Email marketers are constantly under pressure to optimize the experience for each subscriber, yet are often constrained with things such as resources, data, integrations, managing frequency without losing revenue, and an ever-changing customer journey. Balancing these competing interests frustrates and often confuses even the best marketing departments. We explore how AARP navigates these competing priorities by keeping the customer journey front and center.

1. Optimizing For The Customer Journey

2. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, social
welfare organization with a membership
of nearly 38 million that helps people turn
their goals and dreams into real
possibilities, strengthens communities
and fights for the issues that matter most
to families — such as health care,
employment and income security, and
protection from financial abuse.

3. Movies
For
Grownups
Staying
Sharp
GOI’s
The
Girlfriend
Book
Promotion
s
Media
Sales
Disrupt
Aging
State
Volunteer
Money
Webletter
Research
The Daily
Leisure
Member
Benefits
Update
Hot Deals
En
Español
Advocate
Livable
Travel
Health
State
Update
DWS
Public
Policy
Health
Care
LTC
Livable
Eco Sec
Consumer
Spec
Member
Auto
Buying
Job
Interest
Driver
Safety Save/Update
401K
Sponser
Mem
Trigger
Spanish
Trigger
Under
Trigger
Finan Sec
Welcome
Kit
Member
Card
DS 30/60
Join/Rene
w Trigger
Card
Usage
Trigger
CTG
Trigger
Gift
Member
Member
eBilling
Medicare
Claiming
SS
Digital
Fufill
Member
Benefit
Status
Travel
Member
Premium
Fufill
Password
Reset
VMIS
COI
Custom
10
Re-
Engage
DSM
COI
Custom 9
COI
Custom 8
COI
Custom 7
COI
Custom 6
COI
Custom 5
COI
Custom 4
COI
Custom 3
COI
Custom 2
COI
Custom 1
DA
Welcome
Re-
Engage 2
Re-
Engage 3
Re-
Engage 4
Re-
Engage 5
Re-
Engage 6
Re-
Engage 1
Lead Gen
DWS
DWS 2
Welcome
Birthday
eWinback
eRenewals
COI Email
1 COI Email
3
COI Email
2
AARP EMAIL
PROGRAM

4. 409
MILLION PAGE VIEWS
2017
TYD
Email
Marketing
Highlights
(Q1–Q3)
The AARP email list is experiencing rapid
year-over-year growth, and the health of
our email channel is evident in its
industry-leading deliverability, open and
click rates, and low attrition. Overall
volume is at an all-time high.
99%
INBOX PLACEMENT RATE
OPENS & CLICKS BY DEVICE
55%
59%
Opens
Clicks
DESKTOP
41%
45%Opens
Clicks
MOBILE
31%
OF ALL AARP WEB TRAFFIC
TOTAL EMAILS SENT
983,051,941

5. 2017
TYD
Email
Marketing
Highlights
(Q1–Q3)
AWARDS

6. Customer Experience Is The New Battlefield
Customer Experience
Data-driven marketing
Cross-channel marketing
Mobile
Programmatic buying / optimization
9%40% 14% 63%
19%11% 18% 48%
17%10% 16% 43%
14%6% 14% 34%
9%7% 19%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Econsultancy / Adobe Digital Intelligence Briefing Respondents 4,868
Third ChoiceFirst Choice Second Choice

7. 13%
Customer Experience Is The New Battlefield
Making our experience as valuable as possible
Making our experience as personalized
and relevant as possible
Making our experience as easy
to understand as possible
Making our experience as safe
and reliable as possible
Making our experience as consistent
as possible across all channels
25%
23%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Econsultancy / Adobe Digital Intelligence
2016 2017
Making our experience as fast as possible
Making our experience as
fun/fulfilling as possible
Making our experience as mobile-friendly
as possible
Respondents 2017: 4,494
Respondents 2016: 2,179
25%
23%
17%
16%
11%
8%
7%
6%
4%
5%5%
None of the above
3%3%
4%2%

8. User Onboarding is the Most Important Part
of the Customer Journey by 2.6X

9. Challenges: Cadence
SUBSCRIBER
JOINS (or RENEWS) &
REGISTERS
AT THE SAME TIME
COI REGISTRATION
WITHIN AN HOUR
RECEIVES THE
JOIN/RENEW EMAIL
WELCOME EMAILS
IMMEDIATELY RECEIVES

10. Challenges: Creative
COPY HEAVY
COMPETING CTAS
NO PRIORITIZED MESSAGING &
SUBSCRIBER ENGAGEMENT
LACK OF BRAND EXPERIENCE
LITTLE PERSONALIZATION

11. 1. 15 GROUPS, SEPARATE HTML FILES, MANUAL UPDATES TO 30
VERSIONS
2. ADDITIONAL PERSONALIZATION REQUIRED NEW SEGMENTS
AND VERSIONS
3. TEDIOUS REPORTING AND LACK OF ENGAGEMENT INSIGHTS
4. NO MANAGEMENT OF POTENTIAL OVERLAP WITH OTHER
EMAILS
Challenges: Operational Efficiency
5. COSTLY

12. AARP Experience Principles Must Be Applied
AARP GETS ME
AARP IS
EFFORTLESS
AARP IS INSPIRING

13. Creative Priorities
Main purpose:
Confirm payment
Provide an overview of
benefits and steer towards
My Account to start the
journey
Provide a choice
of how to receive the card
Introduce to Rewards for
Good loyalty program

14. Creative Solution & Results
21-23% higher
click metrics
27-30% higher
click metrics
THE UPDATED JOIN
VERSION PRODUCED
THE UPDATED RENEW
VERSION PRODUCED

15. Cadence Solution & Results
+25%
TOR
+67%
UCTR
+65%
UCTOR
SUBSCRIBER
JOINS & REGISTERS
AT THE SAME TIME
RECEIVES 1
COMBINATION
JOIN/WELCOME
EMAIL
IMMEDIATELY
RECEIVES
COI
3 HOURS LATER

16. Cadence Solution & Results
16
Before After

17. Operational Solutions + Partnership = Results
Modular template system
reduced cost and increased
personalization options
Implementation using SFMC
Journey Builder with
sophisticated subscriber tagging
Robust analytics integration
on actionable member data
with insights

18. Operational Solutions + Partnership = Results
SOLUTION YIELDED
BETTER RESULTS AT
60% OF THE COST
AND GAVE AARP THE ABILITY TO HAVE
50% MORE VERSIONS

19. What’s Next For AARP?

20. Questions?