Beanstalk
Issue 17 | December 2010
Agency
Partners Andrews Aldridge
Creative Team
Copywriter: Mike Poole; Art Director: Alan Mackie; Creative Directors: Paul Snoxell, Andy Todd; Creative Partner and Chairman: Steve Aldridge
Production Team
Quad DM
Other Credits
Head Of Marketing, Early Learning Centre: Nicki Tracey; Client Director: Claire Wellman; Account Director: Sam Peters
Date
August 2009 to August 2010
Background
Research showed that only 10% of parents were buying their children’s birthday presents from Early Learning Centre. With 341,000 birthdays for 0-5 year olds each month in the UK, they wanted a bigger slice of the market.
So the Big Birthday Club was created. Parents were encouraged to sign-up with the promise of a free (little) gift for their children just before their birthday.
Unfortunately the budget was just 60p a pack.
How do you send an engaging gift through the post for 60p (including postage)? This is less than even your meanest aunt would spend.
Idea
The agency re-wrote the famous children’s story of Jack and the Beanstalk, making it all about the birthday child. The book was personalised throughout so every child could imagine themselves climbing through the clouds to a magical world.
The book opened into a height chart, so Mums and Dads could watch their child turn into a giant. This gave it real longevity.
They were then encouraged to go online and play Jack and the Beanstalk games with their children, find out about party ideas and, of course, shop.
The older children could go online and create their very own story. They could chose different characters, new plot twists and at the end they could email their version to a friend (a great member-get-member scheme).
Results
The response rate was more than 17%. So far 118,629 customers have redeemed their vouchers. For every £1 spent on the campaign we have had £13 back.
85,732 children have written their own version of the Beanstalk story.
Our Thoughts
Lego now do all their own communications in-house. The reason is that their agencies found it hard to talk to children. They wrote brilliant ads for parents but couldn’t engage kids themselves. That’s what makes this campaign for ELC so laudable. Yes, Mum and Dad got involved, using the finger puppets to bring the personalized story to life, but the idea was to create a magical experience for the child itself. Patrick and the Beanstalk! My very own story!! Mummy, I want more!!!
Online, there were relevant games and fun things to do, including the chance to write your own version of the Beanstalk story. Nowhere is the communication patronising or too adult which, for me, demonstrates a real mastery of craft skills at Partners Andrews.