Email Marketing- Over the top!

I couldn't believe it when I read it- so I read it again, and maybe, you should too!
Here's a mail copy which I picked up from Ann Handley's blog- a confirmation mail sent to an actual CD Baby consumer:

"Your CDs have been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.

"A team of 50 employees inspected your CDs and polished them to make sure they were in the best possible condition before mailing.

"Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CDs into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy.

"We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved 'Bon Voyage!' to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, Sunday, November 18th.

"I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did.

"Your picture is on our wall as 'Customer of the Year.' We're all exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!

"Sigh...

"Derek Sivers, president, CD Baby
the little store with the best new independent music
http://cdbaby.com cdbaby@cdbaby.com "

Yup! I printed it! because I like what I read- 3 things stand out!
1. A confirmation email- when was the last time you got a confirmation email that didn't read like machine language
2. A Confirmation email- i.e. there would have been a number of well- thought of stages to this conversation. Why else would you be cheeky, off the wall, over the top, if you hadn't profiled your customer enough to get away with
the "shock and awe" attack!
3. An amazing blend of technology and creativity- to deliver an unforgettable customer experience.

That's what the Brand 2.oh! experience all about!
How are you achieving the Big Oh! moment- of ecstacy, delight, fulfilment in a world where nano-seconds after buying something, you are tempted to return it and get something else?
and how are you using disruptive technology- and its latest noisy, interactive Web 2.0 user audience to create that wow! and spread your message and product story across the world!

I just did! I live in Gurgaon, India, have never ever shopped at CD Baby- and yet here you find me writing this post!
:-)