Renaissance Photography: RENAISSANCE

Credits & Description:

Category: Best Low Budget Campaign

Advertiser: RENAISSANCE PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE 2012

Product/Service: RENAISSANCE PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE 2012

Agency: LEO BURNETT LONDON

Executive Creative Director: Justin Tindall (Leo Burnett)

Copywriter: Blake Waters (Leo Burnett)

Art Director: Will Thacker (Leo Burnett)

Designer: Lance Crozier (Leo Burnett)

Photographer: Julia Fullerton-Batten

Agency Producer: Gaynor Goldring (Leo Burnett)

Agency Art Buyer: Simon Pederson (Leo Burnett)

Planning Director: Lilli English (Leo Burnett)

Account Director: Chris Jackson (Leo Burnett)

Media placement: Direct Mail - Direct Mail - 27/02/2012



Describe the brief/objective of the direct campaign.

The Renaissance Photography Prize is an international competition open to all. Our brief was to raise awareness of the competition amongst photographers – amateur and professional - and increase the number of applicants from the previous year.



New applications were an essential part of the brief as the competition is for charity. Each submission cost £15, which goes straight to The Lavender Trust at Breast Cancer Care. So every additional entry was of value.



As well as reaching a mass audience with outdoor and print, we targeted influential bloggers with audiences of especially engaged and receptive people.



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

We communicated the truth that everyone has a great photograph in them and it only takes one to win.



To illustrate this message we sent a DM pack out to our chosen bloggers. Inside was a handmade pinhole camera that was only good for one shot. Their one great photograph. And we challenged them to go out and take that photograph. And, of course, submit it.



Additionally the pack came with a USB stick in the shape of a 35mm film full of information ready to be uploaded to the blogger’s website, including artwork and posters made for our campaign.



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

As our clients are a charity our budget was minimal. So we needed to make the biggest impact for the lowest cost.



Our bulls-eye audience regularly visits blogs for inspiration and to feel part of a like-minded community of creative types. Blogs were therefore the perfect place to shout about the competition. But to get on the blogs and earn credibility, we had to excite the bloggers, and help them understand what we were trying to do. Hence the DM pack.



And since you can only apply online, it seemed a natural way to send traffic through to the submission page.



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 achieved at no cost to the client. Our DM pack contributed to excellent overall results for Renaissance:



- A 16% increase in entry fees vs 2011

- A 43% increase in visits to the website in the 3 months before closing date vs 2011

A huge return on the investment from the client that was effectively zero.