News:

September 19, 2008

MSO Gets 3.43% Response On Direct Mail With Immediate Incentive

- A Brief Campaign Summary -

DTV Transition Sets Up Repeatable Retention Campaign

A market-leading MSO in a top-25 East Coast metropolitan statistical area (MSA) wanted to launch a direct mail campaign to incentivize 62,000 analog customers to upgrade to a digital cable package -- well before the national DTV transition on Feb. 17 renders their TVs obsolete.

The MSO wanted to proactively keep its analog customers from creating a temporary revenue void, exploring the competition or shunning the MSO altogether for perceived customer service failings during the transition.

The MSO planned to include a direct mail campaign in its comprehensive digital-transition initiative to mitigate the possible fallout and erosion of its subscriber base after the deadline.

The MSO's direct mail challenge was to 1) identify the incentive and 2) how to fulfill it.

Getting to a 3.43% Response Rate

The incentive for analog subscribers to upgrade immediately came in the form of the piece's detachable $40 value card, which was fully funded by four high-profile retailers in the MSA.

The MSO's plastic mailer included its corporate messaging and creative on the DTV transition, while the punch-out value card contained $10 discounts from a pro baseball team, casual restaurant, sit-down pizza chain and family fun park.

The regional merchants were enlisted by the MSO's direct mail partner and selected for their appeal to a wide cross-section of subscribers. The merchants used the campaign as a form of essentially risk-free pay-on-demand advertising to increase traffic and reach the MSO's large subscriber base.

Giving Subscribers Immediate Gratification

The MSO's subscribers could begin using the value card immediately -- without any waiting period or secondary fulfillment by the MSO -- after calling the piece's 800 number to upgrade from analog to digital service.

The detachable value card was activated instantly after an MSO customer service rep processed a subscriber's order and transferred the call to an activation call center operated by the MSO's direct mail partner.

The MSO's subscribers presented their value cards to the merchants who punched out their respective logos to mark the transaction. The merchants, in this case, opted not to use the card's magnetic-stripe functionality for the campaign.

The Bottom Line

In three weeks, the MSO's detachable value card generated 2,127 new digital customers or a 3.43% response rate from 62,029 pieces.

The campaign served overlapping sales, marketing and customer service objectives for the MSO during a potentially disruptive period.

The MSO established a repeatable direct mail model that delivers clear results and clear value to both subscribers and the community.

About Complete Access:

Complete Access, LLC is a merchant promotions company, specializing in customer retention and acquisition programs. Complete Access' expertise in customer retention and acquisition programs is derived from its core competency to create a network of merchant, client and programmer offers perceived as so valuable to the consumer that it influences their behavior in a way that achieves the client's goals. Complete Access was founded in 2002 and is committed to exceeding the expectations of each of its clients through creative, technology-based programs and exceptional customer service.

Complete Access specializes in helping companies to better acquire and serve their customers. They do this through a variety of services including their customer retention programs, customer acquisition programs, customer loyalty programs, gift card reward programs and their full service email marketing.