Gamification, Loyalty – Crawl
Cross-fading image animation
Porsche
Cross-fading image animation is transforming email communication across industries. mailix presents an advanced solution that overcomes technical limitations and delivers brand messages with outstanding visual quality – ideal for brands that value high-quality image animation, such as a luxury brand like Porsche.
Objective
Porsche wanted to create an email Christmas card that would not only impress with individual messages, but also with a visually appealing, animated header image that would represent the luxury brand. Another component of the project was the ability to send both individual and mass mailings with cross-fading image animations. Personalised texts, switching between formal and informal text templates and the ability to choose between team and individual mailings were also required. Due to the international nature of the Porsche Group, it was important to be able to communicate efficiently and effectively using customisable text elements in multiple languages.
The central task was to develop and distribute sophisticated, high quality cross-fading image animations for the various countries of the Porsche Group. The technical restrictions and peculiarities of the various email distribution systems within the company as well as those of the email clients of the worldwide recipients had to be taken into account. The integration of the form into the company’s own intranet was of central importance for the individual dispatch in order to prevent external access.
mailix’s solution to this complex challenge combines technical sophistication with user-friendly design. Initially, we focused on developing a series of mixable image animations specifically tailored to the high-end display requirements of a luxury brand such as Porsche. To ensure the best possible visual quality across all platforms, we implemented a hierarchical technology strategy: CSS animations were the first choice for email clients that support this advanced technology to achieve the finest detail and smoothest motion with the smallest file sizes, which is very important when loading emails at the recipient’s end. For clients that do not fully support CSS, animated PNGs were used, offering a good compromise between quality and compatibility. Animated GIFs were used as a fallback option for the most restrictive email environments, as they have the largest file size and poorest image quality compared to the other two technologies.
Another key aspect of the implementation was the integration of a user-friendly, protected web form, accessible exclusively via the Porsche intranet, which triggered a single Christmas card email containing the cross-fadeable image animation. This form allowed employees to easily create and enter personalised messages for individual delivery, including the ability to choose between formal and informal messages and between team and individual delivery. A specially designed Excel form was used for mass mailings to efficiently manage and personalise communications in the different national languages. The form included fields for recipient addresses and dynamic text elements that allowed content to be tailored to each country and recipient group.
The entire implementation was carried out in close collaboration with Porsche’s IT and marketing teams to ensure seamless integration with the group’s existing email distribution systems. Particular attention was paid to data security and the avoidance of external interference. Thanks to this careful planning and implementation, mailix was able to offer a solution that not only meets the technical requirements and security concerns, but also strengthens Porsche’s brand identity through high-quality, personalised communication with superimposable, cross-fadeable image animations.
- Enhanced visual quality of email campaigns with cross-fading image animations, tailored to the expectations of a luxury brand
- Successful customisation and personalisation for global markets through the use of Excel and secure web forms
- High satisfaction and positive feedback from recipients thanks to the impressive visual presentation and personalised messages
- Efficient delivery and distribution of the campaign despite the technical challenges of multiple email clients