Subscriptions are becoming a way of life, with TV, music, groceries and personal care products being organised and delivered on a monthly basis. This collection of five pieces of work show how to attract and retain that coveted regular custom.
GIRLS Break Up Ice Cream
When a flagship show finishes, subscription TV channels fear cancellations. To prevent this when GIRLS ended, Sky TV sent viewers ice cream tubs reminding them about other great shows on the channel, such as Big Little Lies. This deliciously creative idea helped Sky achieve 92% customer retention, and shows that a more fun, tactical treatment can often be more effective than the default offer of a month’s free subscription.
Another newspaper subscription drive came from the New York Times which showed the paper’s commitment to independent journalism at a time when the term ‘fake news’ was becoming ubiquitous. It shows how to use core brand values to power subscriptions take-up: the New York Times enjoyed its best quarter for subscriber growth and subsequently passed a milestone of 2 million digital-only news subscribers.
Car ownership is a tough sell to a younger crowd who want neither the financial outlay nor the ongoing, long-term commitment. Volvo tackled that conundrum head on by offering a subscription to Volvo vehicles, showing how conventional car brands are modernising to keep up with competing services like Zipcar.
HelloFlo is a direct-to-consumer femcare service so that women and teen girls can keep their supplies topped up. Because, as the film testifies, Aunt Flo – personified here as a lady in red - will appear at the most unexpected times. This work exemplifies how to use humour to sell a subscription service for a low interest personal care product, imbuing it with personality and warmth.
The Economist served up provocative, dynamic ads in real time that unlocked samples of the newspaper’s typical content. The increase in new subscriptions led to an estimated £12m in lifetime revenue. It shows how to widen your subscriber base: having targeted the upper echelons of intelligent society with its iconic white on red print and OOH work, this activity enabled it to appeal to a broader church.