INCITE

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When new media comes on the scene, old media doesn’t simply disappear. As new media is born, existing media evolves.

Direct mail is getting smarter, boosting the impact of this highly physical medium with the power of data and connectivity and, in the process, carving out a new, more relevant, more impactful place in the marketing mix. As the title to Patrick Collister‘s* introduction, “Real in a Virtual World,” suggests, getting physical in a world bombarded by online messages may very well be the best way to get heard.

This issue of INCITE is filled with direct mail campaigns that were heard – and got results. Take, for example, Orbital Proximity. They cleverly got Managing and IT Directors talking to one another by sending out

personalized coffee mugs and deliberately mixing them up so the cups had to be exchanged. Or how Philippe und Keuntje achieved an astonishing 100% response rate for Audi by offering an Audi A8 test drive at the touch of a button. And how Leo Burnett Thailand created a roaring impact by sending a fake lion’s fang in the mail, increasing attendance at their annual “Cannes Predictions” event by 150%.

Have a look inside and you’ll quickly see what Patrick is talking about. Getting physical in a digital world gets results.

Smarter than Before

*Views expressed by Patrick Collister are his own and do not reflect those of Canada Post and Canada Post employees.

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Patrick Collister,Editor of Directory

Wolfgang Riepl was the editor of a German newspaper when, in 1913, he framed what came to be called Riepl’s Law.

Over a century later, his hypothesis is probably even more relevant than it was then.

What he said was that new types of media don’t displace existing media. Instead, what they do is change how “old” media are perceived and used.

Print holds special value, even when content is available digitally. In January 2015, across France, people started lining up before dawn to buy the first issue of Charlie Hebdo published after the terrible killings the week before.

They sold all 5 million copies by noon. Since then, the little magazine’s revenues have increased by $32M.

TV continues to have its place in a connected world. 180 million people tuned in across Europe to watch Barcelona beat Juventus 3-1 in the Champions League final earlier this year.

And it’s no surprise that direct mail is still vital and vibrant, changing and evolving. To paraphrase Riepl, the arrival of digital doesn’t mean you should be using email and online advertising instead of direct mail, but as well as.

In this context, I sometimes tell the story of my 19-year-old daughter Laria and her friend Olly.

My Laria had gone to see Olly for the day and eventually called “dad’s taxi” to be picked up from his place. As she climbed into the car, I groaned. Instead of the father/daughter chat I’d hoped we’d have, she immediately went for her cell phone.

“Who are you texting now?” I asked, grumpily.

“Olly.”

“For God’s sake, I can still see him in the rear-view mirror.”

“I’m just finishing off the conversation.”

She moves seamlessly across media and across platforms. Facebook is for sharing what she and Olly were up to (and I don’t want to know) with their friends. Snapchat is the same – very social.

But when it was important, really, really important, what did Olly do?

He declared his love in a letter.

Why not in a text?

Because a letter was something real in a virtual world. Because it was physical.

The very fact that the letter was delivered by a letter carrier told her the message inside was considered truthful and meaningful. Not a wild impulse, like when you hit Send and regret it right away.

That’s what DM has become, the medium you use when you want people to feel special. When you want them to know that what you are offering them is important.

Perhaps that’s why luxury brands seem to understand its value.

Intriguingly, affluent buyers of luxury goods are more tech-savvy than average. 100% of them have a smartphone. When making purchase decisions, 75% of them will go online. But the way brands nudge them to go online to buy is often through mail.

In INCITE (V1.04), there is a case history for British Airways. To get their 500 most valuable customers flying first class more frequently, they sent them an expensive pack all about BA’s incredible attention to detail. Results? An additional $50,000 spend per person reached by mail, totaling additional revenues of $21M.

Those are big bucks.

Rolls-Royce. There’s another brand that knows you can’t sell a $350,000 car by email.

They have used direct mail consistently to get something into the hands of potential customers that tells them something about the quality of the car, and flatters them at the same time.

Still a great favourite of mine, documented in the first issue of INCITE (V1.01), is the DM piece written on the incredibly fine sandpaper Rolls-Royce uses to bring their cars to a shine.

Off the record, someone at the agency told me this one piece led to the sale of three cars. That’s over one million dollars in return for an investment of relatively “fine” proportion.

You know the way a peacock displays to a peahen. Yes, some brands communicate the same way. If a mailing clearly has had time, effort and money devoted to it, what it’s saying to its recipients is, “We would really like a relationship with you.”

I’ve heard it said that DM is not an appropriate medium for brand communication.

I would argue that it is the single most important medium in communicating what a brand’s values really are.

When BNZ mailed their customers $1,000 in shredded bank notes, the letter said, “We can help you reduce the amount of home-loan interest you pay.”

C’mon, admit it. Usually, a bank telling everyone it wants them to pay less each month would be greeted with cynical skepticism.

But in this case, what the mailing actually said was, “We’ve really thought about this.” Because they had invested in the idea, the message had added plausibility. Result? $600M in mortgages moved to BNZ.

Like Olly’s letter to Laria, this was the part of the relationship that was really, really important. The declaration of love. Everything else, from the monthly statements to the alerts about fluctuating interest rates, could be entrusted to online where it was more appropriate.

Wolfgang Riepl would have understood.

Real in a virtual world

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To reach their most important customers, BA mailed them a book and a magnifying glass, inviting them to see for themselves the attention to detail.

