Despite holding a large market share of overseas parcel sending, NZ Post was seeing a spike in Kiwis ordering from online retailers in destination countries at Christmas. So, the company was on a mission to bring business home.
Christmas season is by far the busiest time of the year for posting. And when sending gifts to family and friends overseas, Kiwis have been choosing the easier, quicker and cheaper option: ordering offshore.
Wanting to stay ahead of the game against overseas competitors, NZ Post was on a mission to get Kiwis back onside.
But this wasn’t a traditional competitive race – NZ Post had to approach this differently.
A partnership with TRA told NZ Post that Kiwis often mailed items directly from destination countries for price and convenience. But the main driver for sending gifts in the first place was emotion.
And that is what NZ Post ran with.
Parcelling up items you’ve personally selected and touched adds an emotional dimension and sentimental value to the recipient and “connects you immediately with your loved one overseas”, says the NZ Post team.
“Unless we connect emotionally, we can’t win – sending direct from a retailer will always be cheaper, faster and easier.”
‘Send From Home This Christmas’ was a layered campaign. Step one was to eliminate the hurdle of early posting deadlines through clearly communicated cut-off dates.
NZ Post curated an ‘International Kiwi Cravings Wishlist’ based on research that revealed what expats were missing. Iconic Kiwiana products included Whittaker’s chocolate, Kiwi onion dip, Gingernuts and L&P.
NZ Post’s awards entry set the scene: “Imagine, you’re overseas, spending Christmas away from family and friends. It might be the first time, it might be the 10th. Either way, the emotions are bubbling away… the doorbell rings… you make your way to the front door to find a package. Not just any package though, this is from NZ Post, a signal there’s something special inside from home.”
Stills and videos showed Kiwi expats experiencing the “unbridled joy of seeing the NZ Post branded parcel and tearing inside to see what it might be”.
Messaging was plastered across the country – using billboards, social media activity, geotargeting in malls and media partnerships, millions of Kiwis were reached during the run.
The campaign saw NZ Post increase sales during the festive period and deliver a net positive in revenue for
the company.
The short-term effectiveness prompted NZ Post to build an ongoing programme that also looks at other
key “sending moments” such as Mother’s Day.
Judges’ comments
“Outstanding and very well-written entry – a clear link from business to market to execution. Clearly identified the problem and opportunity, and it was really well delivered. Sent a very clear message with outstanding results. This entry stood out in a very competitive category.”
This was first published in the 2024 September-October NZ Marketing Magazine issue. Subscribe here.
