Email is one of the most effective marketing tools in terms of ROI, but many businesses still don’t use the channel to its full potential. For some, it could be they’re not aware of innovations in email and how it’s redefining the ways marketers can engage and convert customers.But you only need to look to some of the top brands using contextual email marketing tactics, like live polling, personalization, and live data for some guidance and inspiration.To leverage the excitement around the MTV Video Music Awards, Ticketmaster launched a campaign to subscribers who recently purchased tickets for one of the nominated artist’s concerts, and asked them to predict who would win an award using [live polling](https://movableink.com/blog/how-to-collect-data-for-email-personalization).Once they voted in the email, a results page appeared to show how others were voting. Recipients were also encouraged to share their vote on Twitter with [one-click social posting— or deep linking](https://movableink.com/blog/clients-corner-best-western). The open rate of the email exceeded Ticketmaster’s average by 182% and had a zero percent unsubscribe rate. And, 80% of those voted returned to cast a second vote.To see how brands are using contextual email to create a [real-time, dynamic second-screen experience](https://movableink.com/blog/email-spotlight-the-detroit-pistons) with live data, check out our post on the [Detroit Pistons](https://movableink.com/blog/email-spotlight-the-detroit-pistons).Then, [download The Inkredible 5](http://bit.ly/1TlarLo) Spring 2016 edition to see some of the best uses of contextual email marketing from brands like Dunkin Donuts, The Humane Society, GrubHub, House of Fraser, and Virgin Holidays
Email Innovators: How Some Brands are Killing it with Email
