Emails We Love: Thanksgiving Feast

We regret to inform you that the making of this blog post caused a slightly tense divide on our otherwise-unified team. You see, we thought it would be interesting and fun to create a quick little poll to ask our team: When it comes to Thanksgiving food, do you call it “dressing” or “stuffing?”. And our beloved team members definitely showed up with their opinions. 

First, we should clarify that there were some voters who don’t have dressing or stuffing at all, and others didn’t pick one option because they don’t recognize them as the same thing.

While stuffing is traditionally inside the turkey and dressing is served alongside it, the term varies, depending on where you’re from. Here’s our office breakdown:

Stuffing: 40%
Dressing: 55%
Other: 5%

Thankfully, we’ve been able to set aside our differences in the name of something we can all agree on—email marketing. So whether you say “dressing,” “stuffing,” or nothing at all, here are our favorite Thanksgiving Dinner-themed emails. 

1. Ocean Spray

Subject Line: #WinThanksgiving

This email from Ocean Spray proves that, for them, Thanksgiving isn’t just about cranberry sauce, but about togetherness, giving thanks, and enjoying good food. They don’t just want to help their customers make a tasty dish—They want to help them #WinThanksgiving. 

It’s important to note that they didn’t include any individual photos of their product in this email, making it clear that they’re celebrating something bigger than themselves this holiday. But if we’re being honest, we still completely love their canned cranberry sauce. (Sorry to homemade cranberry sauces everywhere.)

2. Betty Crocker

Subject line: A Brand-New Take on a Thanksgiving Classic

In this email, Betty Crocker shows us how to put a new twist on a traditional holiday. They feature recipes for new and classic dishes, as well as speak directly to readers’ fears of homemade gravy. While hilarious, this also speaks to a particular pain point a lot of Thanksgiving Day cooks have, and it definitely convinced us to click and read more. 

Betty Crocker also includes their recent trending articles, so even if you aren’t cooking for the holiday, there are plenty of recipes to peruse and save for later.

3. Pillsbury

Subject line: Throwback Bake-Off Recipes from the Year You Were Born

Okay, Pillsbury. We see you coming in hot with the non-Thanksgiving subject lines. But really, who doesn’t want to learn a throwback recipe from the year they were born? Obviously, I had to click over to see the treat from my own birth year (funfetti cookies!), and I’m inspired to take this to Thanksgiving and beyond. 

Thankfully, Pillsbury also follows up with secondary CTAs and traditional Thanksgiving pie recipes for those who are looking for them. It’s a win-win for everyone! 

4. The Honey Baked Ham Company

Subject line: 🕙Announcing EXTENDED HOURS & more locations for Thanksgiving!🕗

It’s no secret that we love Emma customer The Honey Baked Ham Company. With branding that’s always on point and emails that are consistent from every franchise location, we love this call-out to last-minute shoppers. Throw in a promotional deal, extended hours, and we’re sold. Thanks for being our go-to for holidays, Honey Baked Ham! 

5. Whole Foods Market

Subject line: Prime Members: The 5 Brightest Thanksgiving Appetizers Ever

This email from Whole Foods is completely gorgeous. We love the mixture of white space and bright colors, and the section of hostess tips is much appreciated. (Doesn’t this make you want to add a charcuterie board to your Thanksgiving menu?)The sectional layout here is outstanding, and we love the way it offers something for everyone, as well as simple CTAs for each item. We’re grateful for you, Whole Foods!

Thanks for joining us for another edition of Emails We Love. What emails are you gobbling up this holiday season?