Rolls-Royce have long seen the value of DM as a way to woo customers. Their mailings are as finely crafted as the cars themselves.

One Rolls-Royce mailing was written on the sandpaper used to bring the cars’ paintwork to a shine.

BNZ mailed householders $1,000 in shredded notes.

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AutomotiveAudi 1Mercedes-Benz Vans 3Volkswagen Polo 5

Education Raffles Music College 7

Entertainment Zeeg2 9

Financial Institution Bank of New Zealand 11NRMA 13

Media & AdvertisingGerstenberg Publishing House 15JC Decaux 17Star Reachers Group Co. Ltd. 19Swedish Post 21The Zimbabwean 23

Not for Profit Kids Company 25Prostate Cancer Research Foundation 27Singapore Environment Council 29

Retail Corelle 31M.J. Bale 33

TechnologyMicrosoft 35Nokia 37

UtilitiesAustrian Solar 39

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AgencyPhilipp und Keuntje

ClientAudi

ProductAudi A8

TitleAudi Test Drive Cube

IndustryAutomotive

CountryGermany

BackgroundBeing highly successful individuals, the Audi A8 target audience comprised people who were hard to reach through conventional channels.

The task was to get them to test drive the latest A8 model. The idea had to be consistent with Audi’s positioning of automotive innovators and support the statement “Vorsprung durch Technik” (Advancement through technology).

IdeaThe Audi Test Drive Cube was developed – in itself a demonstration of Audi’s technological accomplishments. Delivered to drivers who had previously owned Audi A8s or who had expressed interest in an Audi even though they drove other cars, the cubes were fitted with the original start-stop button of the car on the top. Pushing the button activated the cube’s 90-minute countdown, and integrated GPS and GSM modules alerted Audi to the request and sent out precise geographic coordinates. Audi guaranteed that within that time, a new A8 would be brought directly to the recipient’s door ready for a test drive.

The cube integrated GPS and GSM modules that alerted Audi to the test drive request and sent out precise geographic co-ordinates.

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ResultsThe fact that the brand image for innovation in engineering was successfully communicated to the exclusive A8 target group was borne out by the fact there was 100% response to the pack.

Every cube delivered generated a test drive. Almost one in five of those who activated their cube actually bought a new Audi A8. Most bought the car they test drove. The conversion rate was 19% of those who received the mailing.

InsightsIn the car industry, getting wealthy, busy people to visit a car showroom is next to impossible. The solution? If they won’t come to the showroom, we will take the showroom to them. This piece achieved this in a way that flatters the target audience and dramatically underscores Audi’s engineering excellence.

Moreover, the idea helped individual dealers establish personal relationships with the target audience.

CREATIVE TEAMExecutive Creative DirectorDiether Kerner

Creative Director and Art DirectorSimon Jasper

CopywritersTobias SchröderAdrienne Tonner

Art DirectorNicolas Winkelmann

PRODUCTIONAgency ProducerAxel Leyck

OTHERProject ManagersJulia RüskenLaura PopiolTanja Heier Art BuyersKaren SchwarzerWiebke Burmeister

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AgencyLukas Lindemann Rosinski

ClientMercedes-Benz Vans

ProductMercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles

TitleSprinter Applies For a Job

IndustryAutomotive

CountryGermany

BackgroundIn a competitive market, Mercedes-Benz wanted fleet managers of major companies to consider the Sprinter.

IdeaThe Sprinter is one of the best workers any company could have. However, before you start working in a company, you usually have to apply for a job there. So the Sprinter applied for a position at over 120 major German businesses by writing its very own application letter.

The letter was carved out of the tire on a Sprinter which then drove over the letter paper. Ink was provided by the muddy streets of Hamburg.

Each letter had its own link to a microsite where the recipient could see exactly how the Sprinter had written the letter.

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ResultsResults not available.

InsightsThis is a brilliant example of direct mail and digital media working together to be more effective than either could on its own. The idea of the van writing its own letter is ingenious enough. But the way it gets fleet managers to go online to watch a demo of the van at work writing it is the key to what I am sure will be a great business success. In a thousand other instances, the brief for this would have led to a standard mailing. A letter and a brochure.

In defying the usual, Mercedes-Benz tell us a lot about themselves as well as a lot about the Sprinter.

Incidentally, when you have an interesting idea, it can quickly go viral. This mailing to 120 people has now been seen by nearly 81,000 viewers on YouTube.

See the van writing its letter at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=okgWWy7YTw4

CREATIVE TEAMChief Creative OfficersArno LindemannBernhard Lukas

Creative TeamThomas HeyenMarkus KremerJakob KriwatDamian KuczmierczykVictor AlojiKonstanze KievenheimJascha Oevermann

The Letter

Dear Sir or Madam,

My name is Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, and I would like to apply for a position in your company.

I have extensive experience in the area of transport and logistics, with a 15-year track record of continuous personal development that makes me among the most reliable goods transporters around.

I am made by one of the best-known and most prestigious manufacturers in the industry, and have been engineered to deliver hundreds of thousands of kilometres of service. My greatest strengths are my durability and my large capacity. I would welcome the opportunity to demonstrate my abilities to you in a test drive.

To find out more about me and what I can offer, and for proof that this application is all my own work, please visit www.sprinter-bewerbung.de.

