With over 50% of Germany’s population being categorized as overweight, Kingdom of Sports saw an opportunity for growth to make a real difference in the health and lifestyles of German residents. Identification of a potentially lucrative market was the first and easiest step for the company who was then tasked with developing a way of engaging their target consumers.
Kingdom of Sports approached the challenge of engagement through the use of an incentive based direct mail piece. Unlike your typical mail piece, this letter was printed on a special paper-polyester mix and invited recipients to tear the letter in half to win free membership to the gym for a year. The problem was, the letter was impossible to rip or tear, and because in theory it was “stronger” than the recipient, provided challengers with enough incentive to start going to the gym.
As a result of the direct mail piece, Kingdom of Sports saw a 23% increase in new members compared to the year prior, making this piece an exceptionally lucrative one. Moral of the story is, the power of direct mail shouldn’t go unnoticed as it can influence recipients to do things that few other mediums can.
