In today’s age of digitalization, traditional methods have retained their charm. Direct marketing is still one of the most catchy marketing trends that brands are following to this date. Let us discuss some of the best explicit marketing examples in this article.
The best direct marketing examples are those of KitKat Chunky, Mercedes Benz, Hell Pizza, World Water Day, Amazon Rewards, Land Rover, BMW, WWF Philippines: Earth Hour Corporation, Specsavers, and Gothenburg Homeless Aid.
Opt for direct marketing to make your next marketing campaign unique and speak out to people. Here are some explicit marketing examples to inspire your next marketing campaign.
Top 10 Direct Marketing Examples
See also: Top 10 Benefits of Digital Marketing & Why Should You Invest In It?
KitKat Chunky
Kitkat Chunky came up with a unique direct mailing system. When a mail carrier fails to deliver mail, he leaves a mail saying that the mail is too big to fit the letterbox. KitKat used the same technique to leave a mail saying, “KitKat Chunky was too Chunky to fit the letterbox.”
When customers took this to local stores, they got a free KitKat Chunky. There was a high chance that these customers would buy more KitKat Chunky-s and their complimentary ones. This increased product sales and allowed the audience to try out KitKat Chunky before buying it.
A whopping 87% of the mail receivers went to the local newsagent to collect their free KitKat. Thus, this was a huge success.
Mercedes Benz
Mercedes Benz devised a unique marketing strategy using the traditional letter envelope to demonstrate their convertible cars. It remains one of the most straightforward and outstanding direct marketing examples.
The company printed a picture of a Mercedes Benz Coupe car on an envelope. When you opened the envelope flap, the Coupe car’s image changed to a Cabriolet car(i.e., the roof got removed).
This simple mail was engaging and catchy. After this mail, the inquiries for convertible cars increased manifold.
See also: What is Technical Marketing? An In-Depth Guide?
Hell Pizza
When we go to a traditional Chinese restaurant, fortune cookies are something everyone looks forward to. Hell Pizza used this tactic to introduce their misfortune cookies with a wrong message.
So this tactic led to talks among the audience and increased the discussion about the product. People flocked to Hell Pizza stores to grab their misfortune cookies. Thus, the company launched it as a separate product, now available in most stores.
Check this out : Understanding Physical Evidence In Marketing Mix
World Water Day
On World Water Day, Belgium encouraged its citizens to save water uniquely. Citizens received flyers that displayed a message when placed under running water.
This campaign succeeded as people expected the paper to fold and become soft when run underwater. But the letter displayed a message instead. So, this message made the citizens aware of how lucky they were to receive clean water regularly.
Thus, they made their citizens aware of the need to save water in a very interactive way.
Amazon Rewards
Amazon is one of the largest online retailers. A flyer from them develops intrigue, and Amazon used this to send its customers brochures.
It sent its members a physical Amazon Rewards Visa Card. They also sent a handout stating all the benefits for members.
This made the members buy memberships after their subscriptions were over and even encouraged new users to subscribe to Amazon and become members.
Land Rover
When Jaguar launched its Evoque Range Rover, it created a targeted audience list. These people sent out emails that were technologically very advanced. Land Rover combined direct and digital marketing in a mail.
Their emails had a button that resembled the Evoque’s start-stop button. Clicking this booked a test drive immediately, generating a confirmation email and a code. This helped people in securing test drives quickly.
Thus, users could book a test drive immediately, which further led to an increase in sales.
See also: 6 Traditional Media Examples That You Can Learn From.
BMW
BMW sent out unique emails targeted only to the audience in Canada. They advertised their winter tires by printing the scenery of a snow-covered road.
The user had to pull a strip of paper to read the mail. When the paper strip was removed, it cleared the snow-covered road. This signified how BMW’s winter tires would strip the road of snow.
Thus, this convinced people to get BMW’s winter tires for the snow-covered season and proved to be one of the great marketing examples.
WWF Philippines: Earth Hour Corporation
Earth Hour is observed every year to save power for one hour each year, which would save up to burning 9 million tons of coal in just an hour. The Earth Hour is observed to create awareness about saving the planet by switching off lights.
WWF Philippines advertised this using unique yellow candle sticks packed in black paper. The black piece was cut in such a way that it resembled windows in a building. When people took the yellow candlestick out, it gave the image of lights going off in a building.
WWF Phillippines ensured people understood the impact of switching off their lights through this creative way of promoting Earth Hour. Thus, the campaign was a huge success.
Specsavers
Specsavers is a company that helps people see and hear better. They provide contact lenses, glasses, hearing aids, etc.
In one of their ad campaigns, they sent out mail in envelopes that had cutouts in between. When the letter inside the envelope was taken out, it filled the gaps. The tagline was “Hearing aids can help you fill in the gaps.”
A direct call-to-action, “call to book your appointment,” made people call them for an appointment. Thus, the sales skyrocketed.
See also: What is Direct Response Marketing? (With Best Techniques)
Gothenburg Homeless Aid
During festivals, we receive a ton of mail; during these times, it is hard to catch attention to emails. For this, Gothenburg Homeless Aid came up with a unique idea.
They sent out emails that were first left on the streets for a night. The mails were dirty, torn, and looked terrible. So, this grabbed the attention of the citizens.
They emphasized how people lived on the streets. Thus, the mail signified those who spent their nights on the streets. So, people were moved by the mail as they could see the plight of people experiencing homelessness.
This campaign grasped the attention of potential charity givers and increased the number of potential donors.
See Also: What are the 8Ps of Marketing? The 101 Guide
FAQs
What is the best example of direct marketing?
The best examples of direct marketing are KitKat Chunky, Mercedes Benz, World Water Day, Amazon Rewards, Land Rover, BMW, Google Partners, WWF Philippines: Earth Hour Corporation, The Economist, Estée Lauder, Specsavers, and Gothenburg Homeless Aid.
What are examples of direct vs. indirect marketing?
Direct marketing refers to reaching out to customers upfront. In contrast, indirect marketing refers to displaying ads by which customers contact the sellers.
What are two direct marketing examples?
Two examples of direct marketing include flyers, postcards, etc., and sending highly personalized emails to a target audience.
Why is it called direct marketing?
Direct marketing is called so as it provides a direct call-to-action to its customers through whatever means the seller uses to reach its audience. The flyer, postcard, or email usually makes the audience reach out directly to the buyers. Hence, the name.
Conclusion
Thus, the best direct marketing examples are those of KitKat Chunky, Mercedes Benz, Hell Pizza, World Water Day, Amazon Rewards, Land Rover, BMW, WWF Philippines: Earth Hour Corporation, Specsavers, and Gothenburg Homeless Aid. Direct marketing helps sellers directly reach out to their target audience and deliver their message.
