•Situation

With the pandemic, Consumer’s needs, spending and interests changed including non-discretionary, everyday spending. In turn, American Express saw the opportunity to bring a Card that was becoming more valuable in this time to the forefront - The Blue Cash Preferred Card. This Card rewards Card Members on everyday categories that consumers are already spending on, such as Cash Back for grocery shopping, watching Netflix, and filling up the car with gas. To capitalize on the timeliness of the Card’s rewards, American Express stimulated the normal value with a new, higher-than-ever welcome offer.

•Brief

Amex created Direct Mail packages to entice Card Members to add or upgrade to this Cash Back card.

•Objectives

•Shift and lift American Express spend through acquisition to the Blue Cash Preferred Card

•Add new value for Card Members with opportunity to earn more on everyday categories

•Primary KPIs: Response (through upgrade or new Card)

We wanted to resonate with Card Members, bringing the key benefits of the Card to life in a seamless and vivid manner so that Card Members could closely connect their day to day with the potential from the Blue Cash Preferred Card. We did this through imagery, aesthetic, and messaging. Beyond imagery to immediately capture resonance, the package positioned the Card logically and directly with relevant benefits to their current situation. One key version implemented a new way of depicting the value of the Card by “doing the math”: rather than stating just the generic Cash Back percentages, we created resonance with the realistic, average spend and the Cash Back potential to portray the rational value. Finally, to appeal to various decision approaches, beyond the logic value, the creative ensured to interplay emotionally with social proof to tout the broader acceptance and satisfaction of the Blue Cash Preferred Card.

•Targeting existing American Express Card Members with opportunity to be earning more Cash Back on everyday spending categories

• Approach

Lead with the highest-ever-in-market offer to drive attention to the timely and relevant rewards of the Blue Cash Preferred Card for through the pandemic and beyond. Drive engagement through versioning and segmentation based on their existing relationship with American Express to provide the most relevant offer and messaging strategy.

• Call to action

Add Blue Cash Preferred to your wallet or Upgrade to the Blue Cash Preferred

This campaign was concepted, created, and built into direct mail packages over a four-month timeline after seeing the opportunity to double-down on promotion of the Blue Cash Preferred Card and through direct mail to supplement digital marketing strategy. To continue building for future growth, each piece tested refining the messaging strategy adding to the complexity of execution. Finally, to further personalize the campaign, each package acknowledged the Card Member’s existing relationship with American Express and the most profitable offer for them; while again adds complexity, proves to drive response. In addition to this first-name personalization, Card Members could receive one of two offers specifically chosen for them. This campaign reached millions of existing Card Members with several segmentations and creative variants to drive performance and learnings.

Details of campaign performance are not able to be shared due to confidentiality agreements; however, response rates to the Blue Cash Preferred Upgrade and Cross-Sell campaigns were above par to historical response and control benchmarks. Notable to results, higher engagement was furthered by the creative testing to optimize messaging strategy.