GOLD

School: Mohawk College of Applied Arts & Technology

Students: Michelle Johnston, Brent Lehtinen, Michael Tigchelaar, Jason Fortin

Professor: Tracy Marsh

The hypothetical client for which the students were asked to create and present a direct marketing campaign was a two-year-old eye-care clinic specializing in laser surgery.

By way of background, the clinic, Eyes R Us (ERU), is operating at less than peak capacity. As such, the students’ objective was to develop an integrated direct marketing campaign to motivate the audience to undergo eye laser surgery at ERU and pave the way for ongoing direct efforts.

Targeting suburbanites aged 35 to 55 years old, the students of Mohawk College decided that, rather than dwell on price, they would focus on the benefits and the experience of the upscale ERU and the Eye Spa Experience (a three-day customizable eye treatment program). The DM package, which dropped in late January so as to create excitement during the off-season, included an attention-grabbing envelope, informational brochure and letter outlining very simply how the procedure works, FAQs and real-life testimonials. Recipients, who had the added incentive of receiving a booklet of discounts and coupons upon signing up for ERU, could also access information by calling the 1-800 numbers or by visiting the Web site. For that added touch, a thank-you card (complete with complimentary movie coupons for a night out with their new eyes) and survey was also used.

Creatively, the student team opted for a ‘clean and straight approach’ to the package: a soft white on blue colour treatment and elements like the use of white space and hassle-free tab headings ensured the package was appealing to the eye and easy to read.

Ten thousand extra copies of the brochure were also printed – half of which were to be distributed to opticians or mailed out to people who request them, the other half to be used for testing.

SILVER:

Adam Walhout, Kristjan Prsa, Vera Oliveira, Darren Hakker, under professor Tracy Marsh, for Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology.