• by Ray Schultz , October 27, 2017

“Stranger Things,” the scary Netflix show, is hot as it starts its second season. Mentioning it in a subject line drove a 74% increase in Halloween email open rates, according to a study by Mailjet.

But response was higher in the U.S. than it was elsewhere. In the UK, citing the show in a subject line generated only a 10% hike. Of 1,335 consumers surveyed, 27% opened messages promising show-related content, Netimperative reports.

To glean these findings, Mailjet surveyed 25,000 subscribers in its database.

Overall, it found that Halloween is a more popular holiday in the U.S. than in Europe — at least when it comes to email subject lines.  According to Growth Business UK, the research also showed that inviting consumers to “Celebrate Halloween with us” in a subject line generated a 68% increase in open rates in the U.S.

In contrast, email marketers suffered a 7% decline in the UK, France, Germany and Spain when they used the same line, it continues. 

Mailjet also found that Starbucks saw a 90% boost in U.S. open rates when it used “pumpkin spice” in a subject line. But that led to only a 10% increase in the UK, the report continues.

“It’s easy to assume the success Starbucks sees is testament simply to the quality of the product, but this overlooks the marketing effort behind the scenes,” states Josie Scotchmer, UK marketing manager at Mailjet, according to multiple reports.

She adds: “Starbucks has a brand personality that comes through in every email, with content integrated across every channel. As a matter of best practice, tailoring your content in this way and being responsive to what engagement rates are telling you is essential in keeping your brand relevant and appreciated.”