University of Southampton

Our direct mail and digital print experts collaborated with Black Bear Creative, a marketing agency specialising in charity fundraising campaigns, to produce a direct mail campaign for the University of Southampton. The aim of the appeal was to help generate funds to help students facing financial hardship.

Seven bespoke packs were developed that were highly personalised based on the decade that the recipient had graduated from the University. Imagery based on world events, pop culture, technology and sports were mixed with archive images of the campus across the decades.

Personalised copy in the letter, leaflet and donation form referred to the recipient’s year of graduation, as well as contemporary events that occurred during the decade such as the song that was in the charts when they graduated, and the new clubs, societies, faculties and libraries that were created on site. Variable ask prompts were used to reflect the recipient’s donation history with the University.

Our direct mail specialists, who have experience working in the education and not-for-profit sectors, worked with Black Bear Creative on formats, materials and mailing efficiencies to create a campaign that was delivered in the most cost-efficient way. Our technology team used our VDP (variable data publishing) systems to programme the required business logic to drive the variable text and images for each pack before the pack was printed in our high quality HP Indigo facility.

Our production team made sure that each pack had the perfect finish which gave a great impact when arriving with recipients resulting in a great campaign result.