One of the perpetual headaches of email marketing is that it’s tough to control the delivery context. What the user sees is dependent on myriad factors: the email client, the size of the preview pane, how graphics are handled, the user’s filters, and on and on.

Such was the case with the otherwise mundane email I received from Orvis, the fly rod folks, this morning — see accompanying photo. A little truncation in a bad spot turns an “arsenal” into an “arse” and provides an unintentional suggestion for how to get maximum versatility from your fly rod.

I swear this example is unembellished and appears as I saw it this morning. So I hereby throw down the gauntlet: if anybody can provide a better/funnier authentic subject line truncation, I’m sending 100 bucks to the charity of their choice.