EDMs

Electronic direct mail

The first time I looked at a three page brief for a clients' member emails, I cringed. T.M.I - I was actually on one of their member databases and was well acquainted with email bombardment and my reaction to it: I routinely deleted four out of five without opening them. 

Like pulling off a Band-Aid; make it quick.

As busy humans our attention spans have shrunk (literally to below that of Goldfish) so headlines and opening paragraphs have to work harder. The challenge is: be clear, be short and sweet but still fuel enough emotion to provoke action. 
Clever marketing isn't terribly clever if it's not generating ROI.