Pets are important members of the family, so we created a letter for people and their fur-people.

We took a standard pet insurance upsell brief and gave pet owners an extra surprise in their letterbox.

Because we knew their current pet's name and breed, we sent a second letter addressed to their pet.

This letter was translated into dog or cat speak, leaving the words we knew they understood. We also calibrated it to the colour spectrum seen by dogs and cats.

The letters were first mailed in 2017 with additional bursts continuing to be sent to members. The addressed letters were distributed via Australia Post with a current cost per unit of $1.78 based on the current run of 10,000 units. As further bursts continue to be mailed, this cost will reduce.

The insurer, RACQ (Royal Automobile Club of Queensland), is one of the most trusted brands in Australia. It was originally an automobile club loved by members for the times they've come to their rescue on the roadside. Because of this, their customer research has shown that members open their mail when they see an RACQ envelope. Which is why we used their standard branded envelope, leaving the reveal for inside.

Comparing 2016 to 2017, there was a 48.1% increase in the customer response rate.

There was also a 105.6% increase in sales after the first direct mail was sent out, compared to the previous year.

And just for fun, the call centre heard a few stories from members such as "My dog Miss Gracie loved getting her own letter in the mail... and I Ioved reading it to her."

The love is real.

All up, it was an upsell that had the potential to have a negative impact on the customer relationship, but ended up strengthening it.