When it comes to direct mail campaigns, media content firm Captivate takes the approach that familiarity breeds customers, not contempt.
The company, which delivers content and advertising to video screens in office building elevators, recently blitzed 4,500 prospects with six postcard mailings over an eight-week period.
“We use this technique in order to keep on the top of people's minds,” said Leah Schwab, marketing manager for public relations and marketing services at Captivate. “The moment someone responds to one of the postcards they are taken off of the list and do not receive the remaining mailings.”
She said the company had not received any complaints about the frequent mailings.
Captivate, Westford, MA, had split its mailings between potential advertisers and building managers in the past, but this latest mailing went only to advertisers.
“We now have a much better footprint than we did in the past,” she said. “So now we can focus on the advertisers and the agencies more.”
Captivate has screens in 4,000 elevators in 600 buildings nationwide and “well over 100 advertisers.”
The just-completed campaign targeted marketing decision makers at midsize and large businesses in the financial, telecommunications, automotive, and travel and leisure industries. On the agency side, Captivate sent postcards to media planners and buyers along with account executives. The theme was to convey to advertisers that they could have their advertisements seen by 1 million business professionals daily.
The list of names was compiled inhouse by its sales force. Schwab said most postcards went to first-time prospects while a small percentage went to people who had not responded to previous mailings.
The front of each contains an image of people either waiting for an elevator or standing inside an elevator staring at one of Captivate's screens. The back displays an image of a Captivate screen along with bullet points discussing the benefits of working with Captivate. It also included a toll-free phone number and URL, captivatenetwork.com.
Though Captivate's campaigns usually use a “whimsical” approach, Schwab said, the decision was to be straightforward this time.
“After Sept. 11 we didn't think it was appropriate to try and be cute anymore,” she said. “So we decided to get right to the point with our messaging.”
Schwab said there have been a number of responses that have come in already but it has yet to conduct any official count.
The Boston-based agency Visual Republique worked with Captivate on the campaign.
