Batelco: THE GREETING CARD

Credits & Description:

Category: Flyers, Tickets, Invitations, Postcards, Christmas and Other Greetings Cards

Advertiser: BATELCO

Product/Service: BROADBAND

Agency: FP7/BAH

Date of First Appearance: Jan 6 2011

Entrant Company: FP7/BAH, Manama, BAHRAIN

Creative Director: Fadi Yaish (FP7 / BAH)

Graphic Designer/Copywriter/Illustrator: Lara Hamman (FP7 / BAH)

Copywriter: Steve De Lange (FP7 / BAH)

Illustrator: Muhammad Mustafa (FP7 / BAH)

Media placement: Greeting Card - Batelco REGIONAL NETWORK, 15 Other Intities - 6 Jan 2011



Describe the brief from the client

Batelco, Bahrain’s leading telecommunications company, wanted to announce to all their broadband subscribers across five packages, that their package had been automatically upgraded.



Describe the challenges and key objectives

We created seven congratulatory cards, specifically designed to look exactly like clichéd store-bought cards - complete with a fictional greeting card company logo... just as if someone from Batelco had gone out of their way to buy the greeting card from a gift shop. The challenge was to personalise 62,000 cards with real, heartfelt messages of congratulations. Over the course of one weekend, we got Batelco employees to personally fill every card with congratulatory messages, seal every envelope and write every address – all by hand.



Describe how you arrived at the final design

Our insight was that on different occasions, people collectively write personal messages on cards to express their sentiments and affection. Mass printed direct mailers often feel cold and impersonal, and did not fit in with the celebratory nature of our announcement. The announcement had to be in keeping with the scope of the upgrades.



Give some indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

No other company had ever written that many personalised cards to such a large group of people. Subscribers felt valued, special and appreciated when they received their personalised card in the mail. In return, Batelco received over 55,000 calls from people showing their appreciation. Batelco began with an ordinary announcement, and ended up with 62,000 friends.