RSPCA Thank You
Background
In 2022, as the cost-of-living crisis worsened, RSPCA's frontline services were stretched to the limit due to an increase in neglected or abandoned pets as owners struggled to cope.
Concurrently, loyalty was down across the charity sector. This was reflected across RSPCA’s supporter base which showed weakened satisfaction and trust indices. It was predicted that this, combined with the acute financial pressure could impact donations.
RSPCA wanted to take swift action to address this. Working with their agency partner Join the Dots, the aim was to thank supporters and make them feel valued. Objectively, the campaign sought to influence measures of satisfaction and trust.
Solution
Using data and insight to target, RSPCA and Join the Dots developed a personalised content strategy to deliver a relevant and authentic message of thanks without a donation ask. Using JICMAIL competitor insight, mail was confirmed as the best channel to reach the desired audience and to optimise the complex data personalisation – the supporter’s name throughout and regional statistics - required to create a true connection with the reader.
Targeting of the mailing was intentionally inclusive to enable maximum reach whilst adhering to regulatory rules and marketing permissions. Lapsed and Cancelled supporters were included as a warmup for future reactivation.
The envelope was understated yet direct by overtly saying thank you. Inside the letter came from the CEO Chris Sherwood – this was a strategic decision; he carried significant influence and a personal thank you from him demonstrated the degree of RSPCA’s gratitude.
Tonally, the pack it was personal and sincere - it addressed each supporter individually using their name throughout and highlighted their significance through regional facts and statistics. This enabled a deep connection that acknowledged their importance and value to the RSPCA as well as resonating with their identity as compassionate animal lovers.
The absence of a direct ask made the message more impactful, triggering the audience to respond with a simple ‘Message of Support’. This not only built deeper emotional connection with the recipient for the cause, but it also acted as measurement mechanic. In addition to measuring mail response, a unique approach was developed to measure the loyalty impact of campaign, via an email survey sent pre and post mailing.
The entire piece - from the envelope to the response mechanism - was carefully crafted to strike the right balance between realism and optimism. It depicted the harsh realities of the RSPCA yet conveyed optimism that ‘together we can succeed’.
Results
The results were phenomenal. Over 15,000 personal Messages of Support were received, boosting morale on the frontline. The campaign also generated an unsolicited £70k income.
Supporter loyalty scores immediately rose, a strong indicator that retention and lifetime value could increase. This showed the how simply saying ‘thank you’ positively influenced immediate and longer-term loyalty.
Response was strongest in Active segments; however, it also reactivated Cancelled supporters, proving the campaign was effective at engaging across supporter types.
Core to the strategy was to deepen trust. Trust scores increased and emotion lexicon analysis showed Trust was the most associated emotion identified in supporter messages.
The messages of support received, along with the handwritten letters, photographs and gifts from supporters sharing personal stories about their own pets and experiences, proves the campaign was successful in its goal to connect with supporters on a deeper level and firmly re-establish the vital role the RSPCA plays in the animal welfare sector.
Source: DMA Award Entry 2023, Best Use of Mail, Join the Dots https://wejointhedots.co.uk/
