Inventing tomorrow's email: before and after Decathlon

Transforming ways of thinking and consuming: yes, marketing communications can be used for that too! Brands know that they have an essential role to play in the ecological transition: it's not enough to reduce the impact of their activities, they must also guide customers towards new ways of consumingThis means inventing new ways of telling stories, of inspiring desire in new ways, and of reinventing advertising messages. This means inventing new ways of telling stories, creating a different kind of desire, and reinventing the messages conveyed in advertising. This exercise, which we carried out for a Decathlon email, illustrates this approach, which we call the new stories.

Note: This redesign exercise and this article were co-created with Anne-Laure, Carine and Charlotte of theDéjà Demain agencya 100% agency dedicated to new narratives.

Why reinvent messages?

Every day, we are exposed to hundreds of advertising messages. Despite the Climate and Resilience Act, which bans fossil fuel advertising and carbon neutrality claims, greenwashing continues to flourish. What can we do about it? Ban advertising? No, rather put the power of brand influence to work for the transition.

"The fight against climate change cannot ignore issues of consumption, commercial communication and the advertising imagination. It's time for the industry to recognize that the debate can no longer be reduced to a simple opposition between "pro" and "anti" advertising. It is now a matter of urgency to accompany society towards a sober and desirable lifestyle."

Thierry Libaert, Advisor to the European Economic and Social Committee. University Professor, Earth & Life Institute, Catholic University of Louvain.

Of course, we must continue to hunt down greenwashing and encourage eco-design in advertising campaigns. But we also need to change the way we talk at source: encouraging second-hand purchases rather than new ones, encouraging people to repair rather than buy, giving advice on how to extend the life of products... In short... promote much more sober consumption patterns.

Decathlon's original email to be reinvented

From: Decathlon
Item: Find the right Merino wool top for you
Preheader : Prepare for your next adventure!

Why did you choose this email?

With Decathlon, we're not starting from scratch: the leading sports equipment brand offers high-quality, durable products, rather than disposables, and second-morning rental, buy-back and sales services. So there's plenty to talk about in terms of more sober, responsible consumption. It's not a question of reinventing everything: a new narrative that builds on existing evidence and modifies the message to reconcile the company's business model with a fairer, more sustainable society.

Editorial analysis

The angle of the email is clear: it focuses on the unique subject of Merino wool. The benefits for the customer are quickly highlighted, along with the wool's many technical qualities.

But:

• No thought given to usage : Buying a Merino wool top for hiking means choosing to hike in a different way, taking care of yourself and nature, and that's important to mention!
• A normative vision of hiking : email is focused on sports performance, whereas hiking is practiced by a wide variety of people, with a strong representation of seniors and retirees (43 % are over 50, and 27 % of them are retired).
• No questioning of the need for new purchases: it would be a good idea to offer second-hand rental or purchase.
• No mention of clothing durability: it would be useful to talk about the repair and maintenance of Merino garments for prolonged use.

Design analysis

Overall, the design is clean, airy and mobile-readable. It's eco-designed, with lightweight code and optimized images.

However, there are a number of areas for improvement:

• Accessibility :
  • Alt descriptions behind images are poorly written (for example, "bicycle" when the image has nothing to do with a bicycle), and some are even in Latin. It looks like an old template has been duplicated.
  • Text in image format : bad practice in terms of accessibility, with English text to boot. Good practice is to always separate text from visuals: ALL text should be made in HTML and formatted using CSS.
  • Avoid intensive use of emojis The use of emojis is not always easy: they won't render the same depending on the environment in which they're opened, leading to a lack of coherence, and destabilizing the graphic charter by bringing in out-of-chart colors. Emojis are transcribed verbally when the email is read with a screen reader, which can end up hindering comprehension of the message. Although here they're placed at the end of the sentence, not at the beginning or right in the middle.
  • Avoid using background images to avoid rendering, accessibility and dark mode issues.
  • Non-explicit links in the footer
• Main title : When the email is opened, "Hello Olivier" is the first thing that catches the eye, but it doesn't bring any value to the reader, no strong message.
• Texts are a little small and tightly spaced.
• All texts are the same color.
• Non-inclusive representations The images show only young, athletic, healthy and predominantly white people.
• Passive CTA : the "Learn more" buttons don't encourage enough action.
• Lack of distinction between main and secondary blocks: a different background color would have made them more distinctive.
• Duplicate application block : it creates unnecessary redundancy.

