Volkswagen Financial Services wanted to generate sales leads for dealerships by encouraging customers to upgrade to a new vehicle. The campaign was also designed to prove the benefits of taking an innvoative approach to direct mail.

Target Audience & Messaging

450 existing customers from Volkswagen Financial Services' own database. The messaging was customised for each individual.

The Offer

The marketing piece provided information on the cost of financing a new vehicle. Customers were then telephoned.

The Solution

A postcard that included two experiemental elements:

1. A silver foil overlay representing the rear view mirror of a car

2. A scratch and sniff scent that resembled the smell of a new car.

Variable data printing was used to personalise the mail piece with: Recipents name, Current car, Finance details and the cost to upgrade to a new car.

The Results

By combining personalised messages and an experiemental postcard, the campaign was able togGenerate five new car purchases within an eight week period.

The Sales Results

This campaign increased sales by $208,276 at a production cost of about $10,000.

The Valued Response

By combining personalised messages and an experimental postcard, the campaign was able to: show the value of the combination of personalisation and creating an emotive connection with the recipient.

Why it worked

The combination of individual messaging and experiemental postcard ensured a strong connection with the customer. The special sensory elements of the direct mailer were included as a result of a collaborative process between the client, the agency and the printer.

"We were really pleased with the results and we have achieved a solid return on investment."

Sophie Vassarotti (Marketing and Communications Manager Volkswagen Financial Services Australia)