TNT Express

Flexibility Campaign

Early in 2010, TNT Express Services developed and launched their 'Customer Promise', a set of 10 pledges that summarises the principles on which they do business with their customers.

The customer perception of performance against those pledges is regularly researched, and mid-way through the year feedback was that, whilst the company was seen as being extremely efficient at all aspects of the service they provide, they were falling short in the 'soft' areas of customer service.

Zest was briefed to devise and create a campaign that would promote their human side - their flexibility, and transmit that message to both existing and prospect customers.

The delivery was based around driving customers and prospects to a campaign microsite: http://www.flexibilitynow.co.uk where visitors could view an animated film that explored theoretical customer service scenarios and highlighted TNT's flexible approach to them. The film was deliberately produced using a 'naïve' style called CommonCraft (normally used to explain complex technical issues in an easy to understand way), a definite break from TNT's normal style of 'corporate' communications, in order to show a different side of TNT and put the 'human' message in context.

This fully-integrated campaign was transmitted to the company's database by both direct mail and multiple email transmissions, with a slightly different message to each of the 15 customer profiles in the database. Visits to the micro-site were recorded and tracked with direct links to online booking facilities and service details provided within the environment.

The subsequent research on Customer Promise showed a definite correction of the perception of 'flexibility' and the campaign moved onto the next phase: upweighting perceptions of the environmental awareness of the organisation.