A sale, but not as we know it
Our Mission
2007 was the third year of HSBC's Financial Sales. They were on a slippery slope... offering more and more discount and cheapening the brand image. 25% off in 2005, became up to 50% off in 2006 and in 2007, we were briefed to promote a BOGOF.
We believed HSBC needed a sale which would drive volume while reducing the level of product discount - not a BOGOF! - a sale that would make consumers reappraise their understanding of HSBC while engaging the entire HSBC organization.
Our Idea
Quite simply, we turned the HSBC sale 'green' - a credible idea because HSBC already had strong Green credentials. We kept the mechanic simple - a #2 donation for every product sold to be given to WWF, Earthwatch and BGCI. It was an idea which all 24,500 branch staff could get behind.
Our Execution
The Green Sale was in two stages: Announce and Sell.
A heavyweight TV schedule, large formats in national press and home page take-overs on high traffic portals were used to announce the sale. To drive sales we used response generation media i.e. fractional format press, online display, search and press inserts.
Key to the campaign's success was HSBC's internal communications programme which encouraged staff to endorse the campaign. This included 'Live TV' going out to HSBC staff featuring David Attenborough.
Our Success
HSBC reversed the trend of offering discounts, with an increase in sales of 50% year-on-year. The campaign achieved more feedback from staff than any other campaign in HSBC's history, while raising over £1m for charity.