Frankfurt, Germany — I’ve spent most of my career specializing in digital and innovation, but one of the most memorable tactics I ever worked on was an envelope. The project was part of a bigger initiative by the admissions team at a small college to increase the number of accepted students who ultimately chose to attend the school. The idea was to make the acceptance exciting – a moment people would remember. We made a lot of changes, but my favorite was a big, bold, block-lettered universal truth emblazoned on the outside of the package the acceptance came in: The Size of the Envelope Always Gives It Away.
You can almost hear the squeal of delight at the mailbox, right?
Standing out in the pile of stuff that lands on your kitchen counter (recycle bin?) every evening has become more challenging every year. So, we gathered some of the most memorable direct marketing we’ve seen lately to prove it is possible to be remembered from the mailbox.
Kontor Records: The Office Turntable
To encourage creative directors to check out their latest promo CD, Kontor created a little analog fun with a digital device.
Instead of sending an actual CD – which are so ubiquitous that they’re likely to be thrown away or stacked for “later” listening – they sent a vinyl record. AND a way to play that record. The package itself was a turn table that played the promo and lots of other good stuff when matched with an smartphone.
Ikea’s 2014 Catalog
Ikea has used augmented reality in its catalogs before to let people get a closer look at how furniture works or even see it from all sides. Next year’s catalog goes even farther by letting readers use an app to grab furniture images from the pages and turn their phones to see how the pieces would look in the room they’re standing in. See the full video – my favorite part is when the whole family grabs phones to virtually redecorate every aspect of the room (you – go hold the couch!).
Japan’s Pill-harmonic
To make classical music more personally relevant for a new generation, Japan’s philharmonic orchestra decided to make the value of trying their music practical – something that could actually solve a problem. So, they started prescribing classical music as alternative medicine – showing its “efficacy” for beautiful skin, pleasant sleep, enhancing appetite, and even constipation. Each tiny pill package has a micro-SD containing a prescribed overture.
Corona Calendar
In Singapore, the Corona team created a very high-end direct mail, presumably for some of their highest-potential targets. The package included 365 coasters designed to create a reason to think of the brand every single day – and, get a well deserved break doing it. See all the designs.
Noise Ping Pong
It’s probably a little unfair to include agency marketing in the mix, but this one is just too fun to miss. This particular piece was an invitation to Sydney’s first annual inter-agency ping-pong smash. The package included custom iPhone covers and a toolkit to convert the box into a ping pong stadium. See all the pictures.
Want your direct mail to work even harder?
Check out these basic principles from Forbes on pairing Google re-marketing with wow creative for even bigger ROI.
Posted by: Leigh Householder
Finds from: Joy Hart, Bruce Rooke, Stacy Richards, Sam Cannizzaro
photo credit: r.nial.bradshaw via photopin cc
