Business and Marketing

Hilton and Rowdy Gentlemen lead the email opens parade heading into the big summer weekend.

Food works its way into inboxes this year.

Hilton Hotels and Internet T-shirt marketer Rowdy Gentleman set off the biggest fireworks in inboxes this week, each attaining 50%-plus open rates with their Independence Day emails.

Marketers emailed more than 7,500 Fourth of July-themed campaigns over the last four weeks, though only 1,320 of those mentioned the holiday in subject lines, according to eDataSource, which daily tracks more than 25 million emails sent by some 50,000 brands.

Other winners in patriotic email appeals were Major League Baseball, which offered deals for $1 hot dogs and $17.76 tickets to fans willing to spend the Fourth at the ballpark. The campaign hit a triple with a 33% open rate. Oakley scored 37% opens with an email tagged “Here's to Summer – Celebrate the 4th^!”

^{"The Fourth of July email leaders once again display the benefits of precisely timed e-mails with clear, compelling subject lines," says John Landsman director of strategy and analytics at eDataSource.}

^{Top email categories for the Fourth included apparel, home furnishings, and sporting goods. Food companies also had a high profile, not a category with a traditionally high profile in inboxes on this holiday, says Landsman.}

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