Source: WND UK
Award-winning direct mail campaign delivers 24x return-on-investment for premium automotive brand
WND UK, the UK’s Sigfox Network Operator, and Ebi, print and fullfilment specialists with expertise in interactive communications, have collaborated on a unique approach to direct marketing. The marketing campaign enables live communication over the public Sigfox network with potential customers in their homes.
Ebi worked with one of its clients – a premium automotive manufacturer – to use the concept to inspire drivers to book a test drive in its new vehicle. Ebi sent out 5,000 personalized, targeted direct mail packs that incorporated vehicle graphics, specifications and a replica of the ‘start/stop’ button from the car. By pushing the button, the recipient could book a test drive in an instant.
With an unprecedented 48% response rate compared to the industry standard of 5%. The award-winning campaign resulted in over 100 car sales and ultimately a 24x return-on-investment.
“To carry off this concept, we had to satisfy ourselves that whatever technology we used would be affordable, robust, give us great coverage and work in people’s homes,” said Luke Thomas, business development director, Ebi. “We initially developed prototypes using mobile devices and SIM cards, but it quickly became apparent that using a mobile network was not going to be within budget or technically feasible for our application.”
Thomas wanted to enable people to instantly communicate with the automotive manufacturer’s brand without having to download an app or scan anything. Ebi knew it was important to give people a way to easily respond to the offer in order to maximize response rates.
“WND UK’s Sigfox IoT network looked like the ideal solution on paper, but we had to ensure it was fool-proof before we submitted a proposal to our client,” continued Thomas. “We were immediately impressed by the maturity of WND UK’s Sigfox ecosystem. There’s a fully operational network in place, a support community and a range of device manufacturers that we could call on. With all of these resources available, it was quick and easy to get started.”
Ebi had a team of 15 people test the network over six weeks. The team ran over 2,000 tests in different buildings including apartment blocks, windowless rooms, public buildings and houses. The test results returned a 98% success rate.
“The results of our testing left us in no doubt that the technology would work for our application. With the success of this campaign behind us we have plans to introduce this concept to more direct mail and in-store clients. We are working to make it cost-effective for a wider range of products – not just high-end cars. Combining digital with physical channels is a marketing game changer and this technology does it beautifully,” continued Thomas.
Ebi gave recipients the option of returning the packs if they didn’t want to keep them, allowing for re-use or responsible recycling of the direct mail collateral and devices.
The campaign has picked up awards from the Direct Marketing Association and is shortlisted for two global IoT awards.
“Ebi’s application of Sigfox’s technology demonstrates superbly the way that our low-cost, highly reliable IoT network opens the door to novel applications,” said Tim Harris, chief executive, WND UK.
The Sigfox network is a proven, low-power wide area network (LPWAN) technology, which is purpose built to provide low-cost connectivity and enable the use of cost-efficient silicon modules.
Sigfox is the world’s first dedicated low-power wide-area communications service for the Internet of Things (IoT). Harnessing ultra-narrow band technology, Sigfox provides basic connectivity to devices that do not require high throughput. This approach is ideally suited to the vast majority of IoT devices as it requires very little power – enabling devices to run for years on a single battery.
If you are interested in finding out how our network can be used to increase your sales and marketing efforts, contact us.
