Demographics No Longer Effective For Financial Direct Marketing

Bank and credit union marketers have traditionally relied on the use of demographic segmentation as a means of targeting customers for product and service communication. 

Recent studies, however, provide growing evidence that changes in product delivery, communication channels and competition may have made a demographic-based targeting approach much less effective compared to other approaches that use additional data sources.

Marketing segmentation is one of the most widely used marketing tools and has long played a crucial role in identifying and treating differences among customers. For decades, bank and credit union marketers have used demographic segmentation for product development, product positioning, marketing communication and results measurement. Traditionally, this segmentation has been done based on characteristics such as age, income, gender, family life stage, occupation, education, race, etc.

The reason for using demographic segmentation is that it is relatively easy to use for most financial institutions due to relatively accessible customer databases and because this form of segmentation is continuously referenced by both academic and trade literature. While it is still true that there are differences in the use of financial services across demographic segments, however, research as far back as the 1960s has suggested that demographic variables are only remote proxies for differences in buying styles, decision processes or sensitivity to promotional influences (A Two Dimensional Concept of Brand Loyalty).

A more recent research paper in the Journal of Financial Services Marketing entitled, Suboptimal Segmentation: Assessing The Use of Demographics In Financial Services Advertising found that there is little support for the reliance on demographic variables for bank marketing. Despite continuing popularity, the research found that while demographics can explain broad behaviors, they play a weak role in explaining brand preference, product purchasing, innovation adoption, channel use and technology uptake.

The explanation provided by the research indicates that customers today are better educated, more individualistic, more marketing literate and more influenced by the convenience of new channels and product offers than the customers of the 1960s and 1970s (when demographic modeling first came into vogue). The result is a significant fragmentation of the marketplace into much smaller groups that can't be defined by age, income, and other simplistic variables.

For the research, customers of the banks analyzed importance scales on 28 service related comments that related to nine key financial service factors such as website appeal, trust, customer service (pre- and post-sale), how the customer gathers insight, ease of contact, appeal of marketing, appeal of personalization (both in marketing and on the website), brand image and products used. The responses were analyzed against five demographic measures:

• Age
• Gender
• Income
• Occupation
• Education

Overwhelmingly, significant differences between demographic groups were not found, suggesting that demographic segmentation is a suboptimal basis for targeting marketing to customers. This should not be a total surprise to bank marketers if they were to do a simply straw poll of their demographically similar friends to see what services they hold, how they transact their banking, how much they trust the banking industry and their willingness to try new technologies.

More than ever, interests, opinions and overt behaviors are a much better indicator of customer demand according to the recent studies around the use of 'big data'. How does the customer save, spend, and transact is a much more powerful determinant of future financial product purchase and use patterns than the demographic profile of a customer.

Beyond Demographic Segmentation - External Tools

Part of the challenge of going beyond demographics for financial services segmentation is that some key data elements may be missing on a banks customer database or may be difficult to collect for modeling purposes due to internal data silos (product use, channel use, spend and payment data, etc.). Secondly, the difficulty and/or cost of acquiring some primary customer data may be prohibitive (social insights, credit insights).

In response to these needs, some tools have been developed using census-based (non-personal) insights. Many of these have been marketed by credit bureaus and other providers, providing more accurate geodemographic classifications that can be overlaid on customer profiles for better targeting and analysis. A summary of the segmentation advances made by bank marketers can be found in another research paper entitled, The Evolution of Segmentation Methods in Financial Services within the Journal of Financial services Marketing.

Within the context of the evolution of bank segmentation, some financial organizations have created needs-based segmentation that combines, age, family structure, age of children, etc. While some of this data is difficult to compile, it helps in the determination of produce needs and use. PriZm from Nielsen is a good example of segmentation based on lifestyle and lifestage. As with the geodemographic segmentation above, this type of lifestyle segmentation is not done at the household level but is approximated based on neighborhood insight. The power of this type of tool, therefore, will depend on how it is used (modeling, analysis) and how important personalized data is to the needs of the marketer.

