Every year, near the first day of December, Aesop sends an email out to its millions of customers. Its subject line is something along the lines of, “A rare reduction,” “A gift from us,” or “A gesture of gratitude.” It looks something like this:
Notice the virtues—thoughtfulness, generosity, rarity—all highlighted. The 15% reduction offer is still important, but it’s not the only thing. You’re called to browse.
A sales promotion like this is an appeal to a higher sense of self; the true definition of aspirational.
It’s not exclusionary. Rather, it creates an occasion for a customer to give a gift to someone else (or to themselves). By contrast, the customer is not pouncing on a good deal, or participating in a flash sale.
These sorts of things matter, particularly for premium brands like Aesop which run a campaign like this only once a year.
They need to make it a moment to remember.