Despite being a venerated institution in the United States, the proliferation of private-label shipping, the rise of online mega-merchants, and the entrance of big box stores into the home delivery space continually put the squeeze on USPS during the profitable holiday season.

In 2020, to capture the public’s hearts, minds, and business, we sought an approach that focused on what makes USPS a venerated institution - its people, its logistical innovation, its commitment to public service, and its priority holiday shipping offerings and created Dear Santa, a documentary film which tells the story of the USPS's annual Operation Santa program. It was extremely successful in boosting key brand metrics; Among consumers who encountered Dear Santa, USPS ranked #1 for shipping, +7. Favorability increased +8 among exposed audiences, who also identified USPS as their preferred holiday shipper by +5pts. We were tasked with finding a new way to continue these successes.

Operation Santa is USPS's 110 year old holiday initiative which ensures that those in need do not go without during the holiday season. Through this program, for the last 110 years, the USPS has made it possible for the thousands of letters to Santa the USPS gets every year to be adopted by generous “adopter elves” excited to spread holiday cheer. Audiences responded so positively (89% on Rotten Tomatoes) to the film, so our creative insight was to expand the breadth of the film and tell more Operation Santa stories in a six-part docu-series. This expanded format would give audiences not only more content, but also a greater insight into how the program works.

By partnering with Disney & Hulu, we would not only be reaching the already existing audiences from the film, but also a new holiday demographic of holiday viewers who watch their content via streaming.

We were tasked with finding a way to further build the Dear Santa IP, in an effort to continue reaching new and old audiences and to further aid USPS in their attempts to cut through the holiday clutter.

From the film's success, we knew that audiences and critics alike responded positively to the heartwarming content displayed in the film. Audiences had embraced the story of Operation Santa because it showcases what makes the USPS and Operation Santa an American Institution: the hearts, efforts and dedication of the many postal workers and ‘elves’ who make the magic happen for thousands of children each year.

We decided that the best course forward would be to partner with our award-winning director, Dana Nachman, and Disney & Hulu, the distributor of our film to find new Operation Santa stories to tell and new ways to tell them. Dear Santa, The Series was born.

Dear Santa, The Series advanced and exceeded the successes the film achieved towards key USPS holiday brand metrics. Amongst exposed audiences, the series boosted First Choice Brand Preference by +22pts. Additionally, the series boosted brand favorability by 16pts+ and boosted the preferred shipping company for the holidays metric by +10pts. Overall, the series was exceedingly effective in reaching new and existing audiences and building upon the holiday brand objectives USPS had set out with the film.

The series and its corresponding launch generated a wide variety of earned media. Without a marketing or media campaign, the series landed press hits in top industry publications, such as Variety, Entertainment Weekly and the LA Times.

Dear Santa, The Series and Dear Santa, the documentary feature, both currently continue to live on Hulu for audiences to watch.