Listerine Embossed Letter

Background

Patients want naturally white teeth. Dentists want tartar control. Listerine keeps both groups happy. The aim was for dentists to try new Listerine Advanced Tartar Control, so that they would recommend it to their patients. The target was to elicit response from 8% of the mailing universe (2,032 dentists), which could result in an additional 50,000 patient recommendations.

Idea

Dentists are a sceptical group. They need to trust that the advice they are getting is comprehensive. In fact, many dentists think that Listerine is harmful to patients because it contains alcohol, and that brushing and flossing are enough. They're wrong, but you can't tell them that. They're also constantly bombarded by dental-related marketing. So Listerine had the double challenge of getting noticed and convincing an audience that is both sceptical and trained in dental hygiene.

In order to cut through the dentist's raft of mailings, RMG Connect wanted to create a piece that was visually arresting. They came up with the idea of a letter that was pure white. It appeared to have nothing on it. However, on closer inspection (perhaps under those bright white dentist lights), the letter copy could be seen in an embossed font. It acknowledges the importance of keeping your teeth white and how hard dentists work to help their patients achieve this. It also points out the benefits of Listerine in combating tartar. The letter directs the recipient to a fold-down for requesting samples.

Results

The letter achieved a 13.7% response rate, against a target of 8% - 172% over target. 3,487 responses were received from a total of 25,404 packs mailed. With 83,688 recommendations overall, translating into £67,260 in patient sales of Listerine (in year one), the campaign achieved a positive ROI of £2.99 per £1 of budget spent.

Target Audience

Dental professionals

Size

25, 404 mailings

Our Thoughts

I wanted to include this campaign even though it’s probably about a year old because I just happened to be looking at it up on the wall in Cannes after it had won a Bronze when one of the creatives responsible for it came by. He was touchingly proud of his achievement. In most agencies, there are agonising post-mortems whenever things go wrong. Listening to that creative, it occurred to me the real value of awards is in allowing us to examine what went right.