The IDM Business Performance Awards: Diamond and Facet Winners 2006

Entries to the IDM BPA Awards 2006 came, as ever, from a diverse range of commercial and not-for-profit interests. Their common denominator has been outstanding marketing strategy underpinned by campaigns that deliver real, significant and incremental value to their respective organisations.

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DIAMOND WINNERS
The top award, the much-coveted BPA Diamond, is reserved for the direct marketing programme judged to have made the most outstanding strategic contribution to overall business success.

BPA DIAMOND WINNER
Client: AA Insurance
Agency: Rapier Ltd
Campaign: The AA Team - here to get you a better deal

Motor insurance is a highly crowded market with 358 different providers. The majority of the £168m marketing spend is aimed at the one in five drivers who switch companies each year.

Following the acquisition of the AA by private equity firms in 2004, the insurance division was given the goal of increasing retention rates among existing customers while also increasing customer acquisition, both on a reduced marketing budget. The majority of buyers are highly priceconscious and tend to prefer wellestablished brands.

To create a point of differentiation, AA Insurance decided to emphasise its position as a broker which is able to find the optimum premium for a customer. TV ads were used as the core awareness-building channel, using a thriller-style approach but still emphasising potential savings of up to 40%, underlined by a moneyback guarantee.

Classic direct response advertising was used to support the programme, with daily optimisation of media spend. Search and affiliate marketing were also given particular emphasis. The result of the new positioning was a 0.7% rise in market share (source: NOP) despite a 30.6% drop in share of voice (source: Nielsen Media).

An important impact was a doubling in the number of consumers showing prompted consideration of AA Insurance. This translated into a 6% rise in intention to call for quotations.

Call centre agents were empowered to negotiate premiums directly with callers in order to optimise conversion, profitability and crossselling opportunities. One benefit of this was a 40% increase in home insurance policies written despite no awareness advertising for this product. Another benefit was conversion rates above target and improved higher staff morale.

Return on investment was significantly improved compared to the previous year, showing a 32% uplift, equating to a return of almost £5 for every £1 of marketing spend.

Stretch targets have been set for 2006 with a continuation of the creative theme, putting AA Insurance’s brokers in the spotlight. New products have also been introduced to take advantage of increased consumer interest.

The judges were impressed by the good results achieved by the programme within a fiercely competitive market. They noted the stand-out propositions which had helped AA Insurance to differentiate itself in a price-oriented category. They were especially impressed by the positive impact on the business overall, from higher staff motivation to the increased product range.

SILVER WINNER
Client: Tesco Stores Ltd
Agency: EHS Brann
Campaign: Tesco Clubcard

With £1 out of every £8 of retail spending in the UK going to Tesco, maintaining customer involvement is essential. Tesco Clubcard acts as a thank you for shoppers and has become the benchmark for loyalty programmes. Its quarterly mailings generate between £4m and £13m in additional sales.

With customers becoming jaded with loyalty schemes in general and showing more discernment about which ones they used, Clubcard needed to be re-invigorated. Key fob cards were introduced to ensure members were always able to record their purchases and gain points.

Clubcard Deals were simplified giving customers four-times the value of vouchers when converted into a Clubcard Deal. In-store initiatives were also used, including a "hearts and minds" campaign for staff on Clubcard’s tenth birthday.

As a result, there has been a 3% rise in the number of transactions using Clubcard with a 2% increase in the value of sales. Loyal customers are increasing as a proportion of all transactions. Customer attitudes to the scheme have improved and customer satisfaction has also risen.

The judges noted the brilliant simplicity of the key fob idea while recognising the superb manipulation of data underlying the scheme. The long-term pursuit of a clear, datadriven strategy has generated outstanding returns. Clubcard has now infiltrated itself into everyday life.

BRONZE WINNER
Client: The Royal British Legion
Agency: Target Direct
Campaign: Sixtieth Anniversary Appeals

Despite the Government's decision not to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings in 2004, the Royal British Legion decided to take the risk of running a major direct marketing campaign around the event. The move resulted in 70,000 new supporters being recruited and nearly £2m in income.

The programme formed the basis for a focus on more predictable fundraising and awareness-raising around a new national commemoration day, V-Day, in 2005. This campaign added 130,000 supporters and nearly £3m.

The D-Day campaign used the stories of ordinary soldiers to reflect the acts of all those involved. It was picked up for endorsement by The Sun, leading to above-average return on investment on the cold recruitment activity.

