Hiscox were keen to kick off a direct response programme of activity including DM. 

Tri-Direct used the existing Hiscox customer base and profiled this data in order to build a prospect model.   The customer file was run against various major sources of lifestyle data and, by using the best profile scores, the most targeted list selections were made on insurance renewal date data.   

Initial response to the DM activity was lower than forecast probably because brand awareness was low and a new creative had yet to be developed.  We stuck with our same selection criteria, and once the new creative was launched in combination with a general build up of brand awareness that had now come about (created from national press ads, inserts, door drops & directories – all planned and bought through Tri-Direct), response levels in May suddenly more than doubled.  This demonstrated that the initial modelling was correct but that perhaps the brand, which was still relatively niche, had, by this point, achieved sufficient traction in the minds of potential customers.  

Further enhancements have included testing the use of email addresses of those selected in the postal data to develop two points of contact and introduce an additional response mechanism.  The email campaign served as a follow-up and reminder to the DM pack and contributed to a 17% uplift in response compared with the previous month.  

Tri-Direct continue to refine the mailing matrix and the data selections by feeding back the client’s call centre response data and website quote engine response data back into the models; matching back responses to the original data supplied to identify which grades and segments from the profiles have performed the most effectively.    

Response levels are now hitting - and exceeding - targets.

Tri-Direct will have supplied over 1 million nett names to Hiscox over the course of 2005