Creative Effectiveness in Door Drops: May 2023

Written by Neal Dodd, Managing Director at The Letterbox Consultancy, and member of the Door Drop Hub of the Print Council.

When people think about door drop, takeaway leaflets are often one of the first examples; heavy users of the channel by big brands and local businesses.

Here is one example from Papa Johns; in a town with several national takeaway brands, competition is fierce and mental availability is key.

The format is not dissimilar to other pizza brands’ leaflets, so it would be good to consider why takeaway brands use the channel and why this type of leaflet is consistently used throughout the year.

Here are some key elements that I think are relevant:

1. Size

We’re often asked about what formats will perform the best, and the honest answer is that you won’t know until you test it.

However, given that your item is most likely to land on the doormat with other material, the size of the leaflet will help you stand out.

This leaflet is A4, with an additional 50% fold out, so it’s larger than most other items coming through your door and will likely be one of the first items the resident sees.

2. Special offers

Takeaway pizza leaflets have often featured cut-out coupons. Whilst this leaflet doesn’t use those (most likely because of the frequency of online ordering), four offers are clearly laid out on the front.

It gives the impression of coupons, and using black text on a white background helps it stand out from the rest of the leaflet.

Emphasis on the word ‘free’ in one of the offers – in larger text than anything else in that section of the leaflet – is a lovely touch and will help catch the consumer’s eye.

3. Imagery

It’s unsurprising to see several images of the food Papa Johns sells, enticing pictures across the range.

It seems simple, but it’s sometimes a point that is missed – using imagery to tap into human emotions and to help sell the product.

Is there room for improvement?

I think the call to action could be bolder. ‘Order online or via the app’ is only featured once and in fairly small text.

The leaflet uses a QR code to refer people to nutritional information, but could the code be used to direct people to the order page instead?

Regarding the creative, we never know which side of the leaflet a resident will see first, so I wonder if the large block of terms and conditions could be moved to one of the hidden, folded areas of the leaflet, leaving space for more appealing imagery.

Easier said than done, but something to consider when creating your leaflet, as residents won’t see it in its perfect form every time!

Overall, this leaflet uses several benefits of the door drop channel to its advantage; generating standout, creating something people are likely to keep and generate direct response.

The fact that we see leaflets of this nature so often throughout the year should speak to the value of Door Drop for takeaway brands. Some of the key elements of the creative are things that other brands and sectors could potentially incorporate into their use of the channel.

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