Campaign Overview
Nostalgia, Clicks, and a Whole Lot of I Spy
Before games and music were in the palm of your hand, road trip games ruled the ride. Phillips 66 invited subscribers to vote in a March Madness-style bracket challenge to crown the best of the best, from I Spy to the License Plate Game.
With vintage-inspired design, real-time results, and a multi-email journey, this campaign turned inboxes into a cross-country competition fueled by fun and nostalgia.
Results
Bracket: Busted. Expectations: Exceeded.
617%
more clicks vs. average 2024 campaign
+85%
increase in CTOR from Email 1 to Email 4
185k
total interactions over four weeks
2x
higher CTR in the final round vs. the first
64%
of audience opened at least 3 of the 4 emails
+70%
over open rate benchmarks
Message & Design
We Made Nostalgia Interactive
The tone was playful, the visuals retro, and the call-to-action simple: vote, come back, and enjoy the ride. Every detail, from the bracket format to the illustration style, was designed to make participation intuitive and irresistible. We brought back analog charm through a fresh, digital lens, proving email can be more than just a message, it can be an experience.
Strategy & Execution
A Bracket Built for the Inbox
- 4-part bracket series with intuitive matchups and voting by email.
- Live landing page tracked results in real time.
- Nostalgia-powered copy and rubber hose animation visuals sparked clicks and memories.
- Teased on social, with polls driving new subscribers to join the challenge.
- Strong CTAs kept users voting, clicking, and returning round after round.
Campaign Objectives
The Mission? Keep 'Em Coming Back
We didn’t just want attention, we wanted momentum to hit our goals to:
- Turn email from a passive one-click read into a four-part, can't-miss experience.
- Prove engagement could grow across sends, not just spike once.
- Reinforce Phillips 66 as a brand that fuels joy, not just cars.
