Touching Consumers In A Special WayMrs. Smith’s Greeting Cards
Mrs. Smith’s needed to smooth out the severe peaks and valleys of seasonal sales. Most families bake many traditional pie favorites during the extended holiday season. But far fewer celebrate with pies the remaining six to nine months.
What could we do to overcome months and months of missed sales opportunities?
THE SOLUTION
CAPTURE HEARTS & CREATE USAGE OCCASIONS
The strategists from Morris Creative realized that the most promising solution for seasonal slumps was for Mrs. Smith’s to own more usage occasions. Moreover, the client needed a strategy that the competition could not readily duplicate.
Facts: The family unit is continuing to fragment, social networking websites are soaring and families are purchasing 30 greeting cards a year (with women accounting for eight in 10 cards purchased).
What does this show us? A portrait of lonely spirits longing for contact. The fit between women as card buyers and pie purchasers was simply too good to pass up!
A two-phase campaign was in the cards:
- First, packets of heart-warming greeting cards were mailed to a select list of buyers.
- A cover note motivated recipients with warm, inviting greetings like “Let’s grab a moment”. Visuals were tantalizing shots of pie slices.
- Each pack included coupons to be redeemed during off-months and a slip to order more cards.
Still, the most compelling element of the campaign was its emotional appeal. The simple charm of messages like “What are you doing this weekend?” resonated with our pie-lovers longing to reconnect.
THE RESULTS
SWEET SUCCESS: AN OVERWHELMING RESPONSE
The program achieved a response rate almost 5 times greater than the average direct mail coupon program!
Original recipients were obviously in total agreement with the Brand Proposition and could not wait to host more get-togethers over pie. Secondary recipients (about half) became Brand Ambassadors, in effect gaining new buyers for Mrs. Smith’s.
Just as important, perhaps, the program cheered recipients to the point of expressing their gratitude to Mrs. Smith’s.
Many revealed how touched they were by the thoughtful gesture and how right it felt to have a slice of pie with loved ones.
Coupon Redemption? An impressive increase from 4.75% to 7.61%! A new usage occasion was born and Mrs. Smith’s grip on it was hard and fast.
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