2011 Bronze Best business performance or improvement

Client Swinton Insurance

What is wonderful about this work? Our Mystery Tipper has been wildly successful increasing quotes and sales for Swinton, but with higher targets set, it was time for her to achieve even more... like a 250% uplift in leads between 2008 and 2011 and a Quote to Call conversion at 40% in 2011 - an all-time high!

What details of the strategy make this a winning entry? The Swinton Mystery Tipper campaign began in March 2008 to generate leads for Swinton Taxi Division. A mysterious blonde in a mac and trilby travels across the UK, handing a £1,000 tip to cabbies with a 'Mystery Tipper' sticker. Cabbies can only get a sticker after requesting a taxi insurance quote from Swinton Taxi Division. Easy, effective and successful, The Mystery Tipper's appeal is its simplicity...and the lure of a big tip. In 2011, the campaign has blossomed, using online, email, mobile and social media. The Tipper tweets, updates, and tags winning taxi drivers in photos. Far from resting on successful laurels, it was crucial to continue to push the Mystery Tipper and create new competitions to keep those calls coming. Keeping her fresh and front of mind is the task we continually set ourselves.

How did creativity bring the strategy to life? Taxi drivers work long hours, get stuck in jams and have a lot to be grumpy about. Getting insurance for their cab only adds to their stress. This is why our solution is a sassy cartoon character with a bright orange trilby and a fistful of cash to offload. She's eye-catching, fun, and offers a £1,000 tip just for displaying her sticker. We chose a female character because it seemed less sinister than a male gangster, and an illustrative style inspired by the graphic novels of Marvel and DC Comics. On the website she ambles across the screen as a mysterious shadow, with film noir music in the background. Taxi drivers are know-it-alls at heart, especially when it comes to the roads, and our 'Guess the Miles' competition gave them a challenge they just couldn't resist. It appealed to their need to show off and our need to increase quote calls.

Results Calls have increased steadily from c.4,000 per month in 2008, to a record c.14,000 in January 2011 - an uplift of 250%. QTC conversion is at an all-time high of over 40%, compared with 30% in 2008. We continue to reduce Cost Per Quote, achieving historic lows in 2011 (£8.54 in January 2011), contrasted with a CPQ of over £20 in Spring 2008.

Team Adrian Rowe, Julian Gratton, Katie Shoard, Katy Whittaker, Katie Atkinson, Alexandra Cooke, Anthony McLaughian.