2012 Silver Financial Services

Client Barclaycard

How did the campaign make a difference? Barclays customers who were pre-approved for Barclaycard’s Platinum credit card got an incredibly simple direct mail pack, with a one-word letter and application form. This outperformed the control pack in every way, clearly demonstrating that a creative approach can be more effective in delivering standout and driving response.

What details of the strategy make this a winning entry? Barclaycard produces a large quantity of direct mail for its products and services. It took a solidly performing control pack and refreshed it to check for an uplift in response. Working within the limits of a standard DL format and production methods, the pack communicated that customers had been pre-approved for a Barclaycard Platinum card, with a 16-month 0% balance transfer deal. The objectives were firstly, to achieve an uplift in response; then to establish whether a more creative approach could impact results and finally to establish a creativity benchmark for future work. Direct mail was chosen, as Barclaycard had access to the customers’ postal addresses and requires an application form to be completed by every customer. The strategy was to be disruptive, put a smile on recipients’ faces and make applying the only response.

How did creativity bring the strategy to life? The consumer credit market is awash with words, figures and small print. To stand out, the creative solution needed to grab attention. So this incredibly simple direct mail pack held nothing more than a one-word letter and an application form. This gave it real standout against other credit card communications. Above all, it made applying seem so simple it was almost a foregone conclusion. It’s unusual to have such a clear and simple message to communicate, and this letter could only work for this pre-approved audience. It’s also exactly right for Barclaycard too – a brand which owns ‘simple payment’. Everything Barclaycard does must have simplicity at its heart.

Results Response was incredibly strong, with an uplift in recipients applying of 36% of against the control pack. And just as importantly for Barclaycard, it proved that a more creative pack could significantly uplift response – a learning that’s been taken forward into other areas of Barclaycards’ direct marketing.

Team Selina Heathcote, Nina Taylor, Jamie Gaiger, John Frood, Charlotte Gladwin, Adam Robinson, James Butt, Sarie Copplestone

Other contributors Communisis – Print production