Beyond Demographic Segmentation - CRM Tools

At its core, CRM is primarily concerned with obtaining knowledge about the customer at three levels:

• Understanding the demographic composition of the customer
• Understanding how the customer interacts with the bank (what products are held, what is the balance of the accounts and how do they use the service(s)
• Understanding channel use and preferences
• Understanding how to leverage this insight to sell more and prevent attrition

Understanding a customer's channel preference for purchasing new products and transacting with current products is invaluable for banks and credit unions that have both extensive physical networks but also evolving online and mobile channels that impact a customer experience. 

Organizations without channel preference insight from a marketing perspective are at a competitive disadvantage and are apt to be wasting significant marketing dollars. Similarly, those banks that simply defer to email and/or online or digital channel are also missing significant opportunities from consumers who prefer traditional channels. 

While third party tools have been developed to approximate consumer channel preferences, research has shown that channel preferences differ between most other industries (retail) and financial services. By understanding customer demand for each channel, institutions are able to optimize channel mix and allocate resources accordingly.

Behavioral Segmentation

Behavioral marketing is gaining followers within the marketing community while the dimensions of how to segment based on behavior differs from institution to institution. While some organizations will segment based on internal purchase, payments, and/or use dynamics, others are expanding the realm of behavior captured to include digital and/or social behavior. 

Decisions as to what behavior to include usually is based on access to insight and ability to process the insight. As was intended by demographic segmentation, the goal of behavioral segmentation is to divide the customer (or prospect) base into quasi-homogeneous groups that align with a bank marketers' business strategies.

A new report from Aite Group entitled, A Behavioral Segmentation of Banking Customers, uses a customer's financial activity to distinguish between segments, providing insights into purchase behavior, likelihood of referrals, interest in deals, revenue potential, risk of attrition, etc. By assigning a score to the frequency of various financial activities, insight can be gained regarding marketing opportunities (and risks) by segment.

"Segmenting consumers by how many products they own or whether they are of a certain age, income classification or educational status does very little to help banks or credit unions improve marketing effectiveness," stated Ron Shevlin, senior analyst for Aite Group and author of the report (available here). "Tracking customers' engagement is a much better predictor of customer relationship growth and referral behavior, and it helps banks and credit unions improve the relevance and focus of their marketing communications."

Interestingly, as with any segmentation or grouping of customers, there are risks to making broad assumptions with the insight. For instance, in the Aite report, highly active customers provided both an excellent source of relationship growth and referrals but also were more likely to attrite (consistent with their high activity and comfort level with channels). That said, the report found ways to make this highly active group more engaged through Personal Financial Management (PFM) tools which are valued by the highly active segment.

Bringing It All Together

While any one segmentation process can be powerful as a tool for bank marketers, many of the larger financial organizations combine many of these tools to provide a multi-dimensional view of their customers and their needs. An example of this type of segmentation was provided by the The Financial Services Club blog in a presentation by AdKit as shown below.

Options For Financial Marketers

In an era where information is prevalent and relatively easy to obtain, it is imperative that advanced segmentation dimensions be identified, tested and utilized for more effective (and efficient) marketing. With increased competition and ever-tightening margins, firms that are not able to successfully pinpoint potential customers, cross-sell indicators and income opportunities will be at a significant disadvantage to those more progressive organizations.

It is time to pursue targeting of customers and prospects that goes well beyond demographic variables that have been proven to be suboptimal. This will require testing and mirroring what is being done by the best in the financial services industry as well as other industries.

For some best-in-breed ideas beyond what was discussed above, I suggest following the IBM Big Data Hub that provides an amazing wealth of insights, case studies, technical overviews as well as interactive tools to assist any bank or credit union marketer.

