Localised messaging supercharged performance

Background

British outdoor clothing specialists Rohan have long relied on mail to connect with their loyal customer base. However, rising postal costs, shifting consumer expectations, and a renewed focus on marketing efficiency meant the brand needed a smarter, more agile approach. 

The brief was ambitious yet clear. Rohan needed to reinforce the versatility of its clothing across climates and occasions, while making regional targeting meaningful not just as a media tactic but as part of the creative idea. 
The campaign also had to maximise ROI from print investment, create consistency across other marketing channels, and prove that mail, when insight-led, could deliver both commercially and creatively.

Solution

Working with their partner Nutshell creative, Rohan developed an approach built around two strategic pillars: 

1. Smart segmentation: Using customer data, Nutshell identified 11 geographic regions with sufficient volumes to justify unique creative executions. This balance of data insight and practical feasibility allowed Rohan to localise messaging without inflating costs.
2. Integrated creative: The idea - “For Every Wear” - positioned Rohan clothing as equally suited to life at home and abroad. Each region received a bespoke mailer featuring their local area contrasted with an exotic destination (e.g. “Milton Keynes and Malta”, “Wales and the West Indies”), reinforcing the brand’s travel heritage and the clothing’s versatility. 

The creative was designed to maximise dwell time, with personalised content and impactful visuals inviting recipients to spend longer with the piece. Digital print technology kept production costs lean and turnaround times agile, while maintaining quality across all 11 versions.

Importantly, the campaign extended beyond the letterbox. Region-specific POS, window displays, and messaging brought the creative to life in-store, while targeted social media mirrored the same concept online. This ensured customers encountered a consistent story across every channel, creating a true omnichannel experience.

Results

Rohan’s hyper-localised mail campaign delivered outstanding results.

Response rates hit 7.4%, significantly above the industry average for retail of 4.1%, as well as outperforming Rohan’s control group. Average transaction value rose by 13.5%, showing not only more responses but more valuable ones. The campaign generated over £1 million in attributed revenue, delivering a 487% ROI.

Beyond the hard numbers, the campaign also reinforced the role of print as a driver of commercial success. Insight and creativity combined to transform mail from a channel under scrutiny into a powerful, performance-led medium.