Express delivery and logistics company DHL began a nationwide campaign yesterday that illustrates its commitment to providing superior service to all of its customers.
DHL, Plantation, FL, said it will spend $50 million on the integrated advertising and marketing campaign over four months. Developed by Ogilvy & Mather with the theme “Customer Service Is Back in Shipping,” the effort includes broadcast, print and nontraditional advertising.
In a broadcast television spot that began airing nationally yesterday, vignettes show examples of poor customer service: a waiter overlooking a customer's need for attention, a flight attendant thumping passengers' heads with a metal briefcase and a delivery man crushing a parcel in an elevator door.
“Everybody has service, everybody is expected to deliver a package on time, but how we do it and the experience you come into contact with in your shipping day to day is what is going to make the difference,” said Karen Jones, DHL vice president of brand management and promotion. “[This] is really the unique position that DHL has in the marketplace.”
Ads emphasizing customer service also will appear in business and consumer publications and online. The interactive online ads will run on sites including Businessweek.com, Fast Company, Yahoo, Forbes, Newsweek, The New York Times and People. Ads also will appear on billboards in strategic markets nationwide.
“We want consumers to know we are a different kind of shipping company — one dedicated to being flexible, responsive, helpful and human,” said John Pearson, executive vice president of commercial at DHL Express.
DHL launches the direct marketing part of the campaign in a month, Jones said. The campaign, which will target small and midsize businesses, will give incentives to prospects to try the service and thank current customers for their patronage and offer them special promotions. The campaign will drop to 500,000 customers and prospects. DHL will follow the mailings with e-mail and telemarketing campaigns.
In line with its mission to raise the bar on customer service, DHL began a comprehensive nationwide internal communications and employee recognition initiative this summer that engages all DHL employees to take an active role in building on the company's culture of customer service excellence.
In addition, DHL is rolling out several U.S. customer-focused initiatives this year and in 2006. For example, later this month DHL launches Partnership Care, a “white glove” customer care program to provide customers with one point of contact for all their customer service needs — from customized shipping and logistics solutions to information technology, billing and invoicing.
DHL also is starting several training programs and initiatives to ensure that customers are assisted quickly and get the best service from agents who are fully trained across all product and service lines and are fully empowered to offer solutions, solve problems and provide the ultimate customer experience.
Melissa Campanelli covers postal news, CRM and database marketing for DM News and DMNews.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