Additional Resources

A Two Dimensional Concept of Brand Loyalty: Journal of Advertising Research 9(3) 29-35 (1969)

Suboptimal Segmentation - Assessing The Use of Demographics In Financial Services Advertising: Journal of Financial Services Marketing (Volume 16, 173-182)

Segmentation of Bank Customers By Expected Benefits and Attitudes: International Journal of Bank Marketing (Volume 19, 6-17)

A Behavioral Segmentation of Banking Customers: Aite Group (April 2013)

The Evolution of Segmentation Methods in Financial Services: Journal of Financial Services Marketing (Volume 7, 27-74)

Segmenting Retail Banking Customers: Journal of Financial Services Marketing (Volume 10, 179-191)

The Big Data Hub: IBM

Retail Banking Customer Segmentation in Worldwide Banking: The Financial Services Club Blog (2011)

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Competition for Wealth Management Customers Increasing

At a time when retail banks are finding it difficult to achieve pre-recession levels of growth and profitability, the competition for wealth management business has never been more intense. But while increased marketing and significant monetary incentives are being used to lure customers, recent research indicates that organizational barriers remain that could hamper growth. 

A just published Retirement Plans Trend Report conducted by the direct and digital monitoring firm Competiscan found that retirement rollover direct mail, electronic media and digital communication volumes increased during the second half of 2012 as did the value of offers used to entice customers. While many of these offers came from investment firms, more marketing was done by traditional banking organizations than in the past. 

In 2012, Bank of America was one of the most aggressive wealth management marketers, cross-selling the services of their brokerage unit, Merrill Lynch to current higher value bank customers and prospects.

Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Cross-Sell Mailing (December 2012)

"Over the past couple years, we have seen more banks use targeted direct mail, email and digital communications to encourage 401(K) and other retirement rollovers from both customers and prospects", stated Richard Goldman, CEO and founder of Competiscan. "We have also seen the amount of incentive increase, indicating a greater focus on the affluent customer and the $200K+ rollover relationship."

Offers over the previous six months have ranged from $100 to as high as $600 for people who transfer higher amounts from existing plans. While some institutions have a sliding scale based on the amount transferred, others have a set offer with a minimum rollover balance requirement.

ING 401(K) Rollover Direct Mail (December 2012)

Direct mail isn't the only direct channel used to promote wealth management services, however. Institutions have used email and digital channels much more in the past 12 months according to the study from Competiscan. As can be expected, the majority of email communication is to existing customers, and includes a jump page link to more detailed information on the organization's website. Below is an example of email used by Capital One.

Capital One Email (November 2012)

Interestingly, in conjunction with more extensive marketing initiatives has come more extensive disclosures related to the products and offers. This is likely the result of the greater involvement of compliance that we are seeing in the development of all marketing communication over the past 18-24 months.

"Although the bonus rewards via direct mail and email continue to rise, we are observing an ever-growing amount of disclosures and caveats for reward redemption", stated Goldman from Competitscan. "The fine print seems to be growing proportionately with the proposed offers."

As with almost all financial services offerings, digital marketing is also increasing in use. Not only are banner ads being used within online banking sites, but banners are also being targeted to shoppers across the Internet. Below are examples of online banners used by Charles Schwab and Scottrade to generate leads. Both of these banners were used extensively on sites frequented by investors and used in conjunction with online search results.

Charles Schwab Online Banner Ad

Scottrade Online Banner Ad

Opportunity For Significant Growth

The increased marketing and incentives make sense for many banks given the search for additional revenues and fees. According to recent research from Novantas coordinated with the Bank Insurance and Securities Association (BISA), historical revenue contribution from wealth management has been modest compared to other lines of business, providing only 6 to 9 percent of revenues over the past several years. 

The research entitled, Growing the Wealth Business in Retail Banking, included interviews with senior retail and wealth management executives from major banking firms across the country. Interestingly, despite increased marketing, the percentage contribution to revenues has actually decreased over the past couple years compared to the past as shown below.

Given the changing demographics of the retirement marketplace, the opportunity for growth is evident. According to Novantas, with existing relationships with baby boomers who are retiring, banks should be able to increase the revenue contribution from wealth management services to as high as 15 percent to 20 percent.

"As baby boomers prepare to retire and many households begin to search for longer term credible investment solutions, retail banks should increasingly view the wealth business as a strong alternative source of revenue," said Wayne Cutler, partner and head of the Wealth Management Practice at Novantas and author of the study.

