So Microsoft have launched their new search engine, Bing, and it has some features that sound really good, (we love recommendations whether flight prices will go up or down, for example).

And now they've started marketing the search engine by email. But what's the email like? Surely Microsoft will produce something that uses all the best practice out there for a global campaign around their new investment?

We're unsure, not having access to the results. But let's assume Microsoft did carry out a decent amount of testing on an email going to so many recipients. What's their email look like? All the so called best practice put together or something different?

The first thing you notice of course is the sender and subject, "Bing Search Team" and "A new search engine is coming - Bing". Very little Microsoft branding. Is the email only aimed at those who have heard about Bing already?

Looking into the email, one of the first features we noticed, as would any recipient, is that the entire upper section is created with images, because you can't see anything until you turn images on. This is definitely not best practice according to any email expert out there, especially when your headline text is part of that image.

The second feature of the email, which we really like, is the length. It's just long enough to generate some interest, then it stops and gets you to click through. No more.

But the bit we love the most is the use of the search box - it's almost impossible to stop yourself from clicking on it to try to search for something. It's obviously not a data entry field which would generate problems for most email users, but merely an image linking through to the site.

Overall - aside from the preview pane issue we think it's a well constructed communication, and maybe Microsoft tested that issue and chose to go for the images - which would just go to prove that every email marketing campaign needs to be judged just by its own merits.