Yours sincerely,

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

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AgencyProximity, London

ClientVolkswagen Polo

ProductVW Polo Twist with Air Conditioning

TitleIce Tray

IndustryAutomotive

CountryUnited Kingdom

BackgroundThe task was to generate brochure requests and sales leads for the new Polo Twist, a special-edition car equipped with standard air conditioning. This was a real bonus and added lustre to a car that was already perceived as stylish and cool. The VW Polo was aimed at young women drivers aged 17-34.

IdeaThe agency used an analogy to demonstrate the cooling effect of air conditioning by comparing the car to an ice cube. This was dramatized in a variety of ways using different media. Magazine ads showed a full-sized ice sculpture of the car, and an actual ice sculpture was parked outside the Tate Modern Gallery in London, where it attracted the attention of both passersby and the media as it melted. In this case, the mail item included a special Volkswagen ice tray that could be used to make little Polo-shaped ice cubes.

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ResultsMany national newspapers covered the ice sculpture stunt at Tate Modern and helped the press and poster activity create a high level of awareness.

The DM piece achieved a response rate of 10.4%, double the target of 5%. The ice tray was so popular that many prospects called to ask for extra trays.

InsightsAs part of an integrated campaign, VW could have gotten away with a mailing that simply replicated the image from the press ad. But they opted to spend a bit of money and get a rubber ice-cube tray made. That’s what really makes this campaign work, the fact that the “free gift” is fun and genuinely useful. It is the real-world equivalent of an app.

In digital, we are constantly talking about creating experiences for customers and offering them tools and services of real value; here is all that online thinking applied to an offline solution. Terrific.

CREATIVE TEAMExecutive Creative DirectorCaitlin Ryan

Creative DirectorsAndy HepburnPaul Iaquaniello

CopywriterPaul Faulds

Art DirectorChris Rambridge

OTHERSenior Account DirectorDaniel Green

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AgencyDDB, Singapore

ClientRaffles Music College

ProductAcademy of Music

TitleThe Rubber Band

IndustryEducation

CountrySingapore

BackgroundSingapore Raffles Music College, a partner of the London College of Music, offers world-class music education for people of all ages and skill levels. However, the College was deemed to be elitist and highbrow.

IdeaMusic schools always send CDs of their students performing. This campaign transformed the traditional CD case into a musical instrument, inviting the audience to discover their own talents. It clearly demonstrated how music is at anyone’s fingertips, both literally and figuratively.

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ResultsWithin five days, the beginner music course was oversubscribed. The Rubber Band garnered a 43% response rate and raised enrolment inquiries six-fold.

InsightsWhat I love about this campaign is that it looks exactly the same as every other music college mailing: a CD of the music their students have produced.

C’mon, you’re never going to listen to an amateur bashing out the Moonlight Sonata when you can hear a concert pianist bring so much more subtlety and feeling to it. No one listens to those CDs. But this one transforms itself into a musical instrument. It is a CD you can play, literally.

Mail is the original interactive medium, and I defy anyone who receives this novel item not to start trying to twang out a melody with the supplied rubber bands.

CREATIVE TEAMChief Creative OfficerNeil Johnson

Group Executive Creative DirectorJoji Jacob

Creative DirectorThomas Yang

CopywriterAdrian Yeap

Art DirectorKhoo Meng Hau

PRODUCTIONSound DesignFuse Adventures Audio ProducerSamantha See

ProducerKimie Ong

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AgencyDDB, Brazil

ClientZeeg2

ProductSound Studio

TitleHow Sounds Are Produced

IndustryEntertainment

CountryBrazil

BackgroundZeeg2 is a sound studio in São Paulo that wanted to get more work from agencies. The task was to let creative directors in Brazil know they offered expertise and creativity.

IdeaThe mailing showed how sounds are created by radio specialists. As an example, a package of spaghetti was mailed. Breaking the spaghetti is the sound of a leg being broken. “But leave all the other sounds to us,” said the copy.

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ResultsThe mailing was sent to several agencies in São Paulo. Demand for Zeeg2 grew more than 50% and the deals were up to 30% larger than before the campaign launch.

InsightsWhen you are a small business, mail is just about the only advertising medium available to you. When three people start an agency, what do they do? They start writing letters to their old clients; they don’t put an ad in the newspaper.

Zeeg2 knows exactly who its target audience is – producers and creative directors – and the direct mail piece spoke to them directly and engagingly. Be honest, if someone sent you a packet of spaghetti and invited you to break it, you would, wouldn’t you?

Increasing its number of recordings by 50% – that’s a lot of money for a small business.

CREATIVE TEAMCreative DirectorsSergio ValenteMarco VersolatoWilson MateosLuciano LincolnGuilherme Jahara

CreativesRicardo SalgadoRafael VoltolinoFernando Pereira

OTHERAccount TeamMaristela Pati CorreaTania PenaMaria Helena Addesso

ClientsGabriel CarreraOlivia Carrera

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AgencyAIM Proximity, Auckland

ClientBank of New Zealand

ProductStudent Recruitment

TitleBody Parts

IndustryFinancial Institution

CountryNew Zealand

BackgroundBeing a university student is financially demanding, and students are known to do almost anything to earn extra money. The Bank of New Zealand wanted to let students know that their Campus Pack offered them a safe, easy way of having enough money while they studied, without having to resort to desperate measures.

IdeaThe campaign was summed up in the thought “Don’t get desperate. Get a Campus Pack.” To illustrate a very bad way to earn money, a fictitious company was created called Body Parts Direct. This was an organization that purported to give students cash in exchange for their body parts. Direct marketing packs, posters and leaflets were supported by a live stunt on campuses, with actors encouraging students to sell body parts on the spot.

