Title | GOD IS IN THE DETAILS |
Brand | AMERICAN EXPRESS |
Product / Service | AMERICAN EXPRESS CENTURION |
Category | A01. Mailings |
Entrant | OGILVY HONG KONG, HONG KONG |
Entrant Company: | OGILVY HONG KONG, HONG KONG |
DM/Advertising Agency: | OGILVY HONG KONG, HONG KONG |
Credits |
Name | Company | Position |
---|---|---|
Shayne Pooley | OgilvyOne Worldwide HK | Executive Creative Director |
Houston Wong | OgilvyOne Worldwide HK | Creative Director / Writer |
Matthew Kwan | OgilvyOne Worldwide HK | Creative Director |
Winnie Fok | OgilvyOne Worldwide HK | Art Director |
Daphne Tang | OgilvyOne Worldwide HK | Traffic Manager |
Viko Wong | OgilvyOne Worldwide HK | Group Account Director |
Eva Wong | OgilvyOne Worldwide HK | Account Management |
To successfully convert the top 1-2% of super-affluent existing American Express Platinum Card members in Hong Kong to the Centurion Card. Firstly, we needed to establish a super premium niche that sets us apart from other luxury brands. Secondly, we had to do this without mass marketing; mass marketing would undermine the ‘by invitation only’ quality of Centurion. The approach had to reflect a sense of exclusivity and prestige unique to Centurion. But with so many copycat so-called elite cards in the market, we had to deliver our message in a way that truly shows Centurion is the one and only Black Card.
While the copycat elite cards just used fancy words and photos to paint a superficial façade, we used a real story to entice our audience. After all, nothing says more about Centurion than a real testimonial from a like-minded individual. To make this story more tangible and intriguing, we sent a vial of real Dead Sea Sand alongside a vial of sand from a local beach to emphasise the world of difference Centurion delivers through its attention to detail in service. All this combined to bring the life a proposition that we knew would appeal to our ultra-affluent targets.
These people are used to getting everything they want. Centurion offers exactly this: experiences money can’t buy. The solution: tell one Centurion Member’s story (testimonial). The story is about a Cardmember who wanted a handful of Dead Sea Sand for his daughter’s school project. Centurion dispatched a courier across the desert to fetch the sand, which was air-couriered to the Member. We told the story in a premium DM, which included a vial of real Dead Sea Sand. The story was told in an engaging way – truly the stuff of legends.
The strategy worked. The DM was hand-delivered to drive desire and get our targets to call for a sales rep to visit them. 65% of recipients booked an appointment – 5 times higher than previous campaigns. Ultimately, close to 100% signed up for Centurion. A surprising outcome was that 80% of these new Members also signed up for a Supplementary Card, which effectively doubled the number of ultra-elite Black Cards issued. This proves the power of storytelling versus our competitor’s falsely hyped-up glossy brochures.