This year I didn’t receive as many Christmas cards through the post. Annoyingly though, I did get quite a few ‘e-cards’. Perhaps it’s me, but somehow a Christmas e-card just doesn’t feel that special.
On the other hand, the cards that I received through my letterbox were, until the weekend at least, still adorning my walls and taking pride of place on my mantelpiece. Even the dodgy ones (fluffy kittens in Santa hats) were on full show.
I also received a mailpack from Thomson Holidays.
Creatively it wasn’t ground-breaking. However, for several reasons, it still managed to catch my eye and persuade me to take a closer look.
First of all, the outer promised ‘money off vouchers inside’. Having recently returned from a fairly pricey holiday, this sounded appealing. The rest of the mailer opened up to resemble a mini-brochure, with four separate sections.
I learned about Thomson’s new generation ‘Dreamliner’ jets and the latest exotic destinations and idyllic resorts on offer. By the time I flicked through to the money-off vouchers at the back of the mailer, I was hooked and in the mood for another break.
So, I suppose it’s a job well done.
The funny thing is, if I’d received exactly the same message, content and money-off vouchers from Thomson via an email, I think I may have ignored it.
Even if the email had managed to get through all the various spam and junk filters, I’m not sure I would have given it the time of day.
It goes to show that it’s not just the message that’s important. Sometimes the way in which it is delivered makes all the difference too.
After all, how many Christmas e-cards can you remember?
Xanthos Christodoulou is planning director of Golley Slater London
