@worldmarket Sweepstakes Misses the Mark (A Work-Related Post)

So Cost Plus World Market had a contest. One of the ways to get an extra entry was to send an email to a friend. So they asked something like "What's an ideal vacation for you?" Since I was curious to see what the email looked like, I sent a copy to myself.

The email I got seemed to be missing something.

You can see my answer to the question below, but what does it mean?

So the email almost fits on an iPhone. I'd call that good enough, you can read it. However, some weird stuff going on here.

(1) In practice, this is supposed to go to someone else who's unaware of the promotion to encourage them to enter the content. However, that's not explained anywhere in this email. This kind of bribery walks a fine line to begin with, but without at least a compelling explanation, this is confusing.

(2) My response (without the question) is the only customized (and assumedly relevant) content, but there's no context.

(3) There's no call-to-action, just a link to some other domain that isn't worldmarket.com. Clickthroughs were probably quite low.

(4) There's no reference to me on this. If this actually had gone to a friend, they would have probably wondered by Cost Plus World Market was spamming them and not realize they were being invited to win a contest and that their friend thought they would be interested.

(5) The opt-opt "if you'd like to stop receiving these emails" suggests the recipient has been enrolled in a series of (more than one) emails. I should hope not.

So, if I'm so critical, do I think I could do any better?  So I'm sitting here on the couch with only Blogger's HTML panel and this Mac's screen grab (like having two hands tied behind your back), but here's a quick idea:

Pssst! Hey Travis - your friend James  wanted you to hear about this contest! We asked James what they look forward to in a vacation and they said  "Just going somewhere with my family  and staying in a hotel." So... what about you? Tell us what you look forward to in a vacation and you could win!  Pretty cool, huh? What are you waiting for? See official rules for additional eligibility requirements,  how to enter, prize descriptions/restrictions/ARVs and  complete details. This one-time email was sent by Cost Plus World Market  on behalf of your friend James. To prevent further contest  emails from Cost Plus World Market, click here.   To report abuse, click here.

Furniture   |   Decorating   |   Entertaining   |   Sale  Cost Plus World Market 200 4th. St. Oakland, CA 94607 worldmarket.com

So I think the deal is that if you click through and enter the content using my referral link, I get additional entries. Be a pal and go enter the contest. You could win. Or help me win.

>> widget.getsmartify.com/s/308772 <<