Utah's Hogle Zoo - Direct Mail Acquisition

PRODUCT/SERVICE “Lions, Tigers, Polar Bears and ... RED PANDAS — oh my!”, a direct mail acquisition campaign celebrating the Zoo’s new red panda exhibit that invited people to join the Zoo as members to visit the new animals

TARGET AUDIENCE In-house prospects, including lapsed members and ticket buyer lists, as well as names obtained through trades with local organizations and rented names

OBJECTIVE Grow membership totals and revenues in support of the Zoo’s mission of nurturing respect and appreciation of the natural world

STRATEGY/EXECUTION The direct mail campaign was sent to 225,000 households and was supported by an eight-time email series that helped boost overall results and the bottom line.

RESULTS The campaign results exceeded projections with a 1.26% response rate, 3,722 new/renewed members, $175 average gift, over $651,000 in revenue and a whopping $5.22 ROI for every dollar spent. Additionally, the net revenue exceeded the prior year’s results by $189,000!