Direct Mail Case Study - Dec07

Rapp Collins shows why in this American Express example.

With the plethora of credit cards out there, there was an obvious need to communicate why the American Express Corporate Card program is different from the other cards out there. With fee waivers and free sign-up gifts thrown at our doorsteps every single day, it was important for us to educate prospects as to how and why the American Express Corporate Card program is a useful business tool to have. After all, it's not just another plastic charge card that's nice to have.

Our prospects are financial directors, business owners and decision makers, who, on a daily basis, are bombarded with many direct mail pieces that promise a world of privileges and rewards. Bearing in mind that these prospects have only a split second's attention span when such direct mailers land on their desk, we went for an idea that was simple and to the point.

The direct mail piece was delivered in an envelope that was printed with a Finance Director's endless To Do List.

It highlighted a critical but agonising part of our prospect's tasks - from signing endless cheques for recurring bills, to preparing expense reports for monthly management meetings to re-negotiating with vendors for better pricing...the list just goes on. These were administrative tasks that our prospects could relate to.

A flyer and a personalised letter were enclosed in the envelope. It positioned the American Express Corporate Card program as the business solution that enables them to be smarter at managing their company expenses and maximising profits for their business.

Yes, one would argue that you need to be innovative and sometimes 3-dimensional, to break through the clutter of mail out there. But at times, being direct and simple works too. Especially when we're communicating to decision makers who don't have time to mull over extensive mail packs to work out what we're selling. It gets harder when those benefits are not aligned with a company's needs.

The key is to communicate what's relevant to the market. Time management and profits are what's important to our prospects who unlike consumers, are more rational and react differently to a direct mail piece.

As in all good direct mail campaigns, targeting was critical to this direct mail piece. Using data analytics, we ensured the profile of our targeting was appropriate for this mailer. A small but quality prospect base was identified and chosen for the mailing, hence reducing mail wastage and increasing the probability of response rates and conversion.

The pack generated an in-bound response rate that was 20% higher than the previous acquisition drive. We were getting enquiries via faxes and phones from Finance Directors and MDs of companies who were keen to find out how they could leverage on our business solution. The conversion rate was also considerably good.

It simply proves that when marketing to a business audience, sometimes being simple and direct works and you don't need all the bells and whistles to get your desired response.

The Mail

Objectives - To communicate why the American Express Corporate Card program is different from the other cards out there.

Approach - The direct mail piece was delivered in an envelope that was printed with a Finance Director's endless To Do List.

Results - The pack generated an in-bound response rate that was 20% higher than the previous acquisition drive.

Massita Surif

Head of Business Development

Rapp Collins