Head Office

Work

A.S.Adventure

Outdoor adventure retailer produces genuine leisure magazine

A.S.Adventure

An outdoor adventure retailer wants to increase loyalty and enhance sales. Head Office comes up with A.S.Magazine, an irrestible mix of relaxation, information and entertainment. Inspiring travel reports, surprising interviews, breathtaking outdoor activities and useful product information. With an impressive return on investment and a Cuckoo Award for best customer magazine.

- General Consumer Loyalty
- Present current products and services
- Generate traffic in store (and website)
- Influence buying behaviour
- Highlight expertise of staff
- Enhance and expand customer database

- A.S. Magazine blurs the boundaries between Custom Publishing and a fully fledged magazine. - Four times a year the 100-page magazine offers an irresistible mix of relaxation and information, with inspiring travel reports, surprising interviews, breathtaking outdoor activities and useful product information. - It can easily compete with renowned Belgian travel magazines such as Genieten, Grande or Elders & Anders (Voyages Voyages).

- Excellent ROI - Increased turnover of products as a result of publication articles - Extra leads and bookings through A.S. Events (Events agency) - More or less covers its own costs thanks to income generated by advertising - Apart from the many positive reactions to the magazine launch, in the first year the editors received more than 400 spontaneous travel stories and applications for positions as a reporter! - High number of visitors to the online magazine. - Increased Open Rate and Click Through Rate of the monthly electronic newsletter - Expanded address data base via registrations for the online magazine and e-letter

A.S.Adventure, Adventure, Efficiency, Loyalty program, Magazine, Publishing, Results, Retail, ROI, Strategy, Travel

Club Med

A journey round the world of lucky charms

Club Med

Discover how a journey round the world of lucky charms intrigued top clients of travel organisation Club Med... and resulted in 24% more bookings.

Club Med wanted to:
1) Announce the start of the 2009 summer season in avant premiere exclusively to top customers;
2) Increase sales.
And this in a difficult economic climate, in a sector which is highly sensitive to market conditions.

- Not a classic product brochure but an exotic and luxurious story in book form. - Intriguing lucky charms from all corners of the world guide the reader through the exclusive Club Med destinations. - He or she is encouraged to discover the local lucky charm at one of the destinations – and of course discover the destination itself.

- First week of campaign: 302 % more bookings than the first week of last year’s campaign. - Final result: 24% more bookings than the previous year.

Club Med, Direct marketing, Efficiency, Loyalty program, Results, ROI, Strategy, Travel

KHLeuven

Oldest promo team in the world seduces youngsters

KHLeuven

How strong is a team of 86-year old promo ladies in convincing young people to get a decent education? Very, we experienced with our campaign for a Belgian college in the city of Leuven.

A college in the city of Leuven (KHLeuven) wanted to attract visitors for its info day. The target was young people graduating from high school, as well as older candidates who wanted to broaden their knowledge or improve their employment opportunities. The goal was to attract at least 200 people for the info day. And this on a shoestring budget.

The agency created a campaign “It’s never too late for an education at KHLeuven.” A unique promotional team consisting solely of elderly people went out on the street to convince youngsters of the importance of a good education. Moreover, all members of the promo team were volunteers. Wiser, more experienced and authentic, they charmed everyone and got attention wherever they went

- More than 1000 people visited the info day, whereas the target was 200. Results exceeded the initial target more than 5 times. - 110 people enrolled at the infoday for an education at KHLeuven. - Free publicity: articles and interviews with the oldest promo team appeared in national and regional newspapers, items on tv news...

Campaign, Direct marketing, Efficiency, KHLeuven, Online, Results, ROI, Services, Strategy, Street marketing

Unilever

The Good Old Days

Unilever

Were things better in the 'good old days'? Marie and Marcel took customers back in time and let them decide for themselves. Unilever and Head Office were pleasantly surprised with the results of the campaign.

Unilever wanted to increase sales of its brands at Carrefour. This at a time when the anniversary of Expo 58, decreasing spending power and a lurking economic crisis where dominating the news.

- The agency created a campaign built on nostalgia and fascination: “The God Old Days”. - Two characters (almost stereotypes) Marie & Marcel, took consumers on a journey through the past: from the 90’s back to the 50’s. - Participants just had to register on the campaign website. They then received a personalized coupon offer by e-mail every two weeks, every ‘decennium’. - The concept was carried through to the campaign website with an on-line quiz (and extra prizes) supported by relevant content. In this way, the web site was continuously refreshed with fun brand info from the past. - The coupon offer came to the consumer through a campaign radiating warmth and optimism. - In addition, the consumer learned in a fascinating and humorous way that not everything was always better in the old days! - Today they get more value for money and can choose from an enormous range of superior products.

