Swiss Post Ensures 100% Opening Rate for Direct Mailings

Background

Direct mailings inspire action, which ultimately boosts sales. That is why they are an important component of every sales-oriented, cross-media campaign. Swiss Post actively supports the use of direct mailings, and wanted to bring this to the attention of the heads of the largest, most successful advertising agencies in a memorable way. For decades, Swiss Post has encouraged advertising agencies to use direct mailings. But very few were receptive. Now it was time to get their full, undivided attention.

Idea

A multi-stage campaign was used to draw traditional advertising agencies' attention to the fact that without cross-media campaigns they would soon be extinct. But who would read this? Which creative head would even open an advertising letter from the Swiss Post? Swiss Post was looking for an idea with a 100% opening rate (which had never happened before). That is why the first stage of the mailing consisted of a handwritten envelope containing the announcement of the death of a certain "Traditional Ad Agency" that, sadly, had left us much too soon because it did not plan to include direct marketing in its campaigns and therefore failed to generate enough sales. The second phase of the mailing continued the story in the form of a thank-you card that featured a classic sympathy card design and in which Swiss Post thanked the recipient for their message of condolences. The two stages of the mailing directed the recipient to the microsite post.ch/ewigesleben, where they could find facts and tips related to direct marketing as well as the services that Swiss Post offers advertising agencies.

Results

The response was enormous and, with an opening rate of 100%, exceeded all expectations. Swiss Post not only received a number of messages expressing sympathy and condolences by mail, the campaign also generated a great deal of interest on Facebook and in the media. From trade journals all the way to Blick.ch (the most widely read Swiss news portal), the campaign generated a lot of buzz – some expressing indignation, but also a great deal of praise for Swiss Post's bold approach. Thanks to the campaign, Swiss Post was not only able to take the much maligned topic of direct mailings and turn it into a hot topic, but also offered proof: direct mailings work.