Background

GGRP is a premier sound house, based in Vancouver, Canada. Despite a strong reputation, and a history of award winning work, GGRP was suffering from the perception that they’d become long in the tooth. They wanted to show that GGRP still stood for creativity in sound.

To meet this objective, the campaign targeted existing and potential new clients, across Canada and into the US.

Idea

Everything vinyl represents seemed to fit GGRP perfectly. From that creative leap emerged a new brand identity and website.

To promote the changes, the original plan was to send out vinyl records but nobody has a gramophone any longer.

Research and several failed prototypes led to the creation of the album cover-as-player concept. The mailing itself played the music.

Results

Over 90% of recipients responded in some way, often by asking for more copies. But it was the indirect responses that generated the most traffic. It became an internet phenomenon, on over 500 blogs such as Gizmodo and Wired. YouTube views for the promotional video have increased by over 20,000 in under a week. Traffic to the GGRP site grew exponentially, moving from 50 visits/week to more than 70,000. The viral nature of the record player’s success has created more conversations with the creative community than GGRP ever expected.

Comment

At Cannes 2010, almost all the Gold winners were campaigns using online video in some way and almost all were created by above-the-line agencies. This too was created by an ad agency rather than a direct marketing specialist but it was about the only winner to use mail. So, if direct agencies can’t win direct awards any longer, something is happening. Whenever I have shown this piece, it has sparked debate with some people thinking it is brilliant and others believing this is an agency ripping off an idea which a young designer created as a project to use packaging more imaginatively. What do you think?

Use of Direct Marketing

Dimensional Mailing

Client: GGRP Sound House Vancouver

Product: GGRP

Title: Cardboard Record Player

Media: Direct Mail

Country: Canada

Date: 2010

Agency: Grey Vancouver Canada

Creative Team

Associate Creative Director/Copywriter: Geoff Dawson

Art Director: Andrew McKinley

Production Team

Production Manager: Dennis Isaacson

Sound Design, Recording Studio: Meg Griffiths

Production, Dyna Graphics: Rick Selinger

Other

President, Vinyl Guru: David Read