A list of customers’ email addresses is one of the most powerful assets a business can leverage. People who want to see your marketing messages in their inbox have incredible sales potential. So it’s no surprise that one of the most nerve-wracking things a small business or startup can do is send an email out to its list.
Every time a company presses “send” on an email, they risk damaging their reputation with a mistake or losing customers forever if they unsubscribe. Mailchimp, a popular email service provider, knows this feeling well.
It’s this insight into customers’ mindsets that spawned a gif of an animated monkey giving users high-five. The gif appears right after customers have sent an email, and taken a huge risk. At that moment, customers need confirmation that they’ve made the right choice. And that’s exactly what Freddie, Mailchimp’s cartoon monkey mascot, gives them.
In fact, Freddie’s high-five has become so powerful that it’s actually spawned a subbrand, complete with merchandise. And according to Inside Design, Freddie’s high-five is now one of the “most cited examples of user empathy”.
