Price comparison site, Tesco Compare launched a standout DM campaign to thank its business partners. Gemma Huckle reports
Tesco’s price comparison website, Tesco Compare launched a DM campaign to thank its key business partners for their continued support and custom by sending them a real custard pie in the post.
The tongue-in-cheek DM campaign, created by relationship marketing agency WDMP, invited senior managers from partner organisations to an overnight stay in Tesco Bank’s new home city of Edinburgh to see the ‘Pick of the Fringe’ – an exclusive night of comedy featuring the finest acts from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The freshly baked custard pie invites – a traditional slapstick prop – were chosen as the centre of the campaign to encapsulate the comedy of the festival.
Tasty invites
The campaign launched in May 2012 with a save the date email sent to 40 individuals to create intrigue among MDs, heads of departments and senior managers at companies such as MORE TH>N, AA, RBS and Saga. The email contained a deliberately poor joke, for example ‘What do you get when you cross a chicken with a cement mixer? A bricklayer’, with the promise of better jokes if recipients kept the date free. A light bulb arrow sign pointing towards the date provided further comedic cues.
A fortnight later, this was followed up with the custard pie invites. The formal invite had to be of high-perceived value to reflect the exclusivity of the event and the silly humour of the Fringe – while also causing a buzz in the office. Baked at a top London bakery, the pies were couriered to the invitees in a cake box. The top of the box read, ‘To say thanks…’ and when opened, the actual invitation was stuck to the inside of the lid – this was in the shape of a comedy custard pie splat and continued the message ‘…we’re throwing you a party.’
Talking about creating the invite, Gavin Wheeler, CEO at WDMP, said, “We invested time in having several versions of the pie made in order to perfect the comedy custard pie look, while making sure they stayed intact in transit and also tasted great. As far as we know, this is a marketing first. Even if recipients couldn’t make the event, we’re sure this will have made their day.”
Full house
Tesco Compare’s target acceptance rate for the campaign was 75 per cent; it exceeded its objective with all 40 partners confirming their attendance. It was hosted at The Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa in Edinburgh on Thursday 9 August. After check-in guests were invited to a drinks reception, followed by dinner and an evening of top new comedians, such as Hannibal Buress, Marcel Lucont and Daniel Sloss, musicians, including Bob Downs, and cabaret acts like Miss Behave. Feedback was fantastic; guests loved the diversity of the line-up and the opportunity to take part in this original one-off event.
Gemma Whitton, online marketing manager at Tesco Compare, commented, “I see this being something we will do again in the future as it’s always great to give something back and thank our partners. In terms of the custard pie and the unusual invite – yes, I would definitely do something like this again as it was so unusual and really got people talking.”
