Scandic Hotels is a middle class, informal hotel chain in Norway. This mailing aimed to help raise interest for their conference facilities. The target group was organisations who wanted to signalise a moderation in their choice of conference location – just like the Norwegian government does. Each year the cabinet assemble at a certain rural conference centre, and pose for the press dressed in traditional, Norwegian knitted sweaters.

So, what could symbolise an informal, but still serious and comfortable, conference better than these traditional dressed ministers? We therefore sent the target group a ball of knitting wool, knitting needles and a recipe for the “the conference sweater”, followed by the title “Here’s the pattern for a successful conference”.

Like always, humour works. Five weeks after the launch, we had concrete bookings worth € 1 million, in a market where the decision time usually is more than a year. That is 50% above target. Based on concrete quotations sent out, the prognosis for the final result is €3 million.