Birthday Email Examples & Ideas (Part 2): Adidas, Sophie Allport & JD Williams
- Cara Wilson
- Sep 2
- 3 min read
In Part 1 of this series, I shared three very different birthday emails from Inkey, M&S, and Samsung. Some got it right, others… less so.
This week I’m back with three more brands: Adidas, Sophie Allport, and JD Williams. Each one brings a different take on what a “special treat” should look like, and there are plenty of lessons worth stealing (and avoiding).
Adidas: Monetary gift and muted energy
Adidas went with a monetary birthday treat, wrapped in their signature black-and-white aesthetic. The personal touches are there, but the small print undercuts the excitement.
What worked ✔️
Straight monetary value feels more enticing than a % discount.
Personalised: my name appears in the subject line and body, and my membership details are surfaced to encourage clicking and exploring perks.
Consistent, brand-led design.
What didn't ✖️
Restrictions aren’t clear enough - the offer only applies to select full-price items and only if the basket is £60+.
The monochrome styling makes a birthday celebration feel very muted. Adidas uses colour in other campaigns so they could have incorporated some here so it felt more celebratory while still remaining on brand.
Sophie Allport: Pretty but generic
A well-designed email with an easy 15% code to copy and paste. It’s on-brand and fuss-free, but misses a chance to feel truly “for me”.
What worked ✔️
Clean, on-brand design that’s easy to scan.
Friction-free redemption: simple code, no hoops.
Sensible offer level for this brand (and you won’t find cheaper elsewhere outside specific sale lines).
What didn't ✖️
No personalisation or segmentation (I've bought and browsed pet and kitchenware in the past but none of that is highlighted).
Not especially exclusive: they sometimes run 20% on selected lines, 60% in big sales, and occasionally 15% site-wide - so the birthday perk doesn’t beat promotions available at other times of the year.
JD Williams: Cute gif, clunky experience
There’s a birthday vibe (nice little GIF used as the hero image that captures the subscriber's attention), but the mechanics and messaging make it feel generic and awkward to use.
What worked ✔️
Better than a token 10% off.
A small animated touch adds some birthday feeling, especially when compared to other birthday emails like the Adidas one.
What didn't ✖️
No nod to my past purchases or preferred categories.
No expiry date therefore no urgency or clarity.
Code UX is poor - it isn't applied automatically at the checkout, you have to apply it manually. The code is long and when I tried to copy and paste I was taken to site because it's been hyperlinked in the email. So I had to type a long code manually.
Lots of items were already on sale when I received this, making the code feel redundant rather than exclusive.
Birthday Email Wrap-up
Across these three, the same truths keep showing up:
Exclusivity matters - make it feel like a real birthday perk, not a recycled promo or a headline offer that can't be redeemed.
UX is the make-or-break - auto-apply codes or make redemption stupidly simple.
Segment, segment, segment - use purchase/browse signals so it feels personal
Let it feel like a celebration - tone and visuals should lift, not flatten, the moment.
If a birthday email can’t be special, simple and clearly valuable, it’s just another promo in a crowded inbox.
