Campaign overview
At the start of 2020, twogether delivered Lego construction kits to the homes of 30 key Salesforce accounts in the US. This multi-channel integrated ABM programme offered personalised kits in line with industry sectors, such as cars for automotive clients. “This additional key touchpoint in the campaign was used to not only reach the audience on another level, but to include an experiential aspect to the strategy, reflecting Salesforce’s brand experience and vision of how they interact and consider their customers,” Minaz commented. “Within ABM and when working with someone like Salesforce, we always need to be delivering the next smart idea,” he continued.
Why Lego?
So, why would a global software company choose Lego? As Minaz explains, “there are a lot of similarities in terms of brand vision and experience with Salesforce: the playful, accessible and ‘for everyone’ approach that Salesforce instils with their brand.” However, it doesn’t stop there.
“It’s about the sub messages,” Minaz outlines. “The memory structures that we’re creating through the campaign is the message of building something together.” Much like Lego, Salesforce’s solutions are ‘modular’ – Salesforce forms part of the foundation and walls of your organisation, a solid basis on which your organisation can grow and develop at your own rate. “We’re giving you the blocks, you can construct the kingdom,” Minaz states.
Positive client responses to personalised approaches
When it came to selecting these top 30 accounts, Salesforce opted for a ‘careful’ approach: “We wanted to send it to decision-makers for deals that were further down the track and therefore we could influence in closing,” Minaz states. “This was not just a gimmick, this was a carefully orchestrated strategy to put the brand back in the hands of the buyer.”
Timing was no exception. “We know that presents are in high supply at Christmas, but that period afterwards with more down time to engage as a family and share experiences was a key moment to get Salesforce’s brand into the fabric of those memories,” Minaz states.
This personalised approach certainly paid off. “Customers loved it. They loved the fact that Salesforce had taken the time to consider them and their families,” Minaz adds. Not only was the campaign well received and contributed to incredible ROI, but also provided respite from working, a chance to “do an activity with a family member, have some fun and create experiences and memories brought to you by Salesforce” – a true example of unforgettable direct mail to say the least.
2022 – the age of direct mail?
With gift automation such as Sendoso and ReachDesk receiving 10-40 million dollars funding, it goes without saying that “the personalised customer gifting world is a hot area of growth.” As Minaz maintains, modern direct mail doesn’t rely on a spray and pray approach. In the age of hybrid working, marketing has to use direct mail at home or to the office in an effective way that will get customer’s buy-in. When done right, direct mail can lead to a higher conversion rate and lower wastage – “it’s good for businesses, agencies and the environment.” You may send out less, but you’ll get more.
Minaz’s key takeaway advice? “Think creatively and push the boundaries, but do it in a way that is right for your audience and your brand. You need approaches that not only land your message, but enable you to do some good on their behalf or create a memorable experience from the brand they know and now love.”
Why B2B takes the emotional crown over B2C
Minaz outlines a market shift towards sales strategies based much more on trusted relationships. “The classic cliché that’s really come into play the last two years is that people buy from people, but it goes beyond that. You buy from people that you trust,” he elaborates.
Minaz stresses the need to recognise the human, emotion element in B2B. As he states, habits don;t change between the hours of 9-5, and B2B brands are starting to recognise this. In an atmosphere characterised by fear and the unknown, positive, more human messaging has come to the foreground over the past two years. “A lot of people assume that emotion in B2B is reducing someone to tears. People are swift to forget that there are other emotions out there, like hope, inspiration, happiness and fun,” he continues. The more marketing can bring emotive drivers into what they do, the more success they’ll have – and twogether’s campaign is testament to just that.
