The average person gets an obscene amount of daily Email from brands that easily get lost in the clutter. If you are like me, you scroll through fast and delete them even faster. So, it can take a lot for a constant drip of brand emails to make an impression. It’s a code I’m sure most brands continuously try to crack.

Yet, there is one emerging trend that stopped me in my tracks. I not only read the Email, but I also told everyone I knew about the Email, and it completely changed my opinion about the brand.

A couple of months ago, I received a very short, no fluff, non-marketing message from a premium skincare brand that made a huge impression on me. It was a simple Email that acknowledged Mother’s Day and Father’s Day can be challenging for some people. It then provided an opportunity to opt-out of promotional Emails for those holidays. Since that original Email, I’ve gotten a couple of similar Emails from other companies.

I am one of many people who have experienced a loss that makes one of these holidays difficult. Over time, I’ve had to learn how to avoid and tune out all messaging relating to Father’s Day to prevent an impromptu cry on the train when checking my Emails, listening to a podcast ad, or seeing a billboard. It showed that a little bit of empathy and thoughtfulness could go a long way. It shows that the brand is more concerned about me as a person than making a sale. I was so impressed; I almost splurged on that $225 moisturizer.

Since that Email, I realized there was no way I could be alone with my feelings, so I did a little research and found a great NPR article that echoed my sentiments. It also sheds some more light on this trend, how it started, and shared some examples of what brands like Pandora jewelry and Away luggage are doing. You can see those examples here.

I truly hope this turns from a trend to the norm. As the digital environment continues to evolve, there could be an opportunity to curate better what type of messaging you are exposed to. However, it must continue to be genuine. There is more value for the brand to keep the message simple. It shouldn’t feel overly branded and by no means promotional or sent to a separate list to take advantage of the opt-out by promoting specific items.

In a year where connections have never been more important, I’m happy to see brands are able to make them.