Reimagining a Legacy Email Program Through Brand, Testing, and Mobile-First Strategy

At A+E Networks, email was a critical channel for reaching audiences across multiple brands, including Lifetime, The HISTORY Channel, and A+E. But the program had not evolved alongside changing customer behaviors, devices, and design standards. Engagement was flattening, and the templates no longer reflected the strength of the brands they represented.

 

My role was to lead a full redesign of the email program with a focus on both brand expression and performance. From the start, the templates were designed mobile first to reflect how most audiences now consume content.

 

I guided the development of a new system of sixteen modular email templates built around best practices for engagement and usability. Each template was created to support the distinct identity of each network while remaining flexible enough to meet a wide range of marketing needs.

 

We approached the work as both creative and experimental. The team tested animated GIFs, retail product integration, dark mode optimization, and compatibility for Outlook users to ensure the emails performed consistently across platforms and audiences.

 

The result was a scalable, mobile-first email framework that modernized how the networks communicated with their audiences. Early results showed a 35 percent year-over-year increase in click-through rate and a 24 percent improvement in click-to-open rate.

 

What began as a design initiative became a performance engine, proving that thoughtful brand expression, disciplined testing, and mobile-first strategy could transform a legacy channel into one of the strongest drivers of engagement across the portfolio.