To accomplish this, however, banks will need to substantially improve their wealth service cross-sell effectiveness which currently is only 3 to 5 percent at most large banks who took part in the research. The good news is that some participants in the study have already achieved a cross-sell penetration of between 10 to 15 percent of their retail base.

While marketing of wealth and retirement services has increased, it is not a top priority for all financial institutions based on the recently released 2013 State of Bank and Credit Union Marketing conducted by The Financial Brand. In fact, when more than 300 financial organizations were asked about the priority of marketing different products and services, retirement services was ranked #15 as shown below.

Marketing May Not Be Enough

Despite increased marketing that may get the consumer in the branch or visiting a jump page, the lack of senior management commitment to integrating the retail and wealth management businesses could be an impediment to optimal growth according to the Novantas study. In addition to a lack of top down commitment, challenges could include a lack of clearly defined strategy, insufficient product differentiation and the need for internal integration of the branch, call center and technological infrastructure.

The Novantas study found that several service models are being deployed by the largest institutions with varying results. While many firms believed a 'hub-and-spoke' approach to deploying wealth advisors was preferred, the success of this approach was contingent on strong relationships between the advisors and branch personnel, education of the front-facing staff and a strong referral discipline.

The good news is that many of the leading financial institutions have made wealth management and the affluent customer a top priority. Instead of parallel but disparate silos within the organization, many banks are trying to mesh the retail and wealth organizations to achieve an improved partnership. As this partnership improves, new products will be developed and a consistent sales model can be implemented across the organization.

As the sales model improves, the effectiveness of the direct channel communication will also improve since many leads and opportunities are currently lost due to organizational issues.

Additional Resources

Competiscan Q2 2012 Retirement Plans Trend Report - Available upon request by emailing richard@competiscan.com

The Mass Affluent: An Elusive Bank Target - Bank Marketing Strategy (November 2012)

Growing the Wealth Business In Retail Banking - Novantas (February, 2013)

2013 State of Bank and Credit Union Marketing - The Financial Brand (February 2013)

Direct Mail Still Preferred Over Email, Social and Mobile Marketing

Despite a greatly increasing penetration of smartphones and tablet devices and a marketing industry focus on digital, social and mobile channels, a just released study of channel preferences by Epsilon reveals that consumer desire for postal mail continues to be strong.

The new report, Channel Preferences for Both The Mobile and Non-Mobile Consumer, found that, despite a more digitally-focused world, a majority of consumers still prefer postal mail for a large portion of their multichannel communication. This was especially evident with regard to financial services communication, where 38 percent of the U.S. households surveyed preferred receiving postal mail compared to 17 percent desiring information over the internet and 7 percent via email. Only health related communication had a higher preference for postal mail, indicating the advantage of direct mail for communicating sensitive information.

Interestingly, this preference for direct mail extended to smartphone owners and was actually slightly higher for households owning a tablet device. Tablet users are also roughly 50-60% more likely to prefer receiving information via email and the internet than non-tablet owners,illustrating their more digital focus as a segment.

As can be seen below, the digital channels aren't the most preferred, but there is still a group of consumers who prefer to receive online offers. As with any group, however, this target market should be further segmented by device ownership and the ways they use their mobile devices.

In a related report from the Raddon Financial Group, it was found that while most consumers don't want to be contacted, those who did preferred direct mail over email by a small percentage.

Relevancy Still Rules

The desire for less clutter and more relevancy is an overriding desire from consumers with all channels as could be expected. The Raddon research above showed that consumers feel inundated with communication that does not interest them. That said, consumers still like postal mail.

Continuing a theme found in last year's study (covered in my blog entitled, "As Channel Proliferation Increases, Consumers Still Prefer and Trust Direct Mail for Financial Services Communication"), consumers also indicated an 'enjoyment' from visiting their mailbox and receiving direct mail, while being somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of communication received electronically.

From a marketing perspective, these attitudes emphasize the importance of sophisticated targeting and clear messaging when using any direct media. While the cost of digital channels may appear to be comparatively low on the surface, this does not validate using a 'carpet bomb' approach to communication since it definitely impacts open rates and negatively impacts the customer experience. In addition, with the majority of consumers indicating that they receive more emails than they can open, any cost advantage of digital communication may be negated if the communication goes unopened.