Existing supporters were also engaged with a response rate 150% above the previous year’s. As the timing was a one-off, none of the material could be tested before roll-out. The V-Day campaign was based on the notion of "The Nation's Biggest Thank You" and was aimed at war babies and baby boomers. New donors at high levels of giving were recruited as a result.

The judges particularly noted the good match of PR, fundraising and marketing, as well as the phenomenal response achieved.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Client: VisitScotland
Agency: WWAV Rapp Collins Edinburgh
Campaign: Freedom to Explore

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Client: Vodafone Ltd
Agency: SBS
Campaign: Welcome Call

The Facets

This is the collective name for the twelve awards under the sub-categories of Direct, Data and Digital. They are awarded in recognition of excellence in a specific marketing discipline.

Direct – Acquisition
Winner
Client: BBC TV Licensing
Agency: Proximity London
Campaign: Students

Around 45% of first-year students take a TV to university with them – and every one needs a TV licence. However, few students recognise this requirement, or the consequences of, not buying one. To tackle this, a fully integrated programme was created using "anti-humour" and giving multiple opportunities to make a purchase.

The judges were impressed by the results, which saw a 25% increase in sales among this group. Close measurement showed that integrated communications delivered twice the level of sales as baseline broadcast advertising alone, and 50% more than broadcast plus direct mail. The programme was praised for its comprehensive approach, innovation and interesting creative.

Runner up
Client: Seat UK
Agency: Geronimo
Campaign: Join the New Year's Revolution

Direct – Retention
Winner
Client: Tesco
Agency: Forward
Campaign: Tesco Baby & Toddler Club

With declining birth rates and later births, retailers have to fight hard to encourage spending from parents. The Tesco Baby and Toddler Club was the first parenting club to be launched in the UK. A relaunch in 2004 saw a more down-to-earth approach with "real-life" imagery and editorial that acknowledged modern-day parenting, attitudes and family structures.

The core mailing programme consists of nine magazines mailed to 550,000 members, segmented by the baby’s development from pregnancy up to five years. Members get relevant commercial messages, additional points coupons, giveaways and prize draws. The club also delivers an incredible return on investment to Tesco, with club members spending millions more each year on baby products at Tesco than non-members. The judges were particularly impressed by the incredibly thorough approach taken to the club.

Runner up
Client: The Carphone Warehouse
Agency: WDMP
Campaign: Exclusive models reveal all in Chatter

Direct – Creative

Joint Winner
Client: B&Q
Agency: RMG Connect
Campaign: Wage packet

Trade customers are an important segment of the DIY market, but many use specialist suppliers. To attract new tradesmen – and to retain existing customers – a targeted mailing was created in the form of a wage packet offering a discount on all trade purchases. The judges admired the tactility and rawness of the execution as well as the insight driving it. Return on investment was over 20:1 for the campaign.

Joint Winner
Client: VisitScotland
Agency: Navigator Responsive Advertising
Campaign: Dumfries & Galloway

With European Union funding to assist the rebuilding of tourism after the Foot and Mouth outbreak, Dumfries and Galloway embarked on customer acquisition and retention activity. As funding declined, this developed into a segmented retention programme based around "Travellers' Tales". The judges were struck by the beautifully crafted mail pack with its high quality print and typography.

Direct – Innovation
Winner
Client: Tesco Stores Ltd
Agency: EHS Brann
Campaign: Tesco Clubcard

With customers become jaded with loyalty schemes in general and showing more discernment about which they used, Clubcard needed to be reinvigorated. Key fob cards were introduced to ensure members were always able to record their purchases and gain points.

The judges were impressed by this simple, innovative idea which they called "an inspired way of reclaiming positioning in the loyalty card market". The activity was backed up by good customer insight. As a result, there has been a 3% rise in the number of transactions using Clubcard with a 2% increase in the value of sales.

Runner up
Client: The Carphone Warehouse
Agency: WDMP
Campaign: Giving customers a better mobile life

Data - Customer Insight
Winner
Client: VisitScotland
Agency: WWAV Rapp Collins Edinburgh
Campaign: Freedom to Explore

The goal of the Freedom to Explore team is to attract holidaymakers interested in Hub exploration in Scotland – basing themselves in one location and exploring a wider area during the day. A database development programme was used to build an understanding of prospects; visitors were then segmented by interests and value.