- All targets in the KPI’s were exceeded over a 10-week period. - The campaign increased sales by 36% in participating SKU’s alone. - During a 4-week period, 94,100 participants were recruited (25% above target). - The quiz was entered 882,426 times by 39,625 unique visitors. - The website was visited 396,053 times, of which 195,152 were unique visitors. - Number of page views was 2,270,793, with an average of 5.7 pages per visit.

Campaign, Direct marketing, Efficiency, FMCG, Loyalty program, Online, Results, Retail, ROI, Strategy, Unilever

AGC

Glass Focus

AGC Flat Glass Europe

How do you communicate a new brand identity and at the same time increase employer involvement? We did it with a modern employer magazine. And it received an overwhelming response.

After a rebranding campaign, the Belgian flat glass manufacturer AGC Flat Glass Europe decided to rethink its internal communication for employees across Europe. More specifically, they wanted to communicate the new identity and values of the company, and find a means of providing employees with more company and product information. Last but not least, AGC Flat Glass Europe was searching for a way to increase the involvement of its employees.

We created a modern employer magazine for AGC Flat Glass Europe, in eight different languages. It differs from other employer magazines in the way it involves employees. As a corporate magazine it is written from the point of view of the employee, regardless of his or her nationality, function or grade. - We opted for a magazine with rather small dimensions; a format that gives it an informal feel. - Every section responds to specific criteria, with well-balanced attention to all countries and nationalities. - Large, modern photographs show realisations, production processes and above all, employees. - The tone-of-voice is light and accessible; the texts short and lively, with real stories from employees. Always written from the the reader’s point-of-view. - Every national division of AGC Flat Glass Europe can integrate four to eight pages of specific content for their employees in the middle of the magazine.

- The magazine received an overwhelming response from readers/employees and AGC-communication managers from all countries. - AGC Flat Glass Europe had been struggling to publish the targeted four editions of their corporate magazine. With our new concept and approach, those targets are now easily met.

AGC Flat Glass Europe, Content, Durables, Editing, Employer magazine, Internal communication, International, Publishing, Results

A.S.Adventure

Jack, the Uncomfortable Backpack

A.S.Adventure

A comfortable backpack is a must for travelers. And yet so many of them still carry around a backpack that's the opposite: heavy, uncomfortable... A real burden. A.S. Adventure invited them to come and try out a comfortable backpack. In fact: Jack invited them...

A.S.Adventure, a chain of specialist outdoor stores, wanted to promote its selection of backpacks.
During the A.S.Adventure Outdoor Weekend, buyers of backpacks receive a reduction while company experts offer professional advice and unique testing methods with weights and airbags for those seeking a backpack that fits them perfectly.
The agency was asked to create a campaign aimed at increasing traffic to the stores.

In response the agency created Jack, the Uncomfortable Backpack. Jack symbolizes a person you try to carry on your back: heavy and very uncomfortable! In the sales letter Jack speaks to the reader. He tells them how uncomfortable backpacks like him can be, and explains what they should look for when buying one.

The campaign was centred on direct mail, addressed to customers and prospects. The choice of direct mailing was obvious: a one-to-one approach suited the concept best and gave Jack enough room to tell his story. In addition to the mailing, we placed ads in weeklies and ran online banners. We also ensured editorial support for the campaign and promotion in (online) magazines such as Joker, Connections and Zuiderhuis. During the campaign period, sales of backpacks in the stores were 150% higher than the year before. Moreover, A.S.Adventure succeeded in attracting newcustomers who had never visited an A.S.Adventure store before.

A.S.Adventure, Copywriting, Direct Mail, Outdoor, Retail, ROI

Fostplus

Activity Report

Fostplus

Putting together a compelling activity report is not an easy task. For Fost Plus we decided to go 3D. Take a look at the case - in 2D.

Fost Plus is an organisation that promotes, coordinates and finances the selective collection, sorting and recycling of household packaging waste. It invited the agency to create its Activity Report for 2008. This document reports all the facts and figures to members and shows the overall performance of Fost Plus through the year. It also had to communicate the Fost Plus main theme: making recycling concrete.

We opted for a straightforward, but nevertheless impactful approach. Meticulously constructed 3D-images brought the main theme to life and gave the report a sophisticated and stylish look. We also paid close attention to the report’s readability, tone-of-voice and accessibility – characteristics that are often forgotten in the creation of activity reports.

