Dunlop

“Vast amounts of engineering have gone into the Direzza's development. One key selling point is grip. Direct mail allowed us to demonstrate that in a hugely compelling way.”

-  Andew Wellgreen, Marketing Manager Beaurepaires & Dunlop.

Here’s how Dunlop sold the Direzza to its retailers.

Dunlop was launching the new Direzza DZ101 – a high performance tyre – to replace the enormously popular Formula FM901. But while the Direzza was very technically advanced, it didn’t have the ‘looks’ of the Formula FM901. The challenge was to communicate that the new Direzza gripped better, was more advanced technology and offered the same profitability to retailers. Dunlop wanted to make the benefits clear to make the seller’s job easier – and so encourage them to recommend Direzza to customers.

A direct mail pack, containing a desktop ‘road test’ was sent to New Zealand retailers selling Dunlop tyres. The pack featured a rolled-up piece of ‘road’ using special adhesive to grip to the tyre: an easily understood, tactile demonstration. It also offered a competition to win a scale model of a V8 Supercar. To enter, the sales force had to answer questions about the Direzza. This encouraged them to read the enclosed brochure about the benefits of the new tyre. An 0800 number provided further information and made ordering easy.

The direct mail pack proved an outstanding way to arm the sales force with information and encourage them to order stock. Initial Direzza stocks sold out through the 0800 number. 35% of sellers entered the competition. And, telemarketing showed 100% recall that the Direzza DZ101 gripped better than the Formula FM901.