P&O Ferries

Strategy

You can't get people back on the ferry by just selling the ferry. You need to sell the benefits of taking your own car. Your car gives you complete freedom. Feel like hiking? Biking? Camping. How about glamping? Do it. After all, everything is in the boot.

P&O, working with MRM McCann, used mail to bring the idea of freedom and spontaneity to life in a campaign that reached out to a new audience: the "Active Explorers". These were people who pride themselves on going off the beaten track. They could probably afford 5-star, exotic holidays, but they weren’t after luxury. They were adventurers – ruled by whims rather than guidebooks. The "Active Explorers" don't like to be told where to go. They want authentic, they want to create their own experiences.

The insight was that this intrepid audience might not realise just how much freedom taking the car would give them. Especially when they could throw everything in the back and do whatever they like, whenever they want.

So the target audience received a simple letter with no destination imagery. It was quick to produce, cost effective and had fantastic cut-through at a particularly noisy time of year.

The letter told a story. Written in second person (You), the mailing put the customer right at the heart of the adventure.

It was all about those wonderful and unexpected things that can happen when you go with the flow: the happy accidents.  It brought to life the idea that you can un-plan your adventure and let everything come together.

And the freedom and choices start the moment you step on board the P&O Ferry.

The copy itself was set free, roaming even to the back of the letter. The tone was full of charm and intrigue and it worked in harmony with the design.

All that was left was to ask customers to book their trip.