Rental List
American Express
Issue 8 | September 2008
Agency
Singleton OgilvyOne
Creative Team
Simon Bloomfield - Creative Director;Lucas Dorrell - Copywriter;Adrian McNamara - Art Director
Production Team
Eleanor Sheppard
Other Credits
Steve Fontanot - Account Service
Date
June 2008
Background
For the first time ever in the Australian market, American Express Card members can now pay their house rent using their card. The aim of this campaign was to inform card members about this development, as well as highlight the fact that they can now turn their rent into rewards points.
Idea
The solution was to use a pastiche of an everyday property rental list to get the idea across. Placed outside Affiliated Australian Real Estate Agents, this was a highly-targeted and straightforward way to tell renters that they could now pay their rent using their American Express Card.
By replacing the rental price of properties with the amount of rewards points Card members could earn, they effectively highlighted the benefit and ease of the service. What’s more, the faux rental list not only acted as the activation device, it also doubled as an acquisition piece as they used the back of the list as the registration form.
Results
As a highly cost-effective piece, the ROI has already exceeded expectations.
Target audience
Renters, both existing Card holders and potential acquisitions
Our Thoughts
In Australia, estate agents publish lists of flats and properties available to rent, and these lists are distributed as free-sheets. What a brilliant media idea, to use a similar sort of free-sheet to talk about how many points you get if you pay your rent using your Amex card. Hey, paying the rent could pay for a holiday 1000 miles away from your landlord.