Project Name
The Nice List
Client
Oliver Rae
Category
Traditional Marketing
Another Christmas card? Nah!
Christmas marketing can get a bit…samey.
Cards. Chocolate. Branded bottles. A festive email that starts with “As another year draws to a close…”
Oliver Rae wanted to do something for the businesses they really wanted to work with, but they didn’t want it to feel like another sales mailer disguised in Christmas wrapping.
So we started with one question:
How do we get Oliver Rae through the door without immediately talking recruitment?
100 businesses. Hand-picked by the Oliver Rae team. And every one of them had officially made it onto the Nice List.
We built the whole Christmas drop around one idea, putting together gift bags that gave Oliver Rae a reason to introduce themselves without another “Hi, we’re a recruitment agency and we’d love to discuss your staffing requirements” landing on someone’s desk.
Inside went a wall planner, branded notebook and pen, a tri-fold Oliver Rae flyer, bright green watermelon flavoured candy canes and a fresh linen candle.
And yes. We made the candles ourselves. (All 100 of them!)
We could’ve ordered 100 candles. That would have been considerably easier.
Instead, we made them.
All. One. Hundred!
Melted, scented, poured, wicked, and packed by hand, because we wanted the whole thing to feel like something Oliver Rae had actually put some thought into rather than a load of promotional merch ordered from a catalogue.
Was making 100 candles slightly more work than originally anticipated? Yes.
Would we do it again? …Ask us nearer Christmas. (We’d love to)
Another Christmas card? Nah!
Christmas marketing can get a bit…samey.
Cards. Chocolate. Branded bottles. A festive email that starts with “As another year draws to a close…”
Oliver Rae wanted to do something for the businesses they really wanted to work with, but they didn’t want it to feel like another sales mailer disguised in Christmas wrapping.
So we started with one question:
How do we get Oliver Rae through the door without immediately talking recruitment?
100 businesses. Hand-picked by the Oliver Rae team. And every one of them had officially made it onto the Nice List.
We built the whole Christmas drop around one idea, putting together gift bags that gave Oliver Rae a reason to introduce themselves without another “Hi, we’re a recruitment agency and we’d love to discuss your staffing requirements” landing on someone’s desk.
Inside went a wall planner, branded notebook and pen, a tri-fold Oliver Rae flyer, bright green watermelon flavoured candy canes and a fresh linen candle.
And yes. We made the candles ourselves. (All 100 of them!)
We could’ve ordered 100 candles. That would have been considerably easier.
Instead, we made them.
All. One. Hundred!
Melted, scented, poured, wicked, and packed by hand, because we wanted the whole thing to feel like something Oliver Rae had actually put some thought into rather than a load of promotional merch ordered from a catalogue.
Was making 100 candles slightly more work than originally anticipated? Yes.
Would we do it again? …Ask us nearer Christmas. (We’d love to)
The bit that made the whole thing work was the list.
These weren’t 100 random businesses pulled from a database.
They were businesses Oliver Rae had specifically chosen because they wanted to start a conversation with them.
So “You’ve Made It Onto Our Nice List” wasn’t just something festive to slap on the front.
It was true.
And suddenly a cold introduction felt considerably less…cold.
Getting someone’s attention doesn’t always mean shouting louder.
Sometimes it’s about giving them a reason to remember who turned up.
The planner might end up on the wall. The pen gets chucked in someone’s drawer. The candy cane probably gets eaten before lunch. The candle gets taken home.
And somewhere amongst all of that is Oliver Rae.
Not another recruitment email sitting unread in an inbox.
A real, physical introduction to the brand.
That’s what we wanted this to be.
Not “Here’s some merch, let’s try and book a meeting to win some business”
The bit that made the whole thing work was the list.
These weren’t 100 random businesses pulled from a database.
They were businesses Oliver Rae had specifically chosen because they wanted to start a conversation with them.
So “You’ve Made It Onto Our Nice List” wasn’t just something festive to slap on the front.
It was true.
And suddenly a cold introduction felt considerably less…cold.
Getting someone’s attention doesn’t always mean shouting louder.
Sometimes it’s about giving them a reason to remember who turned up.
The planner might end up on the wall. The pen gets chucked in someone’s drawer. The candy cane probably gets eaten before lunch. The candle gets taken home.
And somewhere amongst all of that is Oliver Rae.
Not another recruitment email sitting unread in an inbox.
A real, physical introduction to the brand.
That’s what we wanted this to be.
Not “Here’s some merch, let’s try and book a meeting to win some business”
Direct mail doesn't have to mean 5,000 identical flyers disappearing through 5,000 letterboxes.
Sometimes a smaller idea, sent to exactly the right people, can make considerably more noise.
Got someone you want to get in front of?
Let's think of a reason for them to notice you.
