Mail so good you can drink it? It’s not as far-fetched as it sounds! Hälssen & Lyon, a German tea company, best known for their innovation and superb customer service, created a direct mail piece made out of real tea leaves which recipients could steep and then actually drink.
Needless to say, edible advertising is a bit unusual, but this campaign’s unique medium wasn’t the only reason it worked. The direct mail piece wasn’t just a tea-leaf postcard, it was a calendar that provided the consumer with a new tea every day. This choice was crucial to the campaign’s success because it kept Hälssen & Lyon top-of-mind every day when a recipient brewed their daily tea. In addition to that, the variety of teas (there was a unique one for every day) showed off their diverse selection of high-quality products.
No marketer wants their advertising to be tossed away or forgotten. The brilliance of an edible mailer is that not only will the recipient be surprised by the ingenuity of it, chances are, they’ll actually interact with it and consume it. And who wouldn’t remember an ad that they ate? In Hälssen & Lyon’s case, this step was perfected because the tea needed to steep, requiring the consumer to literally wait and watch as their advertising slowly melted away.
Of course, an edible direct mail piece isn’t always possible for everyone, but the concept of maintaining a top of mind presence is. By providing consumers with daily reminders of their brand, Hälssen & Lyon were able to tastefully promote their name in a manner that did not hinder a consumer’s daily lifestyle. Because most recipients were likely drowning in fleeting ads, a unique piece that stayed with them for days, and even weeks, proved to be tremendously successful. As direct mail continues to evolve and becomes more and more creative, innovative campaigns such as these will be necessary to stand out from the crowd.
As you plan your next direct mail piece, consider what it is that will truly entice your consumer to engage. With an influx of advertising across many mediums, it will be important that you set yourself apart from all other brands. While an edible mail piece may not be in your wheelhouse, you can utilize the basics of the campaign by providing clients with a piece that will remain top of mind.
