National Chain Virtually Tests Direct Mail, Validates Campaign Strategy | Automotive
8/19/2024 RRD
Proprietary Acuity by RRD℠ solution helps leading automotive service center test direct mail campaign before launch, providing time and cost efficiencies
CHALLENGE
A national chain of automotive service centers, all locally owned and operated, sought information to improve their direct mail campaign strategy. Specifically, the company wanted to find out if a special loyalty message would positively affect:
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The retention rate of their best customers, and
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Their new customers’ repeat usage
They needed an external partner who understood the nuances of their market, information they felt would be invaluable to successful marketing decision-making. Specifically, the company wanted to uncover the potential effects of the loyalty message before executing the campaign in-market — and achieve time and cost savings in tandem.
SOLUTION
The company turned to RRD, who deployed their proprietary Acuity by RRD℠ solution. Acuity is a unique platform that pairs online research techniques with virtual creative testing technology. It was developed to reduce production costs and increase engagement rates through improved targeting. Utilizing the solution, the company was able to virtually analyze consumer engagement before production for more confident decision-making — and helping them maximize the impact of the campaign creative materials.
Testing in advance also allowed for significant savings related to print production and postage for future in-market testing. The company leveraged Acuity to test four different direct mail formats:
- Thank you
- Trifold
- Letter
- Postcard
RESULTS
Acuity’s multi-concept predictive testing approach among target audiences provided the company with valuable insights for their direct mail strategy and spend. They determined which loyalty message resonated best with specific audiences — the “Thank you” format.
The favorable feedback generated by the testing also helped the company identify the strengths and weaknesses of the various creative elements in each version and gauge affinity for their character imagery. Sample feedback from this test included both favorable and unfavorable responses, including:
Favorable:
- “It seems to be from an individual, not just an ad or junk mail.”
- “I was very curious to see what it was. Also, the seal on the back is eye-catching.”
- “It feels good to be noticed as a loyal customer.”
Unfavorable:
- “It looks cool, but there is probably nothing exciting inside.”
- “Because I didn’t recognize the sender, I assumed it was just an advertisement ploy.”
In addition, the client discovered why mail recipients made certain choices about how they sorted these mail pieces — including open it now, set it aside for later, trash it, or shred it. The test respondents, upon being asked to answer a series of questions, shared valuable insights that led to their decisions.