Email Marketing Rules4 Ways AI Breaks Marketing Trust — and What Comes Next for 2026
Posted on January 7, 2026
AI will continue to dominate headlines and drive corporate agendas, but not always in a positive or constructive way. In 2026, unfortunately, we’ll be moving on from AI’s full-of-promise adolescent phase straight into its rebellious phase. Here are four predictions and how they will affect digital marketers’ channel priorities, corporate policies, and martech stack decisions in the year ahead.
Email’s Enduring Advantage in an AI-Disrupted Marketing World
Posted on December 31, 2025
This video interview, in honor of being named a CMSWire Contributor of the Year for the fourth consecutive year, starts with the most flattering compliment I’ve ever received, then we dive into:
- How digital marketing success = owning customer relationships
- Where AI helps marketing—and where it hurts
- Platform risk and the cost of dependency
- Why trust is the real marketing battleground
- Why 2026 will be the year marketers face tough tradeoffs
To watch the video or read the excellent summary…
Happy Holidays!
Posted on December 25, 2025
Wherever you are, whatever you celebrate, my family and I wish you all the best this holiday season. See you in the New Year, Marketers!
Stripo Choice Awards: 2025 Winners
Posted on December 17, 2025
Stripo has announced the winners of the first annual Stripo Choice Awards, which recognized outstanding emails in three categories: (1) Best Email Design, (2) Best Interactive Email, and (3) Best Email with the Idea and Results.
After the email marketing community voted to determine the three finalists in each category, the task of picking the winners was handed over to me, Let’sTalk Strategy Founder Jenna Tiffany, The Future Funnel Co-founder Jasper Van Laethem, and Stripo Founder Dmytro Kudrenko.
We each ranked the finalists in each category from first to third and explained our reasoning, pointing out the strengths of each email as well as elements that could be improved.
The Last Word on November 2025
Posted on December 5, 2025
A roundup of digital marketing and email marketing articles, posts, and social buzz you might have missed last month…
Must-read articles, posts & reports
AI Agent Survey (PwC)
Meta reportedly projected 10% of 2024 sales came from scam, fraud ads (CNBC)
Google AI Overviews Drive 61% Drop in Organic CTR, 68% in Paid (Search Engine Land)
Naive Design: The ‘Messiest’ 2026 Design Trend (Kittl)
7 Reasons Every Company Needs an AI Use Policy (VKTR)
Telemarketing Isn’t Dead—But Your Old Playbook Is (CMSWire)
Insightful & entertaining social posts
Do rounded corners affect accessibility? 🤔
And what’s the best way to round corners in email?
In this clip from our “Design Trends: Accessibility” webinar, Mark Robbins from Parcel breaks it down. pic.twitter.com/b9nvhWmu82— Really Good Emails 💌 (@reallygoodemail) November 14, 2025
Noteworthy subject lines
J.Crew, 11/24 – The holidays look good on you
Chubbies, 11/7 – You’re not blending in tonight…
Clinique Online, 11/3 – ✨ Your holiday glow-up is on us ✨
Williams Sonoma, 11/17 – Add the finishing touch to your holiday table: use code FREESHIP
Wayfair, 11/17 – THE GIFT SHOP IS OPEN 🎁
Patagonia, 11/22 – Explore our 2025 Gift Guide
lululemon, 11/16 – Early Access to Black Friday starts tomorrow
Priceline, 11/20 – Go! Cyber Week is live NOW
Banana Republic Black Friday Event, 11/24 – Black Friday starts now
West Elm Black Friday, 11/24 – IT’S ON 👀 BLACK FRIDAY STARTS NOW
Macy’s Black Friday, 11/24 – 🚨 Our BEST Black Friday deals are HERE 🚨
kate spade, 11/24 – These might be our best Black Friday deals yet
Bass Pro Shops, 11/24 – Black Friday Week Starts NOW!
REI, 11/24 – Last day—shop our Holiday Sale!
American Eagle, 11/28 – THIS IS IT, Friend! 40-50% off… Black Friday ends today 😲
West Elm Black Friday, 11/28 – Our biggest sale of the year. Up to 70% off.
Pacsun, 11/28 – Top 5️⃣ gifts they actually want (+ 50% off)
Michaels SALE, 11/30 – ⏰ ENDS TODAY: Doorbusters and new markdowns! Plus, more trees than EVER at 70% off!
IKEA Family, 11/18 – Deck the halls and save 🤑 on holiday must-haves
Clinique Online, 11/17 – 7 full-size favorites 🎁 One BIG Gift.
Olive Garden, 11/20 – The *gratest* gift for cheese lovers
Crate & Barrel, 11/4 – It’s officially cookie season!
GameStop, 11/8 – The GameStop Pro Credit Card: Your next shopping spree’s BFF!
Fanatics.com, 11/7 – It’s National Jersey Day — Wear Your Pride
New posts on EmailMarketingRules.com
The Seventh Age of Email Deliverability
4 Trends Affecting Digital Marketing This Holiday Season
Which AI Path Will You Take as a Marketer?
