A new ship deserves a grand entrance. While construction was only just beginning, direct mail gave guests an early glimpse of the experience ahead. The challenge was creating excitement for the future flagship without slowing momentum across the rest of the fleet.
Bookings from our mailed file generated over £17 million in revenue in the first 4 weeks — with Queen Anne’s maiden voyage selling out on the very first day.
These luxurious packs came at a price — but with a 46:1 ROI across both segments, it was money well invested.
An unprecedented 10% response rate from our Loyals audience, resulting in over 2,300 bookings worth over £10 million.
The carefully simplified Potentials’ mail pack also performed well, with a response rate of 3% — proof that even a lighter touch can deliver meaningful returns.
The Strategy: Two audiences. One irresistible invitation.
Launching a new ship is a momentous event. As she hasn’t set sail yet, direct mail was the perfect choice to deliver something tantalisingly tangible into the homes of our guests
But in reviewing insights into our global audience we uncovered a potential challenge.The loyalty of our highest spending guests sees them committed to forward-booking onto their favourite ships, often having an itinerary planned well ahead. Could we convince them to book an additional cruise, on a new but different ship? Or had they already reached their spend threshold with Cunard?
Recognising that we were going to need to work hard to seduce this audience to add to their habitual cruising pattern, we created the following segments:
Loyals – these were high spenders and repeat bookers
Potentials – these were guests who have cruised, booked or enquired beforeWe would immerse both audiences in the beauty and splendour of Queen Anne with an ultra-luxurious invitation, using our segmentation to weight the budget against the different audience needs.
The Loyals would receive an iconic, collectable and beautiful piece that would reinforce their value to us as a high-spending customer and make adding Queen Anne to their existing repertoire irresistible.
Our Potentials would receive a taste of this same luxury in a cost-effective version designed to tempt them over the booking line.
Both audiences received something truly unforgettable, an exclusive glimpse before the social and trade partner campaigns went live, while balancing budget and segment objectives intelligently.
The solutions: A pack designed to be treasured
Life on board Queen Anne is a slow-paced sensual feast. Our luxurious pack showcased this experience without compromising on sustainability and environmental best practice.
Our Loyals received a crisp, white parcel, representing Cunard’s famous White Star Service (the first thing guests experience on board).
Out slips a richly-textured black presentation case embellished with gold foil in a distinctive Cunard pattern. A soft black ribbon invites you to lift out equally stylish contents, with evocative copy guiding you to the jewel at the centre — four dazzling teal and gold collectible cards. Each is adorned with an art deco masterpiece representing the ship’s unique architectural features, whilst the reverse carries 3D renders of the luxury to come. Beneath these nestles a carefully-curated 16-page book, allowing guests to discover more about Queen Anne and showcasing her first destinations with every turn.
Our Potentials received a seductive black and gold foiled envelope containing the same curated book. Crafting the content to deliver what each segment needed allowed us to intelligently maximise the production budget without compromising on results. A simple QR code invited them to reserve their cabin.
Every aspect of the pack was crafted to deliver pure luxury into the hands of our guests across the globe, and engineered to balance quality and environmental impact with international postal restrictions:
- All gold foil was fully recyclable
- No metal or magnets were used — meaning plenty of experimenting with the friction needed to hold it closed but allow it to be easily opened
- No laminate or plastic was used throughout
- Paper recyclable tabs sealed the outer box instead of standard plastic ones
- The address label was paper not plastic
- All paper was sourced from FSC and PEFC accredited suppliers using wood fibre from commercial forest operations that practice Sustainable Forestry Management
From its weight in your hands and the satisfying opening of the case to inserts that glide effortlessly from their pockets, this is a true example of the tactility only mail can achieve.
The Results: It was love at first sight for a lot of guests
With bookings from our mailed file generating over £17 million in revenue in the first 4 weeks. In fact, Queen Anne’s maiden voyage sold out on the very first day.
Sending our Loyals a luxury mail pack was a winning strategy, with an unprecedented 10% response rate resulting in over 2,300 bookings worth over £10 million. The carefully simplified Potentials’ mail pack also performed well, with a response rate of 3%. The overall ROI across both was a staggering 46:1.
The brand halo effect has been outstanding too, with social media lighting up as guests shared their excitement over the ship and what they’d received. Getting their invitations before the social campaigns launched really made them feel special.
We designed this pack to feel collectable, be treasured and not thrown in the recycling — so we were thrilled to see recipients not only displaying these at home, but also that they had such a high perceived value, they’re being bought and sold on eBay.
First class packs, launching a first class product and generating first class results.
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