2012 Gold Business to consumer

Client News International

How did the campaign make a difference? Proven behaviour change theory, pin-sharp targeting, optimised offers and big chunk of bravery made buying The Sun a habit well worth keeping. 68,822 vouchers were used over the promotional period, giving a 33% redemption rate – 43% more than the control. 27% of recipients now see The Sun as their main daily and 58% bought it two to three times more every week.

What details of the strategy make this a winning entry? The key objective was to influence competitor readers and change their purchasing behaviour to create a new habit – buying The Sun. Previous tests had helped identify the optimum couponing period to drive habit and discount value. And a recent Lifecycle project identifying the natural movement of customers through their product groups had identified bingo as a beacon for both profitable and highly engaged customers. This led to an exclusive bingo sign-up incentive. The mailing audience selection was mostly female and 40+, working and with their children having left home. They tend to be motivated by promotions and money-saving offers. To avoid simply encouraging short-term behaviour change, not a genuine habitual shift, the creative presented a bold and positive brand story and celebrated everything The Sun offers its readers.

How did creativity bring the strategy to life? The pack was based on a small variety-pack sized cereal box, marked ‘The best way to start your day’. This encouraged targets to buy a paper first thing (people are unlikely to buy the paper after 12pm because they consider it old news). It also rekindled the tradition of reading a newspaper over your cornflakes. The joy of this pack is in the details. Every element carries the boldness and wit of The Sun, personifying its ingredients and nutritional value. With 10g of news mixed with 6g of showbiz and a healthy dose of Lorraine Kelly, what’s not to like? To encourage people to keep their vouchers handy, they came on a voucher keyring – the toy found inside the plastic cereal bag, along with a £5 Sun Bingo voucher.

Results Despite unforeseen circumstances with the paper itself, such as the increase to a seven-day proposition a few weeks in, 68,822 of 210,000 vouchers were redeemed: a rate of just under 33%, representing a 43% uplift in usage compared to the control. A telephone survey of 250 of the original mailing file showed 27% reported The Sun as their main daily and 58% now bought the paper two to three times more every week. The bingo offer saw 138 new joiners, 122 of which went straight to pay-for-play bingo. Based on annualised spend figures this equates to nearly £25,000 incremental profit.

Team Mark Davison, Daisy Domenghini, Vicki Murfitt, Paul Crump, David McCallen, Jennifer Langan