WIDGET APPLICATION: "UPS WIDGET 2.0" Direct marketing by Mccann-erickson London

Category: Direct Response Digital: E-commerce, Online Advertising, Brand Awareness & Social Media
Advertiser: UPS
Product/Service: WIDGET APPLICATION
Agency: McCANN ERICKSON LONDON
Date of First Appearance: Sep 17 2009 12:00AM
Entrant Company: McCANN ERICKSON LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Entry URL: http://widget.ups.com
Executive Creative Director: Brian Fraser (McCann Erickson London)
Executive Creative Director: Simon Learman (McCann Erickson London)
Director of Digital Content: Mark Fallows (McCann Erickson London)
Art Director/Designer: Ben Howarth (McCann Erickson London)
Web Developer/Programmer: Stefan Feissli (McCann Erickson London)
Web Developer/Programmer: Lewis Taylor (McCann Erickson London)
Production Manager: Lisa Woo (McCann Erickson London)
Account Executive: Alix Coulter (McCann Erickson London)
Interaction Designer: Martin Story (McCann Erickson London)
Group Account Director: Graham Todd (McCann Erickson Manchester)
Media placement: DM - Online And Direct - 17th Sept 2009
Media placement: Desktop Application - Online And Direct - 17th Sept 2009
Media placement: Microsite - Online And Direct - 17th Sept 2009
Media placement: Banners - Online And Direct - 17th Sept 2009
Media placement: SEM - Online And Direct - 17th Sept 2009

Describe the brief/objective of the direct campaign.
Our brief was to extend Widget 1.0 to 19 markets around the world, build his popularity and drive increased usage of the application. Widget 1.0 enabled UPS to occupy the most valuable media real estate of their most valuable audience – the shipping managers’ desktop. Since his birth in 2007 Widget has worked hard tracking parcels for 80,000 Shipping Managers, across 6 countries. UPS’s friendly desktop app was a big hit as he enabled highly stressed, time-poor shipping managers to manually request package tracking status information. He also enabled UPS to send direct communications to those who had downloaded him.

Explain why the creative execution was relevant to the product or service.
After extensive usability tests of the existing application and site, McCann’s interaction designers re-architected the Widget to create a more seamless user experience. McCann adopted an agile design and build methodology with continuous user feedback and testing. This resulted in Widget 2.0 application; an improved user experience, a new interface design, 5 downloadable skins available from his new web site, a Widget dress up and mash up tool, and his own Facebook fan page.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective with reference to the projected response rates and desired outcome.
McCann’s start point was to gain existing Widget user feedback. This confirmed the users desire for automated package tracking alerts, more personalised communications from UPS, and that Widget himself- the cute critter- should be more playful and social. Now aged 2, his creators McCann London, went back to the drawing board to give him a make over and let his personality shine. The objective remained the same; to make the lives of shipping managers easier.

Describe the results in as much detail as possible with particular reference to the RESPONSE of the target audience including deliverability statistics, response rates, click throughs, sales cost per response, relationships built and overall return on investment.
In the first three months Widget’s site had over 3 million visitors and was downloaded by 200,000+ new shipping friends. Over 2000 of his shippers have dressed him up in his various outfits using the widget dