bear with me on this

M+R made a valiant attempt to assess the value of an image as an aid in spurring email response rates. As with their magnum opus on metrics, M+R gets kudos for the pioneering effort. The tests, which appear properly conducted produced a dead heat results-wise. And, while the theorizing in this piece is only modestly useful, the study concludes with some nifty recommendations for designing to accommodate image blockers.

Here’s my two cents on images:

1 – Use them strategically. Use an image to draw the user’s eye to a button or action link. Don’t assume plopping a picture into an email will make a difference all by itself.

2 – Use images to reinforce your brand or tie together multiple emails in a campaign.

3 – Test people against critters. Recent eye-tracking research suggests that a human face could be a bigger eye draw than a cute critter. Go figure.