• by Kara Trivunovic , Op-Ed Contributor, December 8, 2016

What’s your sign? Worst pick-up line ever, right?

But if you haven’t heard yet, your once go-to answer now needs to change. Turns out everything we have believed about the signs of the zodiac has been wrong. The fact that I can no longer say I am a Gemini rocks me to the core. OK, it doesn’t, really, but I have always been a Gemini -- now I am a Taurus. Go figure.

Here's the deal:according to NASA, the math and science behind the zodiac has always been wrong. And if you were born in late-November/early-December, then you're really going to be surprised, as there is now a 13th sign of the zodiac, and it is all yours -- surprise, Ophiuchus!

But what does any of this have to do with your email program? There are two key takeaways to keep in mind to ensure your email marketing stars align: content and mindset.

Content
Let’s start with the most direct impact. If your brand leverages horoscopes as an element of content or targeting, you may need to rethink your approach. For example, Loft uses horoscope content within its emails and on its Web site as an opportunity for consumers to read their horoscope and shop their horoscope.

Augmenting the content to include Ophiuchus, the new sign, shifting the dates of the existing signs and aligning the shopping experience to recognize the new reality for the zodiac are tasks that need to be tackled.

Other brands even base dynamic content on characteristics of zodiac signs, especially for an audience where horoscopes may be taken pretty seriously. This, too, needs to be readdressed.

But broader rules apply here. Things outside of our control, in pop culture and around the world, are evolving all the time. Email programs must allow us to be nimble enough to adapt to these changes in near real time.

Mindset

Now, not every brand is going to be as directly impacted by the changing zodiac signs like the examples above, but they do help us realize this: shaking up what one believes, regardless of the science, or the logic supporting the shift, can be a hard thing to digest. This is an important lesson to learn in both life and email.

So if you have plans to change things up in your email program, whether it is your content, email template, or your overall strategy, ease i to it slowly, make your case tactfully and thoughtfully, and be careful not to blindside your audience.

It can be hard to go to bed one night a Capricorn and wake up the next day a Sagittarius.