/14-email-marketing-global

name: 14-email-marketing-global
description: "Use when the user needs email or lifecycle automation — welcome series, nurture, abandoned cart, re-engagement, broadcast, and transactional flows with subject lines, segmentation, cadence, and deliverability, plus legal variants: CAN-SPAM for US, GDPR opt-in for EU, PDPA for SEA, LGPD for LATAM. Covers Klaviyo, Mailchimp, and ActiveCampaign. Trigger on 'email marketing', 'welcome sequence', 'drip campaign', 'newsletter', 'abandoned cart emails', 'nobody opens our emails'. Not for — coding HTML that renders correctly in Outlook, see `49-html-email-template-global`; cold outbound to B2B prospects, see `33-b2b-lead-gen-global`; refer-a-friend loops, see `18-referral-program-global`."
metadata:
  version: 1.0.1
  category: operations
license: MIT
triggers:
  - "email marketing"
  - "email automation"
  - "newsletter"
  - "drip campaign"
  - "GDPR email"
  - "CAN-SPAM"
related:
  - product-marketing-context-global
  - 11-channel-setup-global
  - 18-referral-program-global
  - references/global-legal-compliance

Email Marketing (Global)

> Email is the only owned channel — algorithm-proof, free to re-reach. **But legal differs HUGELY by region: US allows opt-out, EU mandates opt-in, SEA/LATAM mostly require opt-in.** Pick the right variant — getting this wrong can cost up to EUR 20M (GDPR) or USD 51,744 per email (CAN-SPAM).

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For newbies

Who is this skill for?

| Audience | Concrete example | |----------|------------------| | Founder / DTC brand running newsletter | Shopify store, SaaS company, B2B service | | Agency setting up email automation for client | Welcome series, nurture, re-engage | | Marketer migrating from one ESP to another | Klaviyo to Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign to Brevo | | Multi-region brand needing legal-safe email | Selling US + EU + LATAM, must comply per region |

Who is this NOT for?

• **Vietnam-only email marketing** -> Use `14-email-marketing` (VN skill) — covers PDPA Vietnam (Decree 13/2023)
• **Transactional-only (order confirms, password reset)** -> Use ESP defaults; transactional emails have softer consent rules in most regions
• **SMS / WhatsApp / push** -> Different channels with different laws (TCPA US, GDPR EU)

30-second pre-read

This skill produces ONE email marketing strategy file with 4 components: subscriber segmentation, sequence templates (welcome / nurture / re-engage / promo), automation flow, and KPI tracking. Pick 1 of 4 region variants — the variant tunes the LEGAL framework (consent model, unsubscribe rules, data retention, cross-border transfer). Every email automation built without this risks legal exposure.

3 common errors

1. **Reusing US opt-out logic in EU** -> GDPR violation; fines up to EUR 20M or 4% global revenue 2. **Skipping double opt-in for EU/Brazil/SEA** -> Cannot prove consent if challenged; subscribers can demand deletion 3. **Missing physical address in footer** -> CAN-SPAM violation US; EUR 51,744 per email

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Why do you need this skill?

Email is the highest-ROI channel (USD 36-42 per USD 1 spent globally), but legal compliance is non-negotiable. Without the right region variant:

• US brand using EU opt-in flow -> losing 30-50% of subscribers unnecessarily
• EU brand using US opt-out flow -> direct GDPR violation
• LATAM brand ignoring LGPD -> BRL 50M penalty risk in Brazil
• SEA brand mixing rules -> PDPA Singapore + per-country differences

Pick the right variant once -> all downstream emails compliant by default.

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Workflow

Step 0: Check global context file
    |-- exists -> read product / region / customer info
    |-- missing -> suggest user run product-marketing-context-global first
Step 1: Pick region variant (US / EU / SEA / LATAM)
Step 2: Choose ESP based on region (Klaviyo / Mailchimp / ActiveCampaign / Brevo)
Step 3: Set up legal foundation (consent flow, footer, unsubscribe, DPA)
Step 4: Design segmentation (behavioral + lifecycle)
Step 5: Build sequences (welcome / nurture / re-engage / promo)
Step 6: Configure automation flow
Step 7: Set up tracking + A/B test plan

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Step 0: Check global context file

Check whether `.agents/product-marketing-context-global.md` exists:

• **Yes** -> Read product, customer, region, language, regulation context. Do NOT re-ask.
• **No** -> Suggest running `product-marketing-context-global` first. If user wants to continue, ask 2-3 minimum questions about product + region.

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Step 1: Pick region variant

Ask the user one question: **"Which is your PRIMARY region: US, EU, SEA, or LATAM?"**

Decision tree (LEGAL FRAMING)

Where do MOST of your subscribers live?
    |-- US / Canada
    |       --> 01-us.md    (CAN-SPAM Act 2003, opt-out OK, CCPA/state laws)
    |-- EU / EEA / UK
    |       --> 02-eu.md    (GDPR + ePrivacy, opt-in MANDATORY, EUR 20M penalty)
    |-- Southeast Asia (SG, MY, ID, TH, PH)
    |       --> 03-sea.md   (PDPA Singapore + per-country, mostly opt-in)
    |-- Latin America (BR, MX, AR, CO, CL)
    |       --> 04-latam.md (LGPD Brazil + LFPDPPP Mexico, opt-in mandatory)
    |-- Vietnam only
    |       --> Use `14-email-marketing` (VN skill) — Decree 13/2023
    |-- Multi-region
            --> Default to STRICTEST applicable region (usually EU GDPR)

Why "default to strictest" matters

If you sell in US + EU + LATAM, you can either: 1. **Run separate sequences per region** (best — but operationally heavy) 2. **Apply EU GDPR rules globally** (safe — but loses 20-30% US subscribers due to double opt-in friction)

For most early-stage brands, option 2 is the safer default. Document the decision in your DPA.

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Step 2: Choose ESP (Email Service Provider)

| ESP | Strength | Region fit | Legal features | |-----|----------|------------|---------------| | **Klaviyo** | E-commerce / DTC | US (default), EU (with EU data center) | GDPR-ready, opt-in flows, suppression lists | | **Mailchimp** | General-purpose, easy UI | US (HQ), EU (Intuit