We’re very proud of this and multi award winning campaign we developed for Friends First in 2012…
Brokers are viewed as essential partners by Friends First. Friends First wanted to pay more than lip service to this fact by putting the relationship onto a more formal footing. As a result they created the Friends First Distribution Partnership where they offered a significant level of strategic and marketing support to any broker that signed up.
To give a sense of the unique opportunity that joining the Distribution Partnership would offer, we developed two mailings that were sent to 150 selected brokers. The first was a mysterious request for their signature; the broker was not told why but was simply reassured that they would be very impressed with what followed…
The second mailing revealed all. It contained a high-quality presentation box, with ‘this unique pen already has your signature’ on the cover. Inside was a brochure with ‘this opportunity awaits it’ on its front and details of the proposed ‘Friends First Distribution Partnership’ inside. Accompanying it was a unique metal pen etched with the recipient’s very own signature.
The entire mailing was a clear indication of Friends First’s commitment to brokers and they responded accordingly. In fact, the brokers who were prompted to join the Distribution Partnership programme by this campaign now account for 40% of Friends First total business.
Obviously, this was a massively successively outcome, particularly at a very difficult time for the financial sector. For Friends First, it means they can rely on a profitable and mutually supportive relationship with a network of brokers for a number of years to come.
This campaign has already picked up a Gold and two Silvers at the 2012 An Post Interactive Direct Marketing Awards and another Gold at the 2012 IDN International Awards.