Without a dedicated film marketing budget for DEAR SANTA, USPS activated its extensive mailing network, one that reaches every address in the United States, to advertise the branded documentary to every U.S. household in print, the first time a film has been promoted to every home by mail.

To showcase the dedication of US Post Office employees, the brand’s logistical innovation, and shipping as a priority service for the holidays, USPS created DEAR SANTA, a feature-length documentary spotlighting the brand’s 108-year-old Operation Santa program that pairs “Dear Santa” letters with gift-giving volunteers to make holiday wishes come true.

For over 200 years, Americans have turned to the USPS for its mailing and shipping needs. Whether by horse, rail, aircraft, or mail truck, USPS has remained steadfast in its commitment to servicing the delivery needs of everyone in the United States. However, despite a more attractive price point than private shipping competitors, USPS couldn’t get people to break their affinity for shipping alternatives during the busy holiday season.

If price points and service promises wouldn’t work, then a tug at people’s heartstrings could improve the brand’s top-of-mind recall. Accordingly, an initiative focused on USPS’s existing but little-known good works— which also involve technical and logistical innovation— could make consumers take note. Additionally, highlighting USPS’s longstanding efforts in supporting America’s underserved, could, in turn, inspire a social good movement to help make holiday dreams come true for those in need.

The concept of DEAR SANTA, a documentary feature-film, was born.

Operation Santa, USPS’s 108-year-old program to ensure those in need at the holidays don’t go without, presented an opportunity for a story of joy and generosity that highlights the dedication of USPS employees, the organization’s logistical innovation, and its commitment to reliable shipping as a USPS priority service for the holidays.

A story this big, however, demanded to be told in long form. Furthermore, despite the program’s age, it remained a relative unknown. A feel-good holiday movie would increase the potential for widespread exposure and cut through holiday clutter to deliver big results in earned PR despite the lack of a dedicated marketing budget for the film.

Still, for USPS to deliver its message of holiday help and hope with no additional spend, the organization would need to activate its entire mail-service network to reach every U.S. household with a direct mail promotion on a scale never-before-achieved for a film.

To ensure DEAR SANTA would be seen and embraced by the widest possible audience, the project was shopped to distributors, with distribution rights selling to IFC Films. This approach allowed DEAR SANTA to receive both theatrical and PVOD distribution during the 2020 holiday season – when COVID-homebound American audiences were starving for streaming content. Our PR strategy created interview and feature opportunities that targeted top entertainment publications and TV news programs, creating the breakout opportunity we desired during peak shipping season. Earned media coverage included Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, and Variety - which touted the film as an Oscar contender – Good Morning America, The Drew Barrymore Show, and countless local news segments.

DEAR SANTA is available for purchase on major streaming platforms and currently lives on Hulu, with plans for it to become a perennial holiday viewing experience, further cementing USPS as a force for good in consumers' minds.

In anticipation of the movie’s December 4, 2020 theatrical and PVOD release, USPS included DEAR SANTA promotional inserts with its annual Holiday Mailer – a printed mailer that reaches over 100MM households in every US state and territory. Our direct mail campaign, a $20MM value, marked the first time a film was promoted by mail to every address in the United States. As well, DEAR SANTA inserts accompanied the pay slips of all 630,000 USPS employees.

We reinforced our direct-mail message by transforming all 33,000 post office locations into North Pole-worthy promotional sites with prominently displayed film posters and the trailer playing across 4,000 digital information screens to leverage people’s rapt attention while waiting in long, socially distant queues. A one-click option to watch the trailer was featured on devices every time someone tracked a package, and the film was included in an integration on USPS.com, which remains live.

Our direct-mail campaign to every US household drove viewers to watch DEAR SANTA, universally boosting brand perceptions. USPS ranked #1 for shipping among consumers exposed to DEAR SANTA, +7pts versus non-exposed. Additionally, favorability increased +8pts among exposed consumers, who also identified USPS as their preferred holiday shipper by +5pts.

With zero additional media spend, DEAR SANTA reached an earned media audience of over 4.3B, garnering 4.7B impressions and 783 press hits for an ad equivalency of $8,100,000+. Valuation from support through USPS owned media was $7,379,500.

DEAR SANTA resonated with critics and audiences alike, maintaining a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score as the USPS was able to “deliver” a heartwarming holiday story that both highlighted and leveraged its incredible logistic capabilities, innovative practices, and dedicated workforce.

Best of all, the number of Operation Santa gift deliveries surged 63%, eclipsing the total for 2019 in the first week of the film’s release.