Summer’s virtually here

Background

Christmas comes and goes. So do clients. In order to retain the latter, the blue group leveraged the former to say thank you. And to remind them they were on a good thing using the agency for their communications and reinforce the blue group’s new digital offering. 

Idea

From December 1, the festive season is clearly in view. And people start counting down the days to the holiday season. Knowing this, the blue group emailed existing clients to spur on the upcoming holidays.

With a personalised eDM, clients were literally reminded ‘Summer’s virtually here’, and informed the blue group was taking them somewhere for Christmas. To find out where, they had to jump on board and click through to their own personal online portal.

Once at their portal, clients were asked to create a virtual passport and pack a virtual suitcase with a choice of seemingly random items. Once packed, their chosen items determined their destination and they created an instant online postcard depicting themselves at the particular destination with a scenario of what they’d likely be doing.

Then it was time to log-off and return to the daily grind.

A week later, clients were sent a real version of their personalised virtual postcard via physical mail, thanking them for coming along on the blue group journey in 2012 and promising to keep it real next year.

Selected ‘top-shelf’ clients were taken a step further, receiving a real card, hand delivered in a miniature real suitcase with real items they chose online (zinc stick, a book or spork) with a voucher reflecting what they’d be doing (quicksilver, Simon Johnson food voucher or iTunes) placed alongside real materials reflecting their destination (sand, grass or napkin).

All recipients got the notion the blue group combines digital and offline seamlessly.

(Try it for yourself - http://my.bluegroup.com.au/sam.sample/ - personalised present not guaranteed)

Results

73% of emails were activated. First response within two minutes of launch. Average time on site was over three mins. 80% of selected clients claimed their present. 100% of clients remain. Two new digital jobs briefed as a result.

“Awesome virtual postcard – great idea guys!” Michelle Brown National Marketing and Communications Manager

“I LOVE my Christmas Gift. Such a winning idea. Great integration with the eDM” Liz Cherry, Marketing Campaign Executive

“Brilliant! Thank you for our presents that arrived yesterday – you guys are SO clever, we love it!” Rebecca Monforte, Marketing Consultant