‘Incredibly thoughtful,’ says one camp. ‘Bandwagonny’, ‘virtue signalling’ and ‘yet another reminder’, says another. People are torn about whether national holiday opt-out emails are helping or harming. 

When flower delivery service Bloom & Wild gave customers the opportunity to opt out of Mother’s Day emails in 2019, it was met with appreciation. Rooted in its brand belief to ‘care wildly’, this empathetic gesture blossomed into the Thoughtful Marketing Movement, in which Calm, Treatwell, Papier and others joined Bloom & Wild in the pursuit of bettering brand communications for customers.

Today the movement is a community of more than 170 businesses. But its popularity has meant that customer inboxes are being inundated with opt-out emails from brands – which means even more triggers. These types of messages can be alienating, emphasising that you’re outside societal norms and traditions. As Counselling Directory member Carrie Mccoll explained to The Independent: “Brands make sales by offering an aspirational lifestyle, so these emails highlight what is missing.”

Though it’s hard to tell whether an opt-out message will be received well by everyone (even if it’s carefully crafted), when brands communicate empathy in all areas of the business and offer support beyond one email, they’re more likely to build long standing, trusting relationships with customers. Bloom & Wild’s initial gesture was successful because caring was already embedded in its brand belief. So before hitting send, define what being thoughtful means to your brand and consider where you can make a difference consistently. And keep tuning into what your customers are saying – because a brand is only as happy as its customers are listened to.