Posted on December 4, 2025
From the gramophone to the compass to the computer, advancements in technology routinely cause people to abandon skills, says The Atlantic’s Kwame Anthony Appiah in The Age of De-Skilling. “It’s a reassuring pattern—something let go, something else acquired,” he says. “But some gains come with deeper costs. They unsettle not only what people can do but also who they feel themselves to be.”
Of course, AI is the big advancement that’s causing the current cycle of de-skilling. The question for marketers (and everyone else) is: What skills will people give up? And how will that impact their identity?
2025 Q3 Email Marketing Benchmark Report
Posted on December 1, 2025
Zeta Global’s latest Email Marketing Benchmark report shares aggregated data on sends, open rates, click rates, click-to-open rates, unsubscribe rates from July 1, 2025 through Sept. 30, 2025, including year-over-year changes. The benchmarks are broken down by industry (e.g., retail; travel, hospitality & entertainment; financial services & insurance; and media) and by email type (e.g., promotional and triggered).
The report also includes:
- Commentary and context from our digital marketing experts so you can understand these changes
- Tips on how to use benchmarks effectively
- Discussions of the latest inbox provider changes from Gmail and Yahoo Mail and how they affect marketers
To get the report via a free, no-form download…
The Seventh Age of Email Deliverability
Posted on November 17, 2025
The latest evolution of email deliverability introduces a new layer of challenges that make it even harder for senders to consistently create relevant experiences and manage their sender reputations. Before we dive into these new changes, which revolve around inbox providers’ use of AI summaries, let’s quickly put them in the context of other major changes that ushered in a new age of email deliverability.
The Last Word on October 2025
Posted on November 7, 2025
A roundup of digital marketing and email marketing articles, posts, and social buzz you might have missed last month…
Must-read articles, posts & reports
Yahoo’s AOL Sale Points to an Email-Centric Future (Email Expert)
Introducing “Insights”: A New Way to Understand Your Delivery Performance (Yahoo)
ChatGPT’s Atlas: The Browser That’s Anti-Web (Anil Dash)
OpenAI’s ChatGPT Instant Checkout: The Dawn of Conversational Commerce CX (CMSWire)
State of the Consumer 2025: When Disruption Becomes Permanent (McKinsey & Co.)
Say It Ain’t So! Why Emojis Undermine the Science of Good Email Marketing (CMSWire)
Bot-Generated Fake Brand Outrage Is a Rising Problem—What Marketers Need to Know (AdAge)
🎉 Because Every Customer Deserves a Celebration (Clinton Wilmott)
Younger Americans Are Ditching Apps for Activities (MarketWatch)
Insightful & entertaining social posts
Noteworthy subject lines
Wayfair, 10/3 – STOCK POTS, SOUP POTS AND MULTI-POTS 🏠 🥂 Holiday hosting = UP TO 60% OFF
IKEA Family, 10/22 – Get into the holiday groove with IKEA Live 💃 🎄
The North Face, 10/21 – Our holiday gift guide is here.
Fanatics.com, 10/28 – Give the Gift of Their Favorite Jersey 🎁
Staples, 10/22 – Shop holiday 🎁 early, stress less – so easy!
Spirit Halloween, 10/27 – $15 2-day shipping on orders over $50!
West Elm, 10/6 – Get your home Halloween-ready
Clinique Fall Gift, 10/25 – 10 treats for me? YES, please. With $85 order.
Michaels Custom Framing, 10/12 – 🖼️ Score 70% off custom frames to create a lasting display for your veteran.
Bed Bath & Beyond, 10/13 – Fall in love with an organized home 🍂
Banana Republic, 10/31 – The sweaters we’re wearing all season long
Columbia, 10/13 – This Omni-Heat™ Infinity gear is on fire.🔥
Columbia, 10/29 – Cold? Not in these jackets.
Brekke from Lonely Planet, 10/8 – Escape to Peru
Bass Pro Shops, 10/22 – Online Shopping + In-Store Pickup = 10% Savings!
Abercrombie, 10/27 – Last chance for code: NEWFORYOU.
GameStop, 10/31 – We made a game! Buy Buck and the Cursed Cartridge today 🐰🕹️🔫
NFLShop.com, 10/28 – luluemon NFL Collection | Selling Fast 🔥
Macy’s, 10/14 – Disney | Macy’s is back!
adidas, 10/3 – adidas x Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 🏁
YETI, 10/10 – YETI® x Howler Brothers
Zara Kids, 10/25 – Bensimon x Zara Kids
New posts on EmailMarketingRules.com
4 Trends Affecting Digital Marketing This Holiday Season
Posted on November 6, 2025
Every holiday season brings its own unique challenges. Here are four of the biggest ones affecting the 2025 holiday season and how marketers can adapt to those challenges.
- K-Shaped Economy
- Inflation Untamed
- Tariffs & Buying Local
- Social Media Influencers & AI Slop
Welcome! Email Marketing Rules is your guide to understanding the best practices of this complex, often misunderstood channel as you craft the best executions for your brand. Every week, we’ll explore strategies and tactics, discuss tips and inspiration, and dig into industry news and trends.
Chad S. White
GVP of CRM Strategy
Zeta Global
Author of Email Marketing Rules and nearly 4,000 articles about digital and email marketing
