We'll assume you've never thought of Seinfeld as a source of email best-practices. But Dave and Sky Calibey insist there's marketing wisdom in its comic absurdity.

"Although the show might not seem the most likely source of practical advice, some of its most memorable moments provide lessons for improving your email marketing," they write in an article at MarketingProfs.

To support their case, the Calibeys cite a number of episodes, including these three:

The Chinese Restaurant. While waiting for a table, Jerry, Elaine, and George notice the maître d' seating favored diners who arrived after them. And although the maître d' is wrong to snub anyone, the way he targets his best customers is savvy business practice. "[Y]ou should use your knowledge of your customers to segment your list, vary your offers and messages, and construct autoresponse campaigns," note the Calibeys.

The Pen. When Jerry visits his parents in Florida, he admires a pen owned by their neighbor Jack, who insists that Jerry accept it as a gift. The problem: Jack doesn't mean it. "Jack's confusing call-to-action...creates acrimony and harms relationships," they explain. "You might be doing the same to your relationships with subscribers if you have poorly conceived calls to action."

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