Paul Hartmann: LEAKY FOUNTAIN PEN

Credits & Description:

Category: Commercial Public Services, incl. Healthcare & Medical

Advertiser: PAUL HARTMANN

Product/Service: INCONTINENCE PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Agency: RAPP GERMANY

Creative Director: Stefan Setzkorn (RAPP Germany)

Creative Director: Alexander Hansen (RAPP Germany)

Unit Director: Bianca Peters (RAPP Germany)

Production Manager: Torsten Kegel (RAPP Germany)

Art Director: Jan Koellner (RAPP Germany)

Copywriter: Irena Braun (RAPP Germany)

Senior Account Manager: Julia Grauthoff (RAPP Germany)

Copywriter: Tom Bennett (RAPP Germany)

Final Art: Rebecca Heinsohn (RAPP Germany)

Media placement: Mailing - Postal Mailing - 4 October 2011



Describe the brief/objective of the direct campaign.



Incontinence is still very much a taboo subject, even though it affects 2 out of every 3 people in Germany in the course of their lives. Our brief was to help Hartmann break this taboo and get the topic firmly in the public eye. We wanted to achieve this by engaging with a new target audience – opinion leaders, such as medical journalists and editors – and motivate them to raise the profile of incontinence issues.

An intelligent mailing with strong emotional impact was required – one that presented the subject using a balance of sincerity and originality.



Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective with reference to the projected response rates and desired outcome.

A mailing containing a high-quality fountain pen was sent to selected journalists and editors. What made this mailing unusual was that the pen was leaking and had already stained the mailing. The headline conveyed the message by asserting – 'Incontinence can happen to anyone'. This casual yet subtle analogy provided plenty to talk about. Befitting the recipients’ professions and the call to action, the pen evoked curiosity and engaged the target group by acknowledging their passion – writing.



Explain why the creative execution was relevant to the product or service.

This manner of mailing is very unusual, especially given that this astute target group is well-known for its reluctance to enter into immediate dialogue with commercial enterprises. In addition, the mailing was conspicuous in its minimalism – most press kits contain considerably more material.

The fountain pen solution provided a vivid metaphor for the subject of incontinence and drew attention to the range of products Hartmann offers to alleviate patient discomfort.



Describe the results in as much detail as possible with particular reference to the RESPONSE of the target audience including deliverability statistics, response rates, click throughs, sales cost per response, relationships built and overall return on investment.

The campaign was enormously successful. Out of the 100 people addressed, 22% contacted Hartmann directly. An impressive 14% took up the offer of a consultation, and 6% agreed to integrate the topic into their publication – in addition to featuring solutions offered by Hartmann. The impact of this response rate, however, is best reflected by the number of new contacts it generated. Put in real terms, the mailing yielded over 10 million contacts in the relevant target groups via the German trade journals Apotheken Umschau and Vital.