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ResultsThe target was to achieve 6,500 Campus Pack applications by the end of March. By March 1, the bank had received 15,000 applications with expectations for many more to follow.

InsightsMail can have an important and very different role to play in an integrated campaign. What generated awareness of the idea was the live stunt on campus, the amusing posters and ambient executions. But what generated applications for the pack was theDM component. Sometimes, when push really needs to turn to shove, mail is the best way to get results.

CREATIVE TEAMCreative DirectorMatt Shirtcliffe

Art DirectorPatrick Murphy

Interactive Art DirectorAaron Goldring

CopywriterBen Chandler

Interactive DesignerPaul Sanderson

Mac ArtistsBarry CummingDiane Evans PRODUCTIONProduction DesignerJo Tacon

Studio ManagerPaul Pritchard

OTHERAccount ManagerGabrielle Pritchard

Account DirectorJane Eagles

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AgencyM&C Saatchi, Sydney

ClientNRMA

ProductLandlord Insurance

TitleWallpaper

IndustryFinancial Institution

CountryAustralia

BackgroundNRMA was one of Australia’s leading insurance groups. They wanted to launch a new product specifically designed for landlords, who had previously relied on home and contents insurance even though that did not cover them against their greatest fear, malicious damage to their property.

IdeaLandlords knew that there were strangers on their property who could do extreme damage. The creative treatment was to play on those fears by putting evidence of tenant vandalism directly in their hands.

Landlords were mailed a large piece of wallpaper, which appeared to have been torn directly from their wall, but which revealed all the ways NRMA Landlord Insurance could relieve them of their worries by giving them the coverage they really wanted.

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ResultsObviously this resonated with landlords, as it achieved results 76% above the client’s expectations.

InsightsImagine for a moment you are a landlord and you own a property or two.

The mail arrives one morning. Now, 99.9% of all the mailings that have been addressed to you until now have been written on letter size paper, folded and slipped inside an envelope. And here’s a roll of wallpaper. You’re going to notice it, aren’t you? And because the message is relevant to you as a landlord, you’re going to read it. And because the argument is compelling, there’s a good chance you’re going to act on it.

CREATIVE TEAMExecutive Creative DirectorDave King

Art DirectorMichael Jones

CopywriterDave King

OTHERProduction ManagerJono May

Account ManagerCaroline Roweth

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AgencyKolle Rebbe, Hamburg

ClientGerstenberg Publishing House

ProductCookbook

TitleThe Real Cookbook

IndustryMedia & Advertising

CountryGermany

BackgroundEvery year in Germany, a vast number of cookbooks hit the stands. Around the world, it was estimated that 26,000 cookbooks were published each year. In this highly competitive market, Gerstenberg was a very small player, specializing in high-quality books. They wanted buyers and retailers to notice them and to look out for their products.

IdeaThe Real Cookbook lived up to its name. It was the first cookbook the recipient could actually put in the oven and cook. Its four pages ruminated on the subject of cooking and were made of fresh pasta. With a little sauce between the pages and a sprinkling of cheese on top, the book became a lasagna. The book was mailed to key influencers and partners in the publishing world to draw attention to the fact that Gerstenberg specialized in this area.

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ResultsOver 250 blogs reported on The Real Cookbook and helped generate vital PR for the company.

InsightsMail is the only medium to engage all five senses. There have been several mailings you could eat, but this is the first that I can recall which you could actually cook and turn into a tasty supper for four.

Obviously the long-term ambition of the campaign was to get bookstores to stock more of Gerstenberg’s cookbooks. But the primary objective was to get people talking. To get Gerstenberg in the news. And they certainly managed to do that.

CREATIVE TEAMExecutive Creative DirectorsSascha HankeAntje Hedde

CopywriterGereon Klug

Art DirectorsReginald WagnerAntje Hedde

GraphicsChristine Knies

PRODUCTIONProduction ManagerMartin Lühe

PhotographersJan BurwickChristoph Himmel Production CompanyPasta PrimaBuchbinderei Zwang GmbH

OTHERAccount SupervisorsGereon KlugInga Eickholt

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AgencyBBDO, Belgium

ClientJC Decaux

ProductJC Decaux Outdoor Advertising

TitleStreet View Unpaid Bills

IndustryMedia & Advertising

CountryBelgium

BackgroundJC Decaux is a multinational poster contractor best known for its bus-stop advertising systems and its billboards.

The company had been using technology to update its out-of-home offer to major advertisers and wanted to get existing customers to agree to meet and learn about their new digital features.

IdeaJC Decaux billboards were not only visible on the streets of Belgium but also on the streets of Google Street View, which meant that many brands had been given years of free media space.

53 major advertisers were mailed a screenshot of their billboard in Street View with a huge bill for the exposure.

Of course, this was not an attempt to collect money but rather, an invitation to meet the sales team to learn more about JC Decaux’s digital capabilities – now that the clients had been startled.

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ResultsThere was an immediate response from 60% of the list (32 advertisers). After the sales team followed up the mailing with a phone call, 95% of the target group agreed to meet.

InsightsThe DMA in the UK believes 50% of the success of any mail campaign is attributable to good targeting, 13% to the offer, 9% to timing and 5% to creativity. Targeting is pretty fundamental and identifying the top 53 advertisers is one thing; but getting them to clear their agenda to talk to a salesperson who wants to sell poster space is quite another. The fact that this mailing got 50 of the 53 advertisers to do just that is a testimonial to the relevance and cleverness of the idea. Creativity has to be worth more than 5%, don’t you think?

