• by Wayne Friedman , September 29, 2011

Click-through rates for any consumer marketing emails can be in on the low side -- in the single digits. But one entertainment property, "The Twilight Saga" -- at least with repeat customers -- continues to buck that trend.

Digital movie ticket company Fandango says it has witnessed an eye-popping 57% click-through rate from a special email sent out earlier this month to previous "Twilight" consumers for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1."

Paperless Post is the email marketer that produced the special invitation, which also alerts moviegoers about the availability of "Breaking Dawn" advance tickets at local theaters through its Fandango FanAlerts.

Advance tickets for the movie go on sale this Saturday, Oct. 1; the movie opens Nov. 18.

The email was a "wedding invitation" for characters Isabella Marie Swan (Bella Swan) and Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, sent exclusively to Fandango's previous "Twilight" ticket buyers. Fandango says the unusual email promotion was to promote its advance ticket sales, timed to the fictional birthday of Bella Swan.

"This was an extraordinarily effective email campaign for us -- one that was designed to raise awareness of the "Breaking Dawn" tickets-on-sale date of Oct. 1," says Ted Hong, chief marketing officer of Fandango. "Paperless Post was a natural partner for a digital wedding invitation, and we heard from many "Twilight" fans about what a kick it was to get an invite to the Cullen celebration. We hope we can continue creating innovative solutions like this one, which help start conversations about the ticketing for upcoming movies."

Recent click-through rates email are around 1.8%, according to one industry estimate.

Fandango says the second installment of the "Twilight" series, "New Moon", is still Fandango's top advance ticket-seller in the company's 11-year history.