Direct Mail Case Study - Nov07

Completing the picture

Using a combination of direct mail and clever creative for better campaign results.

We wanted a direct mailer campaign that conveyed, in the simplest way possible, the concept of ‘A complete picture of your customers'. The piece that we designed and created came in two parts: a pair of teaser postcards which were mailed out to the recipient within days of each other to build up a bit of intrigue and interest, followed by a three-dimensional DM couriered to the recipient.

The message should hit the recipient squarely in the face and get him thinking 'Do I really know my customers enough?'

Then, with that thought bothering him, our main objective was to get him to agree to meet with us for us to explore further. So the main measure of ROI here was the number of sales meetings we secured as a result of this campaign. The recipients were the heads of retail banks and heads of IT across the top banks in about 40 chosen countries in Asia, Middle East and Europe, and we sent out a total of 800 sets (the teaser postcards, and Rubik cube boxes) to 800 recipients.

Direct mail was picked as the choice of tool for this campaign because our target audience was very specific. We knew exactly who we wanted to receive the message in each country, and also having three-dimensional DMs couriered to the recipient, designed in such a way, gave incentive for the recipient to open and check it out. Given that the DM portrayed the concept of ‘a complete picture' so effectively, it would also mean that the campaign message would be driven home immediately. This direct mailer campaign was a much more effective tool for us than most other forms of media channels such as advertising or conferences which are more tailored for a wider audience pool and cannot be easily implemented across 40 countries with such a specific target pool.

The challenge was finding the right item that could be included in the campaign to effectively communicate the creative message, and with a universal appeal as it was going out to recipients in Asia, Middle East and Eastern Europe, as well as enhance the DM's retention value (something that the recipient would want to keep on their desks) - this was important as we were reaching out to senior executives in large banks who are constantly bombarded by sales messages.

The Rubik cube provided an ideal analogy for what the solution can do - different ‘squares' on the cube aptly represented the fragmented ‘picture' of the customer which could be ‘solved/unified' with the System Access Customer Service Manager solution.

The final response was much better than what we'd expected. In Asia, some countries hit 40% response. But more importantly, the campaign gave the business manager a reason to call these senior executives and through a short conversation, find out if there was any potential at all in pursuing a sales opportunity in that account. It weeded out, very quickly for us, all the accounts that we didn't need to spend time on in the next 12 months.

Objectives

To filter out potential accounts which presented further opportunity for sales follow-up and for more targeted one-to-one marketing activities.

Approach

A two-part direct mailer campaign including a hand delivered 3D DM with high retention value.

Results

Up to 30% response rate in some Eastern European countries. Up to 40% response rate in some Asian countries.

Mavis Liew

Marketing Director Global Marketing

SunGard