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Pernod Ricard Uses Direct Mail to Create an Unforgettable Brand Experience
How do you get 95% of invitees to attend a launch event? It’s difficult to comprehend how that kind of response is even possible. But when the time, effort, and almost obsessive attention to detail was put into creating the direct mail pieces that went out to these guests, a high level of success can naturally be assumed.
The Rundown
Pernod Ricard was planning a series of tastings in Singapore for its double cask matured whiskey called “Aberlour,” which was aged between 12-18 years. They wanted the campaign to mimic the sensual experience one would have upon tasting the whiskey and have that be the draw for the launchings. The only suitable manner for this to be accomplished was through direct mail.
The Invites
The strategy was to dive deep into the long history of Aberlour, which stretches back to the late 19th century. Through a series of handcrafted pieces, the story would be unfolded up until the tasting. The first invite was a wooden block wrapped in a printed map of Aberdeen, Scotland, the city from which Aberlour originated. The wooden oak was wrapped in a red ribbon and secured with a gold seal topped with what is Aberlour’s iconic tree and well symbol.
Other collaterals were given out in sequence, all having symbolic relevance to the Aberlour brand. Hand crafted leather coasters in their own drawstring pouch and an informational notebook with special typography dated back to 1890s were the next item in sequence. The final segment of the story was a hand crafted, secret Aberlour book. Inside that book was a 12-year-old sample-size taste of the whisky.
Targets Still Matter
You don’t get 95% of those invited to show up to a tasting without knowing your targets. Individuals with high a net worth, along with media, bartenders, and wine shops were all targeted for this campaign. All of the time spent handcrafting each invite and taking the time to tell such an elaborate story can only be appreciated by those who are within that industry or have a higher-than-average appreciation for whiskey.
Many of you reading this may say that it’s impossible to put this much effort into every campaign. But that is actually not the case. If you look at the principles of what Abelour did to accomplish its numbers, it can most certainly be duplicated. Honing in on a very specific market, taking extra time to craft the perfect copy matched to the perfect imagery, and sending multiple pieces is absolutely doable. Not every direct mail campaign is the same, but those are foundational elements that should be practiced regardless of the campaign’s intention.
Macromark has an in depth understanding of these principles and knows what it takes from start to finish to execute a successful direct mail campaign. Our web site details our experience and why we are regarded as one of the top direct mail list brokers in the industry. For more information, please visit https://www.macromark.com.
Source:
Ismail, N. “Direct mail case study: Pernod Ricard pushes for exquisite taste,” September 10, 2015 http://www.marketing-interactive.com/features/direct-mail-case-study-aberlours-chic-stature/
David Klein
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