A premier employee benefits firm contacted Wellington for assistance in implementing a direct mail marketing campaign. With a wealth of direct mail marketing stuffing mailboxes daily, the client was concerned about getting their information past the mailbox clutter. How to make their piece stand out long enough to convey their message, and prevent it from being tossed as junk?
Wellington suggested the client send out three-dimensional mailings to differentiate their organization from the competition, capture attention of decision makers, and help secure business-to-business appointments. They developed a tiered marketing plan for a well-qualified list of prospects. This list was divided into three groups – large, mid-sized and small – according to the number of employees within the targeted organizations. Wellington gift department recommended three products to accompany specific marketing messages to the targeted audiences within the three tiers.:
The benefits firm sent large companies one-half of a premium chess set with a main message that read, “Do you need a better strategy to manage your employee benefits?” The message ended by saying, “It’s your move” and invited recipients to call to schedule a visit from an account executive to receive more information and the other half of the chess set.
The targeted mid-sized customers received a silver memo clip with a cube-shaped base sporting the company logo. The accompanying message said, “What we have to say is noteworthy.”
Finally, they sent puzzle pens to small businesses. The marketing message for this three-dimensional mainlining – imprinted directly on the barrel of the pen – read, “Do health insurance premiums have you puzzled?” The imprint also included the company’s logo and phone number.
The Results
Studies have shown that promotional giveaways are powerful marketing measures. Research conducted by the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) shows that “53% of recipients feel more favorable about the advertiser after receiving a promotional product.” A separate survey by PPAI asked consumers to think of a promotional product they had received and try to recall the specific product, advertiser and message from that item. 76.2% were able to recall all three.
