Interactive Direct Mail Campaign Drives Roaring Product Launch at Trade Show
Interactive Direct Mail Campaign Drives Roaring Product Launch at Trade Show
Headquartered in Erie, Pa., Eriez is a global leader in manufacturing separation, metal detection and material handling equipment for processing industries. In an effort to create buzz for its new eco-friendly scrap drum designed to combat recycling challenges, Eriez enlisted Stevens Strategic Communications (SSC), a division of Roop & Co., to develop a direct mail campaign that would drive prospective customers to its booth at ISRI, the recycling industry’s biggest trade show.
SSC developed a high-impact, four-part direct mail campaign that included branding Eriez’s newly launched Permanent Rate Earth Xtreme (P-Rex®) scrap drum as a “dinosaur” to create an attention-grabbing visual. Phase one involved the mailing of two e-newsletters with a video featuring a dinosaur’s eye and loud roar to Eriez’s targeted media list prior to the ISRI trade show. For phase two, SSC mailed the media list a “dinosaur egg” that could be soaked in water to reveal baby dinosaurs inside. It featured the compelling message, “Come see the beast being unleashed at ISRI.” This mailing was then followed by a toy dinosaur announcing that Eriez’s P-Rex had been born. The final phase of the campaign involved a book that showcased how the P-Rex scrap drum would benefit the recycling industry.
As soon as the direct mailers went out, more than 20 buyers requested more “dinosaur eggs” to share with their children. At the ISRI trade show, prospective customers came to Eriez’s booth specifically to see its new P-Rex scrap drum in action. In addition, those who did not receive an egg as part of the direct mailer requested to be given one. Overall, this campaign resulted in more than $1.4 million in sales at the ISRI trade show. Within just 90 days, Eriez exceeded its annual forecast for scrap drum sales. The newsletter also yielded more than 600 opens—nearly a 30% open rate—as well as an average view duration of 2:24 minutes.
