When I was working in finance, I got into a routine of churning out three huge mailings a year for my prospects. The purpose of these blasts was to request the CFOs of targeted companies meet with me– I was going after their banking relationships and I needed an invite to get beyond their gatekeepers. After repeated calls and emails to contact these executives, I tempted them with a barrage of freebies like Yankee games, Wine Tastings, tickets to Billy Joel at The Garden, and holiday parties. (Yes, having a robust budget definitely helped, but still the task was challenging.)
Finally I came up with a menu of delicious treats and coupled them with witty taglines in an attempt to entice not just them, but their entire finance teams. And yep, each campaign was a success.
One of the creative mailings I did was back in 2016– a pivotal voting year if memory serves. I wasn’t allowed to be political so I decided the best thing to ship was impressive boxes of New York City’s favorite black and white cookie from famed Manhattan bakery William Greenberg, Jr. (A serious staple to any real NYC foodie’s diet.) The tagline was something like, “We’re not asking you to take sides, but we have the best treasury management products available. Politics might be complicated but this issue is simply black and white.” They ate it up.
Another fun one involved sending a dozen bagels accompanied by imported French butter and smooth cream cheese from Zabar’s specialty grocery store– a New York City culinary mecca. The headline on that package was, “We’re giving you a dozen reasons to bank with us.” That campaign was a huge hit!
After I left that job I was told that a few folks sat around a bland conference room table attempting to brainstorm the next big blast and a quote from a member of the peanut gallery was, “What would Jen do? She was the creative muscle around here.” I find that hilarious!
I used to always panic after a mailing shipped, sure that I’d never come up with an idea as good as my last one. Now I know better. Real creativity knows no end. There’s always another idea once you get into the habit of flexing your imagination.
I’m truly amazed by my son who day after day cranks out design after design and so many clothing and accessory options that I lose track of what he did yesterday! Another great example of non-stop creativity fueling itself.
jenslittleblackbook.com 