How do you rethink Decathlon email?

Let's start by listing the messages we want to get across

To find the right editorial angleLet's list and prioritize the most important messages to convey to readers:

• A new way of hiking: combining comfort and performance with sobriety and respect for nature.
• The advantages of Merino wool :
  • Merino wool is more breathable and thermoregulator.
  • The manufacturing process is low-tech, with no complex industrial processes, so less energy-consuming.
  • It's a material better for your health Gentle, non-abrasive for atopic skin, pollutant-free and naturally antibacterial.
  • It does not emit polluting plastic micro-particles, reducing the risk of harmful emissions.
  • It allows you to wear clothes that stay fresh wash after wash, with no lingering odor of perspiration.
• Encourage sobriety and the idea of "enough is enough": A compact wardrobe that lasts, so it's economical in the long run.
• Advice on the number of garments to own: Two or three tops are enough for hiking, with one pair of pants for daytime and another for evening.
• Give maintenance tips: washing and repair.
• Discuss the possibility of renting, buying second-hand or reselling.

The emailing brief

• Lexical field We've taken a number of steps: we've moved away from the lexical field of sports performance (bearing in mind that hikers are motivated by closeness to nature and health, not performance); we've retained the lexical field of technicality, but used it to describe the advantages of wool, not the characteristics of each product, and added the lexical field of care (taking care of ourselves and nature).
• Your Keep the Decathlon brand tone simple, close and friendly.
• Emphasize the values of respect for nature as a hiker and sobriety as a consumer.

Email text content

Note: this is a draft. The text content may be adjusted or shortened depending on the layout.

From: Decathlon
Objet : Merino: adopt the outdoor champion fiber
Preheader: Technical, natural and durable clothing for all your hikes

Header

• web version
• unsubscribe
• logo
• my store
• my account

Bloc Cover

• Title: Natural, breathable and high-performance.
• Subtitle: Merino wool, the all-rounder.

Editorial block

• Text: Hello Olivier, As a lover of the great outdoors, have you ever wondered how to reconcile technicality and durability, comfort and low environmental impact? Sometimes, you have to look to nature for the greatest innovations. Merino wool is a fine example.
• Button: Proof by 4!

Customer benefits banner

• with pictograms: All-season, Economical, Comfortable, Odorless

2nd part of the email

Part 01

• Title : For all seasons
• Text: The structure of its fiber traps air, making it an excellent insulator: it keeps you warm in winter without making you sweat, and it's breathable in summer. It absorbs and wicks away perspiration without retaining moisture, and even neutralizes odors. As a result, there's no need to multiply your equipment: in both hot and cold weather, you can hike in the same clothes: the Merino T-shirt can be used as a summer hiking outfit as well as a first layer to protect you from the cold in winter!
• Visuals: mountain/expert visuals for young and sporty hikers + product visuals

Part 02

• Title : For a lifetime
• Text: Wash after wash, merino wool garments stay "fresh": no embedded stains or persistent perspiration odors. And because the fibers are long, they're less prone to pilling. Clothing designed to last!
• Visual: senior hike visual + product visual

Part 03

• Title: Gentle on the skin
• Text : No more itchy wool! Merino is a very fine fiber that guarantees softness on the skin. So you can wear it as a second skin to keep warm in winter and to wick away perspiration in summer. Even sensitive skin will love it.
• Visual: visual for summer family outings + visual for product

