Written by Rob Henry, Managing Director of LDM and member of the Door Drop Hub and Print Council.

Door drops...do they work for you?

As the Managing Director of LDM, perhaps I’m slightly biased, but door drops can be and should be intriguing, inspiring and most of all, motivating. They should make the customer want to act and want to act now. So, I’m going to turn my hand today to give an honest review of the latest Costco leaflet.

What do you think of when you think of Costco? I think of good stock, great bargains and a hole in my wallet when I always leave with far more than I ever planned to buy in the first place. I also think of exclusivity. Costco is known for its extremely varied shop floor at great discount prices, available to those only with a membership.

So what would make someone sign up to become a member of Costco? Well, this lovely leaflet would definitely do the trick for me!

As can be seen from the images, the Costco leaflet is cut to shape, reflecting the shape of the store, immediately making the leaflet stand out as soon as it reaches the customer’s hands. This is key – they say first impressions are made in 7 seconds on a first date, and I like to think that’s pretty similar with door drops. A leaflet cut to shape like this, is highly likely to pique the customers initial interest and make it into the household rather than immediately in the bin.

Once passed the important first impression test, what keeps the leaflet in the customer’s household and at the forefront of their mind? Exactly the same again, if we compare to a first date – a strong, solid reason to keep them around based on what they bring to the table. This brilliant Costco leaflet comes with a multitude of reasons.

Going back to the exclusivity previously mentioned, you can’t get into Costco without a pass, so what better way to entice customers into your store than offering a free pass to peel off the leaflet to take into store – and one for a friend too – a brilliant tool to reach and engage with even more individuals than just that one household! This is a clear call to action – and a great one at that. Additional to this, within the leaflet is a £10 discount voucher for membership – which works wonders to really solidify this offer.

Door drops are sometimes seen as the underdog in this digital age and so it’s really important that door drops begin to embrace technology, in order to appeal to a wider audience. The web address within the content at the top of the leaflet begins to do this to drive traffic online, but what is really great to see, is the use of the QR code on the underside of the leaflet. QR Codes are everywhere – and they’re brilliant. Look at the NHS Covid-track and trace as a perfect example – although this method doesn’t suit everyone, it’s a convenient, quick tool to have – and that’s the same with the QR Codes on this Costco leaflet. Yes – it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those it does appeal to – it really can be the icing on the cake and make a real difference.

The QR code links to the Costco membership sign up page, making it easy for the customer to get involved! In a world which is fast paced and one where people want things instantly, this QR code allows just that.

This Costco leaflet really is very well put together, stand-out print, with a clear call to action, making it memorable. All these elements make it a very strong door drop campaign, but as with everything, there’s always room for improvements! I have a few personal suggestions which perhaps could make the leaflet that bit more appealing. Product samples are a very good way of doing this. They stand out immediately as they can be felt and maybe even tasted, as soon as they hit the customers hand, they advertise products to appeal to the customer for further purchase – and of course – who doesn’t love a good freebie!

A final suggestion that could possibly make the Costco leaflet even stronger, is to have the voucher offer in a more prominent place, perhaps even something as simple as “£10 voucher inside” listed on the front cover, which would catch the customer’s eye immediately, straight away giving an incentive for this leaflet to make it all the way from the doormat to the store!

To summarise – this Costco leaflet is great, it’s attractive, exudes personality, is in great shape and ticks all the boxes to be “my type on paper!”

Bravo Costco for producing this great door drop piece.

Click here to see the latest Creative Effectiveness in Door Drops.

See more from the Print Council here.