Lowe-Martin reached a milestone this spring by achieving carbon neutrality for our Mississauga production facility through a partnership with Carbonzero, a leader in the field of carbon reduction strategies. The Lowe-Martin Group is now officially recognized as a Carbonzero Certified company. To celebrate the occasion, we organized a special evening at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Guest speakers included Hadley Archer, VP of Strategic Partnerships with WWF-Canada, and Toby Lennox, VP of Corporate Affairs and Communications for the Greater Toronto Airport Authority.
Like any business planning an event, we wondered “If we organize it, will they come?”
Scenes from the event celebrating Lowe-Martin's carbon offset certification, May 2011
As you can see from the photos above, they did come, thanks to an effective campaign that combined direct mail, email, mobile and web channels. Here’s how the elements fit together.
A secret agent theme was developed to emphasize that an important announcement would be unveiled at the event. Nearly four weeks before the event, printed personalized invitations were sent to a list of current customers and promising prospects. The print pieces included a personalized URL which the recipient could type into a browser; the invitations also included a personalized QR Code for those with smart phones. Either way, the recipients were taken to a personalized website (PURL), where they could register for the event. Ten days later, an email with several of the same design elements and a link to the PURL was sent to the people who had not already visited the PURL. After another ten day interval, the remaining non-registered prospects received another email invitation.
To increase the appeal of the print invitation, we affixed an attractive stamp which we had printed for Canada Post. In keeping with the secret agent theme, a watermark of the event’s signature graphic was placed in the lower-right hand corner of the self-mailer, using clear toner from the fifth station on our Kodak Nexpress digital press. The back of the self-mailer featured a screened map of the location, the recipient’s ‘secret agent code’ and PURL address. An insert carried the agenda, door prize, personalized QR Code and alternative method for contacting us.
A self-mailer, featuring a clear watermarked image, personalized QR Code, interactive insert and attractive door prize, maintained the same look-and-feel as the names badge, passport, email and dedicated web site.
We designed the PURL site for ease of use on a mobile phone. The graphics were kept to a minimum and the text and images flowed freely to fit the orientation of the device. The users’ interaction with the site was kept to a minimum: typing a brief authentication code and selecting an option from a few multiple-choice survey questions.
The secret agent theme carried over to the event itself. Attendees received name badges and passports matching the look of the invitations. By having their passport stamped at six booths, each of which featured one of our lines of business, attendees became eligible for a draw for an attractive tablet computer, dubbed a ‘Spy Pad’ for the evening.
When we analyzed the responses from attendees, we found that each of the channels – print, mobile and email – contributed to enticing recipients to the personalized web site. In another post, I’ll take a closer look at those numbers.