For those consumers who preferred direct mail, the primary reasons included the portability of the channel (you can read it now, read it later or pass it along). Interestingly, among those who preferred digital channels (email and online) to postal mail, the same two reasons (convenience, ability to refer to later) topped the list but in reverse order and with lower overall enthusiasm (45% and 42% respectively).

Direct Mail More Trusted Than Email and Social Media

Compared to a 'trusted advisor' such as a doctor, healthcare provide, friends or family member, all media channels underperform from a trust perspective as shown below. In fact, the strongest marketing channels in terms of trust (newspapers, company websites and online search) are perceived to be less than half as trustworthy as family and friends and have only a quarter of the respect as healthcare professionals.

But while trust in direct mail was modest compared to other marketing channels, the postal channel was still almost twice as trusted as email (18% vs. 11%) and three times as trusted as social media channels. From a gender perspective, women tend to be more trusting of all channels than men.

This channel/media trustworthiness should be considered when marketing financial services. Where trust is not as important in retail and other industries that are referenced in many of the marketing journals when discussing moving channel funding from direct mail and mass media to digital, mobile and social media, it is very important with banking and credit union products. This may explain the vast difference in channel preference shown above.

Impact of SoLoMo Marketing

With the increased penetration of smartphones, the combination of the power of social, local and mobile communications will definitely gain in importance. This marketing trifecta is already being tested with various degrees of success with applications like Foursquare and Groupon and independent mobile 'push' applications that can provide personalized offers based on your location and purchasing habits. But, with trustworthiness of social media still being less than 10 percent, the power of these channels to market financial services remains limited.

According to the Epsilon study, consumer desire to receive 'offline' offers based on their social media engagement is very limited (17 percent in the U.S.). The percentage of households who want to receive a mobile offer based on their location at any given time also seems to be low at this time which may be a function of awareness and understanding of the benefits as opposed to disliking the concept overall. While there may be a potential with SoLoMo marketing, the technology capability may definitely be ahead of the need in this area, especially in financial services.

Implications for Financial Services Marketers

While this most recent channel preference research by Epsilon and past research from firms covered in this blog continue to emphasize the importance of direct mail, none of these findings should be viewed in a vacuum or used to eliminate one channel or another from your marketing mix. Instead, a multichannel strategy should be pursued, understanding the importance of trust, consumer channel preference and the benefits of each communication channel. In addition, an ongoing test and learn mentality needs to be utilized to determine the ROI implications of each channel 'blend'.

At a time when 'big data' is garnering many of the headlines, marketers would be wise to use this research as a guide for capturing 'small data' such as current email addresses, mobile phone numbers, and even customer channel preferences as part of all customer interactions much like retailers such as Nordstrom do daily. With this insight, we will be in a better position to deliver relevant messages, using each customer's preferred channel as the perfect time.

With the knowledge above collected, trust in all communication through all channels will be improved, resulting in improved results and an enhanced customer experience. This trust will provide the foundation for enhanced communication and the utilization of potentially powerful SoLoMO strategies in the future.

About the Data: 

The Epsilon report on channel preferences for the receipt of marketing information is based on the completed responses of 1,991 U.S. and 3,816 Canadian consumers to an online survey conducted in June 2012. The survey is representative sampling of U.S. and Canadian consumers and has statistical significance at the 95% confidence level. This study was preceded by studies in 2008, 2010 and 2011.

Additional Resources:

Channel Preferences for Both The Mobile and Non-Mobile Consumer: Epsilon, 2012
The Formula For Success: Preference and Trust: Epsilon, 2011
Direct Mail Still Has an Impact in a Digital World: Bank Marketing Strategy Blog, 2011

Bank Brand Loyalty Tested With Every Move

When it comes to lifestage marketing events, new movers have always represented a significant opportunity and risk. This is because consumers who move tend to significantly increase spending in a variety of categories while also changing their brand loyalties as to where they shop, eat, buy personal services and even bank. 

