‘Penny Drop’ and Science ‘Clone’ DM packs

Background

The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA), which works with the Government to promote the teaching profession in the UK, wanted to increase the number of applicants applying to teach Physics and Science. There’s intensive competition from other employers for the few graduates with science degrees. They often demand good salaries and roles in other professions. In addition, science has traditionally been seen as a fairly dry subject to teach, one that children find difficult to engage with. As a result of these factors, Initial Teacher Training courses in Physics and Science were under-recruiting. DraftFCB London’s task was to reinforce the unique rewards of teaching as a profession, as well as demonstrate the dynamic and highly interactive nature of the subjects themselves. It needed to demonstrate that science in modern schools is no longer a dull subject that fails to inspire or engage pupils.

Idea

It was important that the communication engage with its audience on an intelligent level. Hence the first pack revolves around an actual experiment - Galileo Galilei’s Equivalence Principle - dramatised in the pack as The Penny Drop Experiment. The outer carries the line ‘How fast does a penny drop?' But the letter ‘o' is replaced by a real penny which falls down a transparent slot. If you can 'make the penny drop' with students, then you'll be a great physics teacher. The result is involving and talks to potential teachers in a language they appreciate.

The second pack dramatises the act of cloning through another clever use of format. The address window, with exactly the same name and address, is repeated over and over again on the envelope. Inside, the reader is asked, ‘could you explain cloning?’ This is followed by an inside spread that continues the theme: ‘to a group of unique individuals? Without repeating yourself?’ For people thinking about teaching, the piece engages on a personal level. It demonstrates that science teachers have the opportunity to share their enthusiasm for the subject and that they’ll be in the privileged position of moulding the next generation of scientists. Also included in the pack was a Science teacher case study to reinforce how rewarding it is to work with some of the world’s most inquiring minds. The mail activity was followed up a week later by an html email reinforcing the benefits of teaching Science.

Results

The overall recruitment campaign delivered a 4.8% application conversion rate for the last recruitment year (September 2005 to September 2006). This is a staggering achievement, considering that it involves major life-changing decisions.

Target Audience

The Penny Drop pack targeted people who had either expressed an interest in specifically teaching Physics or held the qualifications suitable for teaching Physics. For the Clone pack, DraftFCB London selected those on the database with appropriate degrees, which included single honours science degrees such as chemistry as well as combined honours degrees with one or more science elements. Direct was the perfect medium for this campaign as it allowed the TDA to speak directly to its target audience about their particular subject.

Size

1,886 packs (Penny Drop); 7,760 packs (Clone)

Our Thoughts

The envelope itself is an important communications tool but 99.99% of all direct marketers merely use it to carry a written message. In both instances here the envelope is the message. You are forced to look for an explanation as to why there are so many windows or why there is a penny in a tube. Only direct mail can do this - get you engaged physically as well as emotionally. Because you can’t resist turning the piece in your hands, the effect, when the message reveals itself to you, will be that much greater. One of our top pieces in Issue 2.