5 Successful Valentine’s Day Direct Mail Campaigns – Results included

Despite that people think Valentine’s Day is becoming too commercial, in the UK consumers spent £987 Million on gifts and cards in 2017, according to GlobalData retail.

Anish Dosani, Retail Analyst for GlobalData, remarks:“While we expect there to be an increase in consumer spending on Valentine’s Day this year, the more general lack of interest in the occasion means that retailers are going to have to work even harder to drive sales and win this spend.”

Think outside the box

To stand out from the crowd on Valentine’s Day, marketers must use innovative communications and explore new marketing channels. With the rebirth of Direct Mail and the significant neurologic impact mail has on the recipient, which beats email in multiple aspects incorporate a piece of physical mail in your campaign increase is a must.

If you think that Valentine’s Day is for retailers only, let us show you five successful direct mail campaigns in Charity, Telemarketing services, food and Postal services, which combine different direct marketing approach to increase brand awareness, donor’s registration and sales.

1. The Organ Donor Foundation.  21.3% increase registrations. Postcard.

The campaign aimed to raise awareness for the foundation through a cost-effective registration drive.

“Valentine’s Cards” were sent to music artist and celebrities, placed on display stands at leading newsagents and flowers shops.

Campaign Result

The Organ Donor Foundation receive a massive 21.3% increase in registrations, in two days with a cost of less than £450. The campaign was created by Gary Steele and received multiple awards, such as 1 Media Lion at Cannes Advertising Festival and 1 Silver at Sunday Times Awards.

2. PostNL. A kiss for a stamp. 100% increase in paid Valentines mail. Postcard.

PostNL, the Dutch postal company, wanted people to reconnect with real mail, to activate people to send more postcards.

The day before Valentine’s Day all Dutch people could send their Valentine cards with a kiss instead of a stamp! The campaign was promoted four days before Valentine’s Day by one PR and a few tweets and a video explainer.

Campaign Result

The campaign caused an online tsunami with a huge response:

– Almost four times as much Valentines mail was sent
– An increase of 100% in paid Valentines mail (with stamp)
– The brand values of PostNL showed the highest increase ever.

3. CATSA. A false valentine’s day. 27% appointments. Direct Mail.

CATSA, a telemarketing services company that generates interviews for its sales force. So, during February, they sent a natural rose in a box with a card explaining the fact that on Valentine’s Day Graham Bell made his invention official: the telephone. To generate surprise, no one received it on Valentine’s Day.

Campaign Result

The result was impressive for a very competitive sector. 56% remembered the campaign and 27% arranged appointments.

4. Hellmann’s: 1,0561 unique store visit (56% engagement.) Cross Media.

Hellmann’s is an iconic brand, but mayo is not a top of mind category.  Hellmann’s needed to attract a new younger base. They want it to remind them why Hellmann’s has been and always will be No.1.  The creative agency in charge of the campaign also knew women were in desperate search of a clever, relevant way to show their affection on Valentine’s Day.

The solution was to position the sandwich made with real, authentic Hellmann’s as an object of desire that is the sure way to your man’s heart.  The company created a sandwich delivery service, 1800sandwich and launched it for Valentine’s Day. Hellmann’s used street teams, direct postcards, and posters to drive consumers to the 1800sandwich website. Users could then choose between 3 signature mouthwatering Hellmann’s sandwiches to be delivered to unsuspecting men for lunch on Valentine’s Day.

Campaign Result

With a small budget and only flyers and posters, they reached approximately 1,800 people. Effectiveness exceeded expectations, they engaged 59%of the audience with 1,061 unique visits.

Furthermore, the campaign had an amplified exposure due to the unsuspecting male receiver, it caused a spectacle in every office. The prediction of the amplified the exposure of every sandwich by at least 5 people. Sandwiches sold out within 6 hours of the site going live.

5.  Ford Spain. Leaflet – Door Drops

The night before St Valentine’s day, we left 12,000 breakup letters on cars that were 10 years old or more. In these letters, we encouraged owner-drivers to break off their stale and decaying relationships with their old cars and to fall in love with a Ford.

Results:

By means of social media and telephone response and other digital media, we reached 40,000 people and made them aware of this action.

Blog post written by Nilda Cerna, Marketing Manager.

Sources: Verdict, Statista, lbbonline, Coloribus.

Romax Marketing & Distribution, a Greenwich-London based company, provides a wide range of services in Direct Marketing for B2B and B2C, Direct Mail, Data Management, Printing, Discount Postage, Membership Communication Services and Marketing Consultancy.

 Contact us: hello@romax.co.uk +44 (0) 20 8293 8550