But, with new home sales in 2011 being 80 percent below the peak in 2005 (making the number of existing and new home sales the lowest in almost two decades), should bank marketers still invest in this target audience? Do consumers still spend at the same rate as in the past? Is this target audience even scaleable?

Interestingly, despite the ongoing reduction in home sales, the number of people moving has steadily increased since mid 2009, indicating that consumers in transition still represent both a risk and opportunity for marketers. In fact, the New Mover Report 2012 from Epsilon found that consumers continue to spend thousands of dollars in the months following a move, representing a valuable opportunity for those marketers who can identify and effectively communicate to new movers. 

The study also found three major themes when they looked at consumer spending habits, brand affinity and channel preferences associated with a move from one location to another:

• Consumer brand loyalty is tested during a move, with new movers being twice as likely to change brands or service providers than non-movers.
• New movers have an interest in changing and/or upgrading services such as banking, credit cards and insurance after a move.
• Direct mail continues to be a highly valued channel for receiving information during a move, and is even highly valued by Gen Y consumers.

New Movers and Home Purchasers are Not Synonymous

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, roughly 17% of Americans move each year, representing more than 53 million people. Those who move tend to be younger, with the distance of the move also being greater for younger demographic segments. The only exception being those households reaching retirement (around age 65) who also are more likely to move. 

Research shows that while the economy is showing signs of slow and steady recovery, the volume of home sales continues to lag behind the highs achieved in the past. As a result, the ratio of renters on the move versus new homeowners continues to favor renters as it did in 2011. While this trend is not necessarily surprising given the scope of the housing market difficulties, marketers need to understand the difference between these two segments of movers as it relates to demographics, loyalty and purchasing behavior. The good news is that both new movers and home purchasers appear to be on the upswing.

The bad news is that as many as 33% of the people who move do not report their new address to the USPS (the central compiler of the National Change of Address (NCOA) file. As a result, targeting new movers (or even keeping a house file current) requires compiling multiple list sources including utility connections, phone changes, county records, etc.

Do Households on the Move Remain Brand Loyal?

Research shows that even when a household moves a short distance, marketers can't assume purchasing patterns will remain the same. According to the research done by Epsilon, brand loyalty is tested during a move, with the frequency of changing providers/brands being twice as likely for a new mover compared to a non-mover (some categories of services have a much higher propensity of change).

As shown below, some of the lowest levels of loyalty were in the category of professional services, where the difference in likelihood of changing brands between movers and non-movers were greatest for home insurance (3:1), auto insurance (2:1), credit cards (2:1), and banking accounts (3:1).

While a move, by itself, may not prompt a change in providers, it does appear to put loyalty to a specific brand or provider in play which indicates a defection risk for current customers and acquisition opportunity for prospects in a trade area.

When the research dug deeper into the reason for why movers changed brands, the overwhelming reason for change in the professional services category was the move itself (63%) compared to pricing (40%), service (19%) or any other feature/benefit offered.

Finally, beyond changing brands, new movers were also more likely to acquire or upgrade products and services in the professional services category. As was the case for the reason why movers switched brands, new movers indicated that the move itself as a major reason for acquiring or upgrading a professional service (59%), with pricing again being important but taking a back seat as a reason for upgrading (39%). 

What Communication Channel(s) are Best?

As consumers use more and more channels to shop and buy services, it should be no surprise that a multichannel approach is recommended to connect with new movers related to retaining or acquiring households on the move. While there is very little disparity between the preferred channel of communication between movers and non-movers, word of mouth (referrals), email and direct mail are the channels most often mentioned as the way households want to learn about products and services. 

It should be noted that recent research indicates the desire for direct mail being even more pronounced for the marketing of financial services as discussed in a number of previous blog posts including As Channel Proliferation Increases, Consumers Still Prefer and Trust Direct Mail for Financial Services Communication (December, 2011). This study also indicated a higher preference for direct mail among Gen Y consumers than for any other channel.

