In an age when marketers are continually looking for more sophisticated and innovative ways to communicate their messages, Purolator Courier is returning to brass tacks.

With its new fall campaign just out of the gates, Purolator is combining television spots with one of the oldest one-to-one marketing tricks in the book – word of mouth – to spread the message about its automated shipping software.

Traditional direct response is the most visible part of the mix. The tv campaign broke Sept. 15 and features a 60-second drtv spot with 1-800 number, as well as a standard 30 – both created by Doner Canada.

The drtv spot features toll-free numbers unique to each station, enabling Purolator to track which markets are generating the greatest response. The campaign will also make use of direct mail and telemarketing, as well as merchandising throughout Purolator retail and shipping centres.

Purolator maintains, however, that the campaign is largely employee-driven, relying heavily on Purolator staff to initiate conversation with – and ultimately sell the product to – current and prospective clients.

Brochures are being delivered by courier to a list of hot prospects because, as Purolator’s director of marketing Robert Swanborough says, ‘We see a three-time greater return or response when we use courier versus mail.’

The product being promoted is Purolink, an automated shipping software designed to make shipping a more hassle-free process. The software, originally introduced three years ago, has been enhanced and is said to increase client productivity and eliminate hand-written bills of lading. And Purolator is hoping that its staff can get the message out more effectively than traditional advertising avenues.

‘Our advertising is less than 20% of our exposure,’ says Swanborough. ‘Over 80% of our exposure to customers is made through our employees. We have 3,000 couriers on the street and they receive tens of thousands of calls every day. That’s where the brand exposure really hits the road.’

In preparation for the campaign’s launch, Purolator produced a corporate video which was distributed to all employees, introducing them to the advertising campaign and reinforcing Purolator’s brand positioning and the company’s corporate mission.

‘We played off all of that,’ Swanborough says, ‘by telling them how that fit with our automated shipping software and how they can participate by getting customers to use it.’

Swanborough says that launching an employee-driven campaign such as this one is the company’s way of utilizing its most efficient channel to communicate with customers, given couriers’ daily contact with them.

But, as with most initiatives that rely on employee enthusiasm, Purolator has found it doesn’t hurt to offer them a carrot. In exchange for selling customers on the benefits of Purolink, Purolator employees can collect points that can be exchanged for merchandise in a catalogue customized for their employees.

Swanborough says that beyond the chance to earn points, there is an added benefit for employees who encourage customers to use the software, such as more legible waybills.

‘You have a happier customer and more accurate information,’ says Swanborough. ‘Those two things alone have historically been enough to drive some response or some solicitation of participation. We’re hoping that the points program is just a little added incentive.’