CREATIVE TEAMCreative DirectorsArnaud PitzSebastien De Valck

Art DirectorToon Vanpoucke

BBDO Belgium CopywriterMorgane Chopinet

OTHERAccount SupervisorIsabel Peeters

JC Decaux clientVeerle Colin

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AgencyLeo Burnett Group, Thailand

ClientStar Reachers Group Co Ltd.

ProductLeo Burnett Cannes Predictions 2014

TitleThe Lion’s Fang

IndustryMedia & Advertising

CountryThailand

BackgroundEvery year, Leo Burnett Thailand organized a Cannes Predictions event at which they showed examples of great work from around the world. The intention was to help sharpen the creative judgement of both agency people and their clients. However, there was a decline in the number of clients attending the event, down from 250 in 2010 to fewer than 50 in 2013. The challenge was to get those brave marketers who accepted that creativity was changing to come to the show.

IdeaTop clients in Thailand were mailed an invitation, which was sealed within what looked like a lion’s fang. This was not just a reference to the Cannes Lions but an allusion to the Thai saying that to break a lion’s fang means to “take a risk.”

Thus, the fang was not just an invitation to those who were brave enough to attend the event but the inspiration to expect more provocative work from their agencies.

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ResultsOf the 300 who were invited, over 200 marketers attended the event. That was an increase of 150% against the 2013 Cannes Predictions event. Some of the clients who attended were high-profile marketers who had never before come to the show. The lion’s fang also caught the attention of many publications online and offline, generating a PR media value of roughly CAN$365,000.

InsightsAgain and again, mail proves itself as the best way to reach people who are usually unreachable – people like the CEOs and CMOs all agencies want to talk to. The point is: if a mailing as interesting as a great lion’s tooth lands on your desk, it is irresistible, no matter how high and mighty you are. As well as demonstrating outstanding craft skills, this mailing was culturally relevant in having a specific meaning to Thais, and intellectually relevant in directing attention to the Cannes Lions. What it also did was issue a challenge: it asked Thai marketers, “Are you brave enough to buy great work?”

CREATIVE TEAMChief Creative OfficerSompat Trisadikun

Executive Creative DirectorSanpathit Tavijaroen

Art DirectorsPark WannasiriPranod ThiangchaemSanpathit TavijaroenSompat Trisadikun

CopywriterCholchanyarach Sansuk

OTHERClient ServiceThipayachand HasdinTisirind RochanaprukSirinya Chinwechkijmongkol

Computer ArtistKanokwan ChanatipkulSarawut Ongchai Graphic DesignerKrisna Chunsanong

Project ManagerWilawan Sanguanwong

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AgencyCrispin Porter + Bogusky, Stockholm

ClientSwedish Post

ProductPostal service

TitleMagical Christmas Cards

IndustryMedia & Advertising

CountrySweden

BackgroundSwedish Post noticed that young Swedes seemed to share their lives on Facebook. Meanwhile, mail looked as if it was only for old folks.

The task was to try to show that mail could be a social media platform like any other and that sharing Christmas cards was nicer than just texting friends.

Idea100 cards were created and sent to influencers online. Their blog posts and banner ads drove traffic to a website where people could see how all their Facebook updates and comments in the previous year could be brought together and transformed into a design for a unique Christmas card. Users could select the messages shared with a particular friend online and turn them into a physical and personal Christmas card. They could write a personal greeting on the back of the card and have Swedish Post deliver it.

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ResultsThe campaign only had an 18-day lifespan, but in that short period, the 100 cards mailed out to influencers helped drive 65,000 Swedes to the site. Over 5,000 cards were created and delivered. Visitors spent an average of 3 minutes and 40 seconds engaged with the brand.

InsightsWhy fight technology as many print-based organizations have wanted to do at some time or another? Embrace it like the Swedish Post did and try to innovate in order to be interesting and relevant to your target audience.

Digital natives (both my kids) love receiving mail. I’ve seen this with my own eyes. They just need to be shown how cool it can be. And that means working out how and when mail and digital can overlap – like at Christmas.

CREATIVE TEAMCreative DirectorBjörn Höglund

Art DirectorMattias Berg

CopywriterTobias Grönberg

OTHERAccount DirectorsJohan KruseJohan Brink Content ManagerJenny Folkesson

User ExperiencePontus Wärnestäl

Motion DesignerErik Sterner

Technical DirectorPer Rundgren

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AgencyTBWA\Hunt\Lascaris,Johannesburg

ClientThe Zimbabwean

ProductNewspaper

TitleTrillion Dollar Campaign

IndustryMedia & Advertising

CountrySouth Africa

BackgroundThe Zimbabwean newspaper had been driven into exile for reporting on how the Mugabe regime had rigged elections, crushed the opposition, and caused poverty, disease and the total collapse of the economy. As if the exile wasn’t enough, the regime then slapped a 55% luxury import duty on the paper, which made it unaffordable for the average Zimbabwean.

To continue its work, the paper needed to be subsidized. That meant raising awareness and increasing sales in other regions of South Africa, outside Zimbabwe.

IdeaThe Zimbabwean had been reporting on the turmoil of the country for years, but rather than explain the problems to their neighbours in South Africa, they decided to put in their hands a real and tangible symbol of the country’s collapse – its completely worthless currency.

