Chevrolet direct mail campaign

Nothing in this world is more captivating or absorbing than you. Your own personal brand. So car manufacturer Chevrolet decided to produce a mailer that catapulted the recipient into the starring role of a blockbuster movie – well almost.

Created by Arc Worldwide in Malaysia, ‘I Almost Starred in Transformers 2’ is, in fact, an invite to a preview screening of the sci-fi sequel. The mailer went out to a target audience of 290 auto magazine editors and key Chevrolet customers, and included a storyboard from one of the film's scenes. The storyboard had been doctored, however, to make the recipient appear as the hero of the comic strip and film.

The car manufacturer was one of the main sponsors of the film but other sponsors were also inviting the same important people to their own screenings. This clever mailer made sure that people attended Chevrolet’s screening, by explaining that they didn’t land the lead part but that they could console themselves with the next best thing – coming to the premiere.

The response was phenomenal – 286 of people who were mailed attended the Chevrolet screening. The mailing also generated a lot of buzz and helped to build warmer relationships with key clients and the influential press audience.