Happy Campers
Web site registration and a new “teaser” direct mail campaign have dramatically increased telephone response to an annual customer loyalty program sponsored by the Jeep division of Daimler Chrysler AG.
Registration for this year’s Camp Jeep promotion, set for Aug. 10-12, has accelerated way ahead of where it was this time last year, as a result of data mining and online sign-ups at www.jeepunpaved.com.
Camp Jeep is positioned as an adventure weekend where participants meet and mingle with other Jeep devotees while pursuing activities like hiking and fishing. Registration costs $275 per vehicle, not including food or accommodations.
The campaign historically generates a 15% to 20% telephone conversion rate for registering attendees, but early registration is skyrocketing and putting this summer’s sixth annual Camp Jeep promotion on track to break previous response and attendance records. Last year more than 8,000 people with 3,000 Jeeps attended.
Normally the campaign begins with a mailing of about 350,000 direct mail invitations to Jeep drivers. The regular mailing this year was preceded by a series of three 25,000 piece “teaser” mailings to targeted customer segments. These were followed up by outbound calls. At the end of February last year only about 60 drivers were registered for the 1999 promotion. As of the first week of March, over 1,200 Jeep drivers were already registered for 2000.
So far about 40% of total registrations have come through the Web site, notes Donna Jacob, Jeep account manager at Detroit-based Budco Teleservicing Inc., which is handling the registration efforts.
Jeep’s database was used to score lifestyle characteristics of past event attendees, model driven and the distance prospects live from the event site to target Jeep drivers most likely to attend.
A second follow-up mailing is sent out to confirm registration and encourage people who registered to call an 800 number to pre-register for events, reserve a campsite or arrange other accommodations.