The ability to hand out and mail trillions of dollars spoke volumes about the country’s desperate situation.

Messages were printed directly onto the money and turned into flyers, and the world’s first billboard was made using real money. Bundles of notes were mailed to opinion formers and potential donors.

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ResultsAt least trillions of Zimbabwean dollars achieved what they’d never been able to buy before: real results. The mailings generated massive exposure and led to the story being taken up by national press, TV and radio. Traffic streamed to the website, which logged two million hits in the first week of the rollout. Sales of The Zimbabwean soared.

InsightsIt is such a brilliant idea to use the devalued currency of Zimbabwe as both the medium and the message of the campaign. Again, mail was the component that led directly to the massive wave of PR that took the story and spread it not just across South Africa but throughout the world.

Imagine receiving a billion dollars in the mail: on the one hand, your sense of astonishment at its potential worth is instantly heightened; on the other hand, your understanding of its actual worth quickly takes the shine off the prize. And therein lies the tragedy of what was once one of the most beautiful and prosperous countries in Africa.

CREATIVE TEAMExecutive Creative DirectorDamon Stapleton

Creative DirectorNicholas Hulley

CopywritersNicholas HulleyRaphael Basckin

Art DirectorsShelley SmolerNadja Lossgott

PRODUCTIONProducerCraig Walker

Art BuyerSimone Allem

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Agencyiris, London

ClientKids Company

ProductCharity

TitleSponsor a Child

IndustryNot for Profit

CountryUK

BackgroundKids Company provides vulnerable inner-city kids with emotional and educational support. The Sponsor a Child initiative targeted over 500 social responsibility professionals, including HR directors from over 355 corporations, in the banking, fashion and media industries.

The intention was to encourage prospects to receive a phone call explaining how their organizations could help turn young lives around.

IdeaThe recipients would be used to scanning résumés on a regular basis, but inside the envelope marked “Personal documents enclosed” they would find a résumé of a life gone terribly wrong. However, once they turned the résumé over, they would see the same life but now full of achievement.

To make the deliberately under-designed piece relevant to the recipient, iris created different character profiles and tailored the résumés for each industry.

The agency also uploaded the résumés to online recruitment sites such as Monster.com and created profiles on social networking sites such as LinkedIn, inviting other potential employers to sponsor a child and turn a life around.

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ResultsThe résumés cost pennies to make but have pulled in roughly CAN$10,000 each. This has helped 81% of young people cared for by Kids Company to reintegrate into education, training or employment. 94% have been able to reduce substance abuse and 89% moved away from a life of crime.

InsightsImagination isn’t just the ability to dream up ideas but the ability to imagine who you’re addressing and what they might be doing when you get to talk to them. Although this campaign might look dull, it is abundantly imaginative. That is deliberate. The team imagined an HR director flicking open the mail; they imagined them flicking through yet another résumé, the thousandth of the week. They imagined how their attention would suddenly be captured. The team imagined what the HR director might say when receiving a phone call from Kids Company and they imagined into reality roughly CAN$450,000 in donations.

CREATIVE TEAMExecutive Creative DirectorShaun McIlrath

Creative DirectorGrant Hunter

Creative Group HeadDavid Dyer

CopywriterPete Liffen

Art DirectorNeil Mathews

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AgencyThe Communications Agency,London

ClientProstate Cancer Research Foundation

ProductCharity

TitleGive a Few Bob

IndustryNot for Profit

CountryUnited Kingdom

BackgroundMen in the UK don’t talk about health issues. Nor do they appreciate how common prostate cancer is and that it kills one man every hour.

The challenge, therefore, was to create a campaign to nationally publicize both the disease and the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation, which funds independent research into its causes and treatments. The aim was to reach men aged 45 and over, those most likely to be affected by the disease.

IdeaResearch revealed that the more emotional the charity appeal was, the more unemotional men became. While a celebrity could add real weight to the campaign, a current sufferer of the disease might not feel comfortable speaking about his illness. The creative leap was to bring back a dead celebrity, Bob Monkhouse, to front a campaign for the disease that killed him. While cancer and comedy do not usually sit well together, the success of the campaign rested on faithfully recreating the spirit of Bob Monkhouse. His wisecracking approach was both authentic and heartfelt.

The campaign used mail with a strong call to action, along with cinema and out of home.

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ResultsThe 5,000-item mail campaign achieved a 228% increase in the donor base with a 580% rise in the number of regular monthly donors and a 2,000% increase in traffic to the website. Overall, CAN$5M worth of media value was generated from a budget of less than CAN$100K.

InsightsA number of advertisers have brought celebrities back from the dead – Marilyn Monroe for Chanel, Steve McQueen for Ford – but none have had the same impact as hearing Bob Monkhouse’s voice from beyond the grave.

Now, after he has gone, his awful puns remain touching and evocative of loss.

To write in the manner of the departed comedian himself was no easy thing. But even the message on the outside of the envelope captured the essence of Bob in 15 words: “OK, so I died… But don’t think you can get rid of me that easily.” A brilliant example of how you can often make a serious point better with humour than with solemnity.

CREATIVE TEAMCreative DirectorAlan Curson

Art DirectorShaun Patchett

CopywriterAlan Curson

PRODUCTIONRed Bee Media Ltd.