And while there is always a great deal of buzz among marketers around the use of social media, this channel is the least desired by both movers and non-movers. That said, social media should still be integrated as part of a marketing strategy since targeting new movers using social media will be much easier than with other channels such as mass media and email (due to list availability and accuracy).

Key Take-Aways for Marketers

As I mentioned in my previous post on the subject, Targeting New Movers for Enhanced Growth (February, 2010), the keys to reaching this transitional segment include:

• Be the first in the mailbox (or on the computer, phone or newspaper box) after a household moves to avoid clutter and benefit from early decisions
• Develop a system of immediate processing of prospects/customers to provide the foundation for being the first to reach the new mover in your category
• Measure the incremental impact of the program against your alternative acquisition/retention initiatives

For the majority of my clients, a new mover program is the foundation of their acquisition efforts, generating one of the strongest returns on investment and a steady flow of new households at a time when market growth is at a premium. In addition, a physical convenience is becoming less important for households, more and more of my clients are looking for ways to identify current customers who may be preparing for (or have just completed) a move to protect this household from attrition.

According to Don Hinman, SVP of Data Strategy at Epsilon, "An average household moves every five years on average and spends approximately $9,000 on a broad array of goods and services. By understanding at a deep level where new movers are spending and what opportunities are available to gain share of wallet, brands can create more effective, targeted campaigns to reach consumers during this transition."

The 2012 New Mover Report can be downloaded free of charge here.

Additional Insights:

U.S. Census Bureau Geographic Mobility/Migration Tables - December 2012

6 Examples to Get You Noticed

The goal of any creative initiative is to get noticed.  Of course, you also want a clean message with an easy to understand call to action … But unless you differentiate and stand out, your message will never be heard.

A catchy headline, crisp copy and bold design are a good start …  but think beyond that.

Here are some examples that may fire up your creative neurons.

Why Use Normal Paper?

We had 2 different jobs that pushed us creatively to think outside of traditional paper.

In the first example, our client offers the first personalized debit card in the market, where the member can put their own photo image on their card.  So, we “demonstrated” what the card “could” look like by turning part of the postcard into an actual mirror.

Another client was targeting physicians for a Commercial opportunity.  So we delivered the message to them in an x-ray envelope and printed the “message” on actual x-ray paper.  The best part?  We include an "appointment card" like you would receive from your family doctor or dentist.  The card lists the date and time that our team will follow-up.  

Again, the goal is to get your message noticed, so you can have your message understood.  In both of these cases, a world-class printer can make you look like a rock star!

Get Them Involved.

You don’t need to have a lottery to use scratch-offs.  Here are 2 examples of mailers that use scratch-offs to get the reader engaged with the piece.

We have a client who positions themselves as the mortgage authority and expert in “specialty” mortgages … RD, VA, etc.  This card asks the questions that the target is likely to be thinking with the answers under the scratch-off keys. 

In another example, we used a scratch-off to reveal what customers can do when they “Need extra cash,” with the answer, “Use the equity in your home!”

Much like the stickers in a Publisher’s Clearing House promotion, we simply use a tool where the reader expects to “win” something and get them more engaged with the mailer.

Why Use an Envelope?

The “Shoe Mailer” may be one that we are most commonly known for.  We ask Commercial prospects to “Take the next step with us,” and mail the message in an actual shoe.  The postage and address are applied to the sole of the shoe and it ALWAYS gets noticed.  During follow-up calls, it’s common to be recognized as, “the shoe people.”

Our local post office loves us!  The vessel that you mail in may be more important than the actual message.  Think creatively through the entire project.

Show NOTHING on TV.

Creating a television message, on a local production budget, that gets noticed isn’t easy.  It’s a common rule in presenting that if you want the room's attention, say nothing until people look up.  We used a similar strategy in this 30-second ad – where the first 5 seconds are black.

If you read this blog regularly, you know we believe that great creative starts with a sound strategy and focused segmentation and is supported by detailed front-line processes and success measurement.  But, there comes a time when you simply have to don the Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops and get your creative groove on.  When that time comes – I hope these ideas help take you further.

Want more creative ideas?  Click here for a sample of our creative library.

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