Innovative Journey In San Francisco

Background

The 2010 DMA (Direct Marketing Association) conference was held in San Francisco, the city of innovation. Many Danish companies and advertising agencies like to go to this conference and Post Danmark is one of the sponsors for the Danish delegation.

Post Danmark’s strategy for dealing with digitalisation is to focus on creating innovative new products that will help mail remain relevant and effective.

To dramatise their interest in innovation, they invited key customers and agency leaders on a trip the day before the conference to visit some of the most cutting-edge companies in the SF area, including Google, Ideo and Berkeley University.

The invitation was in itself an opportunity to demonstrate the creative possibilities of mail as a medium.

Idea

A small suitcase, symbolizing the concept of ‘a journey’ was mailed to the target group. Stickers were posted on the suitcase representing the companies and places to be visited.

Inside, recipients found:

• Details of the tour designed as a fold-up map, with descriptions of the companies to be visited and the subjects/themes to be covered at each visit.
• A notebook with a personalized message was written inside.
• Post Danmark candies and post-cards of the San Francisco area.

An e-mail answer was required.

Results

80% of the people attending the conference responded positively to their invitation. Judging from the feedback, the creative possibilities of mail as a medium were brought to life.

Comments included, “I would like to subscribe to the journey. The sweet red suitcase won my heart”

“Nice invitation, with a handwritten note in the notebook. Great Direct Mail!”

“Thanks for the great invitation to your journey…”

Our Thoughts

A direct marketer in a large bank told me recently their research had proved that the best open rates are achieved when you put your mailing inside a plain white envelope. It is now a rule of the bank never to use anything else but white envelopes.

And that is the problem with rules. They interfere with common sense.

Put a formal white envelope alongside a funny little red suitcase which has just been delivered by a postman with a smile and, honestly, which one are you going to open first?

The IT people at Post Danmark, of course, would prefer you to use white envelopes because they whiz through the electronic scanners whereas funny little red suitcases don’t. So good for Post Danmark for irritating their own people to show just what you can put through the post.