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Agency10AM Communications

ClientSingapore Environment Council

ProductEnvironmental Awareness

TitleOzone

IndustryNot for Profit

CountrySingapore

BackgroundThe Singapore Environment Council (SEC) was an independently managed body that nurtured and coordinated environmental causes and groups in Singapore. As part of an awareness campaign to encourage a more environmentally proactive lifestyle, the SEC wanted a mailer/poster to send to schools, corporations and key policymakers. The mailer needed to be memorable and drive more traffic to the SEC website for more information.

IdeaThe solution was a perforated calendar printed on heavy stock and delivered in a mailing tube. The current day was displayed when the recipient tore out the previous day on the calendar. Since the calendar was printed on the background of a sky, the “hole in the sky” got bigger as the year went on. At the bottom of the calendar was the simple reminder “The problem gets worse every day.”

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ResultsSome 1,000 calendars were sent out, generating over 300 replies by mail and by email. Recipients thought the calendar was clever and useful. As a result of the success, another batch of calendars was printed and mailed out. Visits to the website increased by 350% and, during the telephone follow-up to the mailing, many corporations asked for advice about recycling programs.

InsightsThis is one of those little ideas you can “get” in an instant but gets bigger over time. You see, that’s what mail does so brilliantly. It hangs around the place. So it doesn’t work just once; it keeps on working. For days, for months.

Of course, the idea has to be intriguing enough or important enough for people to want to keep it on a desk, pinned to the kitchen wall or wherever. And there lies the challenge for the creative person today. How do you create ideas people can participate in not just online but offline as well? 10AM Communications have managed it rather well.

CREATIVE TEAMExecutive Creative DirectorLim Sau Hoong

CopywriterClarence Chow

PRODUCTIONProduction ManagerJason Sia

OTHERAccount ManagerKim Hoon

PhotographerJimmy Fok

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AgencyMcCann, Erickson, Sydney

ClientCorelle

ProductTableware

TitleCorelle Post-A-Plate

IndustryRetail

CountryAustralia

BackgroundThe brief was to communicate Corelle’s unique selling proposition of being the “unbreakable” plate.

IdeaThe plate became the DM piece itself, demonstrating its unique selling proposition effortlessly. Mailed unwrapped, the plate showed the delivery address on the front and the following message on the back: “A plate that can survive the mail can survive anything.” Corelle.

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ResultsThe plate arrived intact at each media outlet, and the campaign generated a 100% response rate to find out more. The idea generated PR in mainstream media worth many thousands of dollars.

InsightsWho said mail has to be a letter folded in an envelope? Absolutely no one. Isn’t it great when someone comes along and ignores what we all think are the rules? From coconuts to ten dollar bills – if you can address it, you can mail it. A couple of years ago, a U.S. journalist sent pumpkins through the mail at Halloween and was both delighted and impressed that every single one arrived at its destination in more-or-less good shape.

Yes, this is a media stunt rather than a mail campaign, but it shows that mail as a medium is as interesting (or as dull) as you choose to make it.

CREATIVE TEAMArt DirectorDamian Sloan

CopywriterJessie Jordan

Creative DirectorKieran Flanagan

OTHERAccount DirectorNicole Gardner

Account ExecutivesDavid MilnerKatie Salmaggi

Account PlannerGuy Marshall

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AgencyWhybin\Tequila\TBWA, Sydney

ClientM.J. Bale

ProductTailored Suits

TitleGrazed on Greatness

IndustryRetail

CountryAustralia

BackgroundM.J. Bale was a relatively new Australian men’s fashion brand. As the official tailors to the Australian cricket team, they wanted to make something of their sponsorship.

IdeaThe idea was to create a new line of clothing made from cloth special to cricket. Turf was taken from the Sydney Cricket Ground, where Australia had won more test matches than anywhere else. It was replanted on a Merino sheep farm in New South Wales, and allowed to propagate. The sheep that grazed on this grass were sheared. Their wool, infused with victory, was hand-crafted into suits for the Australian team and for the public.

Journalists were encouraged to tell the story by receiving ties woven from the first-ever bale of this historic wool by mail.

Other customers were sent real grass seeds from the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust seed bank to grow their own patch of victory. And invited to buy the range first.

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ResultsTargeting journalists, opinion leaders and players achieved national awareness, earning 8.5 million media impressions (broadcast TV, news, press, editorial, PR, social media) valued at over CAN$3M.

In-store traffic and sales spiked to an all-time high, and tailored suit orders were up 520%. M.J. Bale also acquired distribution through 38 new outlets with Australia’s largest and most prestigious retail chain, David Jones. ROI was 1400% ($14 for every $1 spent). All from the Australian cricket team’s smallest sponsorship.

InsightsSending journalists a tie made from the wool produced by sheep grazing on sacred grass was not just funny. To a journalist, this was a blessing from heaven. It meant column inches of copy. They could write about cricket and entertain a cricket-mad readership. This strange game is not just a national sport in Australia, it is a national obsession.

If you think of mail as a stiletto rather than as a baseball bat, you soon begin to appreciate how a mailing to a hundred can help you reach millions.

CREATIVE TEAMExecutive Creative DirectorsDave BowmanMatty Burton

CD/CopywriterJohn McKelvey

CD/Art DirectorPeter Galmes

OTHERCEO Paul Bradbury

Account DirectorBryony Marks

ClientMatt Jensen

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AgencyWunderman, Dubai

ClientMicrosoft

ProductWindows

TitleGotcha!

