Direct mail campaign targets non-humans

Published November 14, 2014 at 9:45 am

Tailoring your direct mail pieces to your clients is important, but what happens when your target audience isn’t human? AdWeek recently reported on a campaign, masterminded by the group Rethink Communications for Canadian business Bulk Cat Litter Warehouse, that took an unusual but logical approach: It coated its mailers in catnip. While this may seem like a stunt, it shows that the company put serious thought into its audience and demonstrating that it knows what cats (and their owners) will react to.

As they were being printed, the fliers were sprayed with a “catnip concentrate” and given a small stamp to indicate that they were “printed on Catnip Paper.” Accompanying the campaign is a YouTube video that shows cats sniffing, nuzzling and chewing the mailers. Some cats were quite animated before their owners took the cards away. Presumably, the attention they gave the mailers transferred over to the humans who picked them up after they were done.

The actual pieces themselves also contained colorful cartoon-like graphics depicting cats and advertising the product rates on the back. Although the initiative has been lauded for its uniqueness, some have taken issue with the idea of “drugging” mail for pets, and one of the commenters on Gizmodo’s coverage of the story even called the tactic “a dirty trick.”

Leaving the ethical angles aside, the idea of making advertising materials that will be instantly recognized by your target audience is a good one. With direct mail marketing software, these sophisticated campaigns are easier to manage so that every recipient gets marketing material that is perfectly made for them.

Acknowledging the lifestyle of the customer makes the campaign more personal and lets your customers know that you’ve put serious thought into it.