching out

Per the CAN-SPAM Act in the US, brands aren't obligated to explain the reason for their outreach.
In the EU, brands must clarify their reason for contacting recipients. Reminding them of their prior consent is a valid justification for the communication
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