Citroën UK is launching a major direct marketing push – linking direct mail and smartphones through digital watermarking technology – to promote its DS brand.
The company is targeting more than 200,000 customers, who will receive the mailer – of which there are 192 versions – each personalised with a Citroën dealer’s details.
The pack, devised by We Are Acuity, includes scannable digital watermarks for the DS3, DS4 and DS5, making a total of 576 individual watermarks. Scanning the watermark then prompts the customer to download a smartphone app.
Customers can then access nine images, and three videos for each of the DS models, as well as their local dealer’s full details.
Calls to action include making calling a dealer, requesting a brochure, requesting a call back, booking a test drive or expressing an interest in a ‘DS Discovery Day’.
DS Discovery Days are being organised by Citroën dealerships from March 15 as part of the official launch of the new DS5 on April 2.
The success of the mailpack and app will be measured through reporting dashboards “enabling a clearer understanding of how the customer engaged with the content”, said Citroën. All interaction within the app can be collected, managed and directed to the relevant dealers.
We Are Acuity managing director Peter Cronin said: “Brands in this space are keen to engage with customers and to build themselves into a lifestyle. Social media is particularly topical, as well as other emerging technologies and apps.
“However, print is still a great method of communicating with customers en masse. In spite of the unprecedented levels of personalisation now achievable by digital print, the vast majority of direct mail still follows a fairly generic model of a standard print piece, possibly personalised with a dealer’s details. This new approach represented a great opportunity for Citroën UK to further stand out from its competitors.”