A marketing programme using both “honey pot” destinations and "retention hubs" led to high conversion rates and ROI above the 15:1 target. The judges were impressed by the way a new insight was developed on the basis of initially limited information, requiring creative thinking about how to build greater customer insight. The programme was praised for its systematic, pragmatic and very thorough approach.

Runner up
Client: Vodafone
Agency: SBS
Campaign: Welcome call

Data – Targeting
Winner
Client: Vodafone
Agency: SBS
Campaign: Welcome call

Retaining customers has a profound impact on market share and profitability in the mobile telephony market. The customer experience on first joining – or upgrading – was identified as a major opportunity for deepening loyalty, while also reducing inbound call volumes through first-touch resolution. Through additional training for call centre agents, data analytics to segment offers and communications, and the use of multi-channel messages (including the UK’s first video callback), the programme broke even within six months. As well as its good results, the judges praised the use of segmentation and tailored customer experience delivered across channels.

Runner up
Client: Marks & Spencer Money
Agency: (in house)
Campaign: n/a

Data – Innovation
Winner
Client: Yorkshire Futures
Agency: Acxiom
Campaign: Empowering Yorkshire Futures

Yorkshire Futures acts as the regional intelligence network for Yorkshire and Humber, collating information and monitoring regional progress. Its function is to support evidence-based decision making by local government and agencies. To tackle a lack of up-to-date and robust data at low levels of geography, the network worked with Acxiom to create DemographicsNowUK.

A bespoke service within the Acxiom On-line Portal, it provides aggregated data sets that can be easily analysed, interrogated and mapped. While fully representative of the UK population as a whole, the underlying data retains statistical significance at low level geographies. A unique proposition in the public sector, the judges were impressed by the innovation of delivering data access to this marketplace via a portal.

Runner up
Client: Financial Times
Agency: CACI
Campaign: n/a

Data - Best use in B2B
Winner (no winner awarded)

Runner up
Client: Royal & Sun Alliance Commercial
Agency: Marketing Databasics
Campaign: Full profit potential

Digital – Acquisition
Winner
Client: British Airways
Agency: LIDA

Campaign: London is closer than you think with British Airways

To fight against competition from other national airlines and budget rivals, British Airways needed to engage with potential visitors to London, especially couples aged 25-44. To position BA as the expert on London, a website was created with fares, offers and content tailored to 29 different European countries.

Using banners, email, search and offline marketing to drive people to the site, visitors were given an experience of London which they could also download to their mobile phone. Since the launch of the campaign, there have been over 1 million unique visitors to the site. The judges were impressed by the use of digital media to deliver powerful customer engagement and to strengthen the brand’s alignment with London and the UK.

Runner up
Client: Virgin Holidays
Agency: Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw
Campaign: n/a

Digital – Branding
Winner
Client: Barclays
Agency: Dare Digital
Campaign: Inventive Spirit

Barclays launched a major brand repositioning in October 2005 based on its reputation for product innovation and improving the customer experience. Intelligent, mainstream customers in their late-20s to late-30s, especially younger, online consumers, were targeted with rich media creative work intended to change brand perceptions.

Despite the cynicism of the market, brand favourability was increased with a significant rise in online advertising awareness. Intention to purchase also rose. The online work was shown to be significantly more cost-effective than TV in improving awareness and has delivered an outstanding return on investment for products bought online.

Runner up
Client: Chevrolet
Agency: TequilaLondon
Campaign: n/a

Digital – Creative
Winner
Client: COI – Home Office
Agency: Profero
Campaign: Talk to FRANK

FRANK is a confidential, non-judgemental online source of authoritative information on drugs. The online campaign built credibility and trust in the FRANK brand as well as driving targeted traffic to specific areas of the site. The core audience was 11- to 18-year-olds who were either contemplating using, or already dabbling in, illegal drugs.

Interactive banners and skyscrapers, the "FRANK Finds" execution and interactive polls were used to establish FRANK’s credentials and provide up-to-date information. Over 1.9 million interactions have been generated with click-through rates up to four times the industry average. The judges noted that the programme was on-brand, with the right tone of voice to persuade a tough audience.

Runner up
Client: Saab
Agency: Draft London
Campaign: Race against time

Special mentions were also made for the following entries under the Digital category:

Client: Greater London Authority
Agency: Incentivated Limited
Campaign: STAN

Client: Friends Reunited
Agency: Manning Gottlieb OMD
Campaign: Friends Reunited

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