3D Design, Fostplus, Publishing, Recycling, Services

Harley-Davidson

Unlock your freedom

Harley-Davidson Benelux

Discover how we tapped into the free minds of Harley-Davidson riders and vitalized the famous Open House Days.

Harley-Davidson organises two open house weekends each year, when dealers can proudly show the next season’s new models. In autumn 2009, Harley-Davidson wanted to attract as many visitors, consisting of both existing and prospective clients, as possible to Open House. Its goal was data gathering and increased sales.

A new model is always an experience for Harley-Davidson fans, especially if they can take it on the road for a test drive. This time, we were not talking about just any old test drive, but the ultimate test drive for two people, lasting several days. After all, Harley Davidson is all about freedom. We took this concept literally in this campaign. We left a Freedom Box – a plexiglass box containing a voucher for a road trip on a new Harley-Davidson of your choice – with each dealer. Each client or prospective client who updated or made a profile on the special offer website was given a code. If their code could crack the transparent Freedom Box, they would win the road trip or one of the many other prizes. Clients and prospects were invited to participate via offline mailing (60.000), e-mail (12.000), bannering, print advertisements in newspapers and point-of-sale material.

- In total 3.545 contacts took part. There were 1.107 profile updates and 2.409 new profiles. - This response was 10 times higher than the previous Open House promotional event.

Automotive, Brand Activation, Campaign, Creative, Direct marketing, Online, Results, ROI

Unilever

A Mini gives Maximum results: Belgium's favourites from Unilever

Unilever

A multi-media shopper platform supporting Belgians' favourite brands. See how we created customer involvement & massive sales increase in crisis times.

In 2009, Unilever wanted to increase sales of its most popular A-brands in Carrefour (Hyper, GB, Market and Express) in various product categories. Research had revealed three important insights: in times of crisis, consumers need certainty, simplicity and support.

We created the Belgium’s favourites campaign. We conducted polls to discover Belgian consumers’ favourite brands and Belgian favourites in general. The centre point of the campaign was a user-friendly, strategic e-coupon platform: www.belgischefavorieten.be. We generated traffic to the platform through various media such as advertisements in daily newspapers, public relations, offl ine and online direct mail, brand activation and retail folders. The campaign had 6 peak periods (March, April, June, July, October/November, December). 4 large promotions were launched during the campaign. In each one, participants received discounts of their own choice, via e-coupons. Each week, one winner received a load of Belgian favourites worth €2000. The main prize was a Mini Cooper.

A database of 36.000 registered users, based on detailed sales figures from Carrefour Belgium revealed the following: • Visits: 263.978 • Unique visitors: 114.604 • Pageviews: 857.640 Salesuplift wave 1: 844.000 euro Salesuplift wave 2: 130.000 euro Salesuplift wave 3: 385.000 euro Salesuplift wave 4: 332.000 euro Salesuplift wave 5: 118.000 euro Salesuplift wave 6: fi gures are not yet known

Brand Activation, Campaign, Creative, Direct marketing, FMCG, Results, Retail

Tunify

Let the biggest artists contribute to your success

Aristo Music

What if real artists were to perform in your business? It's made possible by Tunify. Sit back and dim the lights please.

Tunify is a digital music service that was primarily developed for entrepreneurs who work with the public. Tunify is unique because of its underlying technology based on intelligent music algorithms, that enables users to play the ‘right’ music in their establishment every time, regardless of the moment or audience.

Legendary artists apply for a job in bars, cafés and other establishments. The right music at the right time is always good for business.

Campaign is still running.

Brand Activation, Campaign, Creative, Direct marketing, Results

Head Office

Save our Christmas tree

Head Office (self promotion)

Do trees really live longer when you speak to them? The answer was pretty clear after we launched our Christmas card.

Christmas cards are always a difficult task for an advertising agency. It’s very hard to come up with something original that stands out. A traditional Christmas card was not the thing we wanted to send out this year. We took the path of an intruiging urban legend.

Do trees live longer when you talk to them? We decided to find out and created a microsite featuring our Christmas tree. Then we sent out a Christmas-mail to our clients, asking them to talk to the tree on the website. For every message the tree would live a day longer.

As we speak, our Christmas tree already survived the burning of Christmas trees in Leuven. Tens of clients and employees talked to the tree and came up with very original messages. So yes, trees do indeed live longer when you talk to them.

Campaign, Creative, Online, Results

Belgian Homeless Cup

Courage above all

Open Stadion

The Belgian Homeless cup is a football tournament for homeless people. Nevertheless, the initiative found a safe home in Head Office, who designed the campaign image and logo.

