Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson What’s Up THIS WEEK: Email Fails, Taylor Swift Wedding News? Email TIP! 🎁 What's Up This Week | Ep. 461
Dec 9, 2025
Lowe's gets creative with holiday decoy boxes to keep kids from snooping on gifts. A suit retailer faces backlash for a crude email subject line that leads to an apology tour. Discover how double personalization can skyrocket email open rates. Jay argues that targeting ultra-specific segments can actually boost sales potential. Plus, the rise of an AI-generated country hit raises eyebrows on Billboard charts, and Jay shares his mixed feelings about recent Netflix releases and celebrity wedding news.
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Lowe's Gift-Hiding Tactic
- Lowe's created free decoy pickup boxes for loyalty members so parents can hide gifts in plain sight from snooping kids.
- Jay uses this as a clever holiday marketing example that solves a real customer pain point.
Subject-Line PR Backfire
- A suit company sent a Black Friday email with the subject line "grow the f**k up and buy a suit" and sparked major backlash and press coverage.
- Jay recounts the fail and the CEO's apology as an example of edgy marketing gone too far.
Use Double Personalization In Subject Lines
- Try double personalization in subject lines by combining two specific traits like "pet parents of anxious dogs" to boost relevance.
- Jay cites research showing ~29% higher consumer opens and ~24% higher B2B opens with this tactic.