Part 04

• Title: And gentle on nature
• Text: No polluting plastic micro-particles in merino wool! 100 % natural, it's also renewable and biodegradable. And since the garments last a long time and can be used in all seasons, there's no need to over-equip: the wardrobe is lighter.
• Visual: generic nature trail visual + product visual

Button

• Text: Discover our range

Customer benefits banner

• with pictograms: All-season, Economical, Comfortable, Odorless

Tips section

Tip 01

• Title: How to care for Merino wool garments?
• Text: Hanging the garment in the open air is enough to restore its freshness. But if you're going to be wearing it for a long time, or to avoid moths (which are fond of the proteins contained in even invisible stains), you can machine-wash it (avoid hand-washing, which can break the fibers): wash the garments inside out, don't mix them with other materials, set the drum speed to 300 rpm, fill the drum to 30 or 50 % as wool needs space, wash on cold, 30° maximum, and dry flat or on a hanger.

Tip 02

• Title: How to repair damaged Merino wool garments?
• Text: The 2 enemies of Merino wool: moths and snags (because the fiber is a little more fragile than synthetic fibers). In both cases, the result is a small hole, but all is not lost: You've hit a snag: a thread has been pulled and is coming out. Above all, resist your first impulse to cut the thread. Use a needle to push the thread back inside. You have a hole in a few stitches (a bit like a hole made by a moth): you can choose to darn your garment (there are plenty of tutorials for this from sewing pros) or, depending on the location of the hole, apply a felt or boiled wool patch.

Button

• Text: All our care tips
• Link : https://conseilsport.decathlon.fr/lentretien-et-le-lavage-dun-vetement-en-laine-merinos-en-machine

3-column block

Column 01

• Title : Location (Rent)
• Text: Are you an occasional hiker who wants to try out Merino wool clothing? For €25/month, you can borrow Decathlon products worth up to €400. (You can keep them as long as you like.) The only condition: return them in perfect condition.
• Button: Rent (your clothes)
• Link : https://location-sports.decathlon.fr/

Column 02

• Title: Seconde vie (Buying second-hand clothing)
• Text: Find nuggets of refurbished clothing and save big!
• Button: Second life
• Link : https://www.decathlon.fr/produits-reconditionnes/vetements-reconditionnes

Column 03

• Title: Reprise (Resell)
• Text: Decathlon will buy back your garment provided it is clean and in good condition (the estimate is free, the buyback is immediate, payment is secure and you receive 100 loyalty points!).
• Button: Resell (your clothes)
• Link : https://www.decathlon.fr/reprise-materiel-de-sport_lp-MSHCCZ

Footer

• Applications
• RS
• Legal information
• Unsubscribe

Design indications

• Graphic charter email Decathlon website visual codes + graphic charter
• Accessibility To ensure that the email complies with good practice in terms of accessibility. Ensure that the email is legible for people with disabilities.
• Eco-design Respect eco-design practices in email.
• Mobile : make sure it's easy to read on cell phones.
• Darkmode Make sure it's easy to read in dark mode.
• Separating visuals from textual content To ensure that all texts are designed in HTML with CSS formatting for immediate display, without the need to download images.
• Graphic formatting with CSS CSS: as far as possible, give priority to the graphic formatting of elements and emails using CSS.
• Varying representations for greater inclusiveness but above all, a more accurate representation of the riders (a diversity of silhouettes, ages and colors):
  • low-tech: young mountain hikers
  • health: family with children
  • nature: group with seniors in the great outdoors
  • sobriety: no over-equipped people with new clothes, light wardrobe

Decathlon email after the redesign

Note: If you click on the right arrow, you'll see the mobile version.

Conclusion

This exercise shows that by changing angle, even a simple email can become a powerful tool for encouraging more sober and responsible consumption, while enhancing the technical qualities of products. By adopting these practices, brands can make a significant contribution to a more sustainable future.