The Belgian Homeless Cup is a football tournament for homeless people organised by Open Stadion and welfare organisation Steunpunt Algemeen Welzijnswerk. For the participants, football is much more than just a hobby: it's an activity that provides them with motivation and structure, teaches them to once more function in a group and gives them the strength to turn their lives in a positive direction. The communication on the Belgian Homeless Cup had to convey a strong message: with the right guidance, no one is hopeless or lost to society.

BHC's vision is that anyone who can find the courage within themselves to do something about their situation is a winner. Everyone in a difficult situation is a fighter, a survivor. Head Office therefore put “COURAGE” at the heart of the concept. This is symbolised by Ambiorix, the famous leader and bravest of all the Belgians, who was depicted as a footballer for the occasion. The baseline concludes: Courage above all.

The communication on the (still young) Belgian Homeless Cup developed into maturity. The campaign image and logo became recognisable elements of a campaign whose spear points were an extensive website, a buzzing Facebook page, a sporting newsletter and a multitude of other carriers. This work received acknowledgement when the minister in charge of subsidies extended the project by a year.

Campaign, Non-profit, Online, Street marketing

Brico Magazine

Brico Magazine creates dreams and helps them realize

Brico

Brico Magazine forms a bridge between interiors design and a Do-It-Yourself approach. A higher ROI, new customers and improved customer loyalty make the crossing.

Through the campaign ‘a little bit from us, so much from you’, Brico is working on a new, broader image. From now on, the brand wants to address the large interiors market with the intention of attracting potential new clients. A magazine should be an excellent tool to guide that evolution and increase customer loyalty.

With a look & feel and a content that can easily stand next to well-known interiors design magazines, the articles set t he readers off to a dream world. In reality, this time their dreams do come true. Brico Magazine tells you how to realize those beautiful interiors designs of your home or garden, by giving practical and clear Do-It-Yourself tips from real professionals. This makes t he magazine more accessible and practical than classical interiors magazines. Brico Magazine is published four times a year. It has regular features, like garden and nature, constructing and renovating, inspiration and discovery, decoration and interiors design. Also lots of shopping ideas have their own space. The circulation amount is 70,000 dutch copies and 80,000 french copies.

• The magazine enriches the image of the Do-It-Yourself chain and keeps building this up. • Brico Magazine attracts new customers and generates traffi c to the stores. • Higher ROI because of many advertisements of suppliers that compensate a considerable amount of the production costs. • The magazine encourages customer loyalty.

Efficiency, Magazine, Publishing, Retail, ROI

Carmi

An attractive and reader-friendly alternative to a product folder

Carmi

Would you rather read a 215 pages thick product catalogue or a reader-friendly brand magazine that bulges with current topics and interesting facts? Exactly. High-quality Shoe Store Carmi agrees, too.

Through publishing a magazine, Carmi wants to support its wide range of brand products and its high-quality image. Also, the customer magazine should explore the target group in depth, encourage customer relations, and stimulate website interaction. Eventually, Carmi thus wants to increase sales, including the cross-selling of shoes, clothes and accessories.

Carmi chooses to publish a magazine with a captiviting editorial content. As a result, it reads just as fl uently as a lifestyle magazine. At the same time, the brand shows that a trendy and good-looking magazine can be a reader-friendly alternative to a product folder. The sections are primarily designed to place Carmi products in the spotlight as much as possible.

After having published only one issue, it’s too soon to present definite numbers. Kathy Van Daele, Carmi’s Marketing Manager, is quite enthusiastic: "You can’t underestimate the power of a suchlike magazine. Clients come to our shops holding the magazine, asking for the products in the pictures. One particular event stands out: a client spontaneously told us that he had read the whole magazine from A to Z, and that he had liked every single article. Even if I had to pay for it, he said, I would buy it immediately." Finally, the ROI is more than optimized thanks to advertising revenues. These cover a large part of the production cost.

Efficiency, Magazine, Publishing, Retail, ROI

Head Office

News

Everywhere at the beach

Lieve Schatteman now on board

Our very first iPad App

Head Office introduces: KH, the first glossy municipality magazine

Head Office welcomes copywriter Willem Van den Hoof

And the most popular customer magazine of Europe is...

Welcome Belgian Homeless Cup

Talk to the tree

Head Office opens the gate for Harol

New clients for Head Office

AGC Flat Glass Europe and Head Office win ABCI Award

A.S.Adventure and Head Office win a Cuckoo Award

Company

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A.S.Adventure

Club Med

KHLeuven

Unilever

AGC

A.S.Adventure

Fostplus

Harley-Davidson

Unilever

Tunify

Head Office

Belgian Homeless Cup

Brico Magazine

Carmi

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