All software purchased from Microsoft needs to be legally licensed. But most small to medium-sized companies either don’t understand the complicated process of licensing or think they can get away without being caught. We were briefed to educate business heads about the importance of licensing and create a sense of urgency amongst them to purchase one. We had a very modest budget.

We decided to do a 3-step mailer using 3 different modes of delivery, building urgency and impact with every step. A Microsoft Licensing Advisor sent across personalized letters. The first letter written in a friendly & helpful tone went by ‘Regular Post’. The second less courteous letter went by ‘Registered Post’ and couldn’t be missed since in the Middle East, it has to be collected from the post-office by recipients personally. The communication peaked with the third letter. It was sent by ‘Urgent Courier’ and adopted a curt tone, giving the recipient an ultimatum to license before a certain date.

1000 mailers were sent out. We didn’t expect much of a reaction after the first letter. The second registered post letter drew more attention to the issue and we received many responses right after. By the time the third letter reached, it was a crescendo' over 140 businesses took immediate action, calling up Microsoft to declare their licensing status. We even received apology notes explaining why companies hadn't responded to the first two letters. All in all, we received over 200 responses. The idea was so successful; it’s now on for a re-run.