Colour Copy Centre

APPA Pyramid Award Winner 1999

Category: Trade Promotional Merchandise

Client: Colour Copy Centre

A mouse mat that holds personal pictures was used as the key driver of a direct mail campaign from digital copying specialist Colour Copy Centre (CCC).

Aimed at combating increased competition from DIY copying houses, the pad was used to question the quality of retail style copying outlets while reinforcing the quality message behind CCC.

Around 900 contacts in advertising agencies, creative studios and in-house marketing departments received the mouse pads and subsequent postcard campaign flyers that could be inserted into the pad. The campaign's budget was $20,000 with $10,000 for the merchandise component.

Supported by telephone contact, the mouse pads were supported by a follow up mailer every six weeks. The postcards featured amusing messages questioning sub standard colour copying.

During "Zippergate", a Bill Clinton postcard asked "Will his true colours come shining through?", a distorted picture of Mona Lisa claimed to be her twin sister Maria and asked "Imagine if Leonardo had settled for second best".

Tactical extensions of the campaign included addressing agencies that had their own colour copier asking, "Who can you turn to when things go wrong?"

The client's message tagline "WE won't let you down" was highlighted on the mouse pad. CCC reported that the erosion of business from retail style outlets did not occur, despite major price-cutting.