The Secrets of Coffee Calendar Mailing
Issue 18 | March 2011
Agency
JWT Germany
Production Team
Production Management: Claudia Klein; Production and Printing: Marco Dross; Printer: Hammesfahr Vertriebs GmbH, Novak Siebdruck; Assembly: Ermonis GmbH
Other Credits
Client Service Director, JWT Coffee Centre of Excellence: Kara Henry; Client Service JWT: Samantha Yeowell; VP Marketing Strategy, Innovation Coffee EU at Kraft Foods Europe: Stephanie Wilkes
Date
Last quarter 2010
Background
Kraft Foods Europe needed a VIP mailing for its 100 key internal and external stakeholders in the coffee category. (Their brands include Carte Noire, Kenco and Maxwell House)
The brief was that this could not be a standard incentive or give-away. It needed to engages a target audience of coffee experts, surprise them and demonstrate that Kraft do things only a category leader would do.
Idea
To turn a simple calendar into an experience, what was mailed out appeared to be a calendar alright, but it was completely blank.
. It arrived in a white box and left the recipient wondering: what is this all about? A little brochure explainede: Peel back the foil on each page, then sprinkle coffee powder on it.
Because the pages were printed with glue, the coffee powder stuck to them. Visuals and copy appeared allowing the recipient to discover quite literally the secrets of coffee.
The finished piece was all about coffee, made with coffee and it even smelled of coffee. Even for coffee experts, it was both surprising and involving.
Results
100% participation. 100% interaction and a minimum of 20 minutes spent engaged with the brand (which is about the time time it takes to complete the calendar).
100% positive feedback from the stakeholders to the category management. A great result considering the importance and expertise of the audience.
Our Thoughts
To be honest, I have never really understood calendars. I get sent plenty every December and they are all garbage. As an advertising format, they don’t get much attention. Pirelli managed to make theirs an important part of their marketing but for most marketers and most agencies the calendar is about as important as the design of the canteen lunch menu. So it’s great to see someone thinking of it as an opportunity to do something different. And to do something relevant, that would have lasted an entire year, quietly delivering a brand message day after day from its hook on the wall.