IndustryTechnology

CountryUnited Arab Emirates

BackgroundThe use of unlicensed software in the Middle East was costing the IT industry millions of dollars a year. Unfortunately, people using pirated software did not believe it could harm them in any way. The challenge was to convert people who used pirated software to users of licensed ones by highlighting the risks of using anything other than genuine Windows software.

IdeaThe most common way for people to acquire pirated software was by asking for it from friends and colleagues. So 3,000 hand-written letters in hand-written envelopes designed to look as if they had come from a friend were mailed.

Inside was a CD with a hand-written Post-It® note. When recipients loaded the CD, their computers crashed almost immediately. Moments later, a message popped up to say, if this had been pirated software, it could actually have caused real damage. The user was then offered a discount on Windows software if they bought it before a specified date.

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Results49 of the 3,000 prospects bought genuine Windows software within five days of receiving the mailing. Eventually the campaign achieved a 9.9% response rate, three times higher than any previous Microsoft mailing. Many retailers reported that people buying Windows software had told them of the shock they had experienced from the fake CD.

InsightsOn the surface, this looks like a piece of traditional direct mail, designed to sell Windows. And it netted $50K-worth of sales. An ROI of perhaps 2:1. Terrific! But, of course, it is really an awareness campaign. You receive some free software, you download it, you get tricked into thinking your PC is about to die. What do you do? You talk about it online and offline, at work and at the bar. Strangely, we all enjoy being suckered, provided we end up unharmed by the experience. It’s why we watch horror movies. So this moment of anguish becomes a moment of relief becomes a moment to remember becomes a moment to share and, once again, becomes a moment to remember.

CREATIVE TEAMCreative DirectorKerry Platts

Creative Group HeadPooja Chandani

Head of CopyRicha Khan

OTHERClient Services DirectorSara Hughes

Interactive DirectorEiad Rayyis

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AgencyOrbital Proximity, Madrid

ClientNokia

ProductBusiness Solutions

TitleThis Mug Is Not My Mug

IndustryTechnology

CountrySpain

BackgroundNokia provided technological solutions that helped improve the security, mobility and connectivity of businesses and their employees. However, investing in this equipment was a decision that needed to be made jointly by a business’s managing director and the IT director. The problem was, these people hardly ever spent time together.

IdeaThe challenge was to come up with an idea that would get the managing director and the head of IT together. The solution was to send both individuals a personalized mug, but the wrong one. So the managing director got a mug with the IT director’s name on it and vice versa. They would have to meet to exchange their mugs and while they were doing that, they might as well share a coffee and a conversation about what Nokia could do for them.

Black or with milk?

A“How long is it since you had a coffee with...

B(Name of company’s Technology Director that appears on the cup).

C...in order to chat about things in general?”

Brochure“We suggest a number of topics to be discussed with your company’s technology expert.”

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Results93% of the mugs were exchanged. In total there was a 64% response rate in terms of meetings arranged.

InsightsIsn’t it ingenious to bring together two people who ought to meet regularly but don’t? That’s a real insight into corporate life for you. Not only do the mugs act as a trigger to making time together, they provide the motivation for turning the meeting into a discussion – over coffee. The follow-up mailing would have tweaked the guilty consciences of those who hadn’t responded to the first message to lead to a seriously impressive set of results.

Creativity is not about winning awards; it’s about achieving business success. But how pleasing it is when you can do both.

CREATIVE TEAMCreative DirectorAlvaro Gonzalez

Creative SupervisorDavid Lee

CopywriterPablo de Castro

Art DirectorOscar Moreno

OTHERClient Services DirectorJose Luis Gil

“We remind you of some of the subjects for conversation that can make that coffee something very interesting”

“Are you still waiting to have that coffee with the business expert of your company?”

AgencyServiceplan, Munich

ClientAustrian Solar

ProductEnergy company

TitleAnnual Report

IndustryUtilities

CountryGermany

BackgroundThe Austrian Solar Association represents all the important solar energy providers in Austria and was seeking to reach out to opinion leaders in the political and economical fields through its annual report.

IdeaTo demonstrate the power of both the sun and the Association, the annual report was printed using special inks. The report seemed blank until the UV of direct sunlight fell on its pages; then the content “appeared.” Solar’s Annual Report could only be read in sunny conditions.

Without sunlight the pages stay empty. Under insolation the content appears.

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ResultsThe report attracted huge media interest and had to be reprinted to meet requests from all over the world. As an additional result, the printing company Mory & Meier was overwhelmed with orders.

InsightsFor me, innovation isn’t just about new platforms emerging from new technologies. It’s about finding new ways of using existing formats. It’s bringing invention as well as imagination to tackle a problem. Printing this document using inks sensitive to direct sunlight is clever because it is so relevant to the company and to its services. This idea didn’t just break the rules; it created a whole new set of possibilities for designers and art directors. It set them free from the idea that a company report has to be matter-of-fact and dull.

CREATIVE TEAMChief Creative OfficerAlexander Schill

Creative DirectorsChristoph EverkeCosimo MoellerAlexander Nagel

CopywriterMoritz Dornig

Art DirectorMatthaeus Frost

ConsultingDiana Gunder

Graphic DesignMathias Nosel

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ADD A SPLASH OF COLOUR TO YOUR OFFICE.Today’s DM is an innovative and creative way to get your brand into the hands of customers. It’s effective. It delivers results. The kind of results that impress client and award show judges alike. Add DM to your marketing mix and see how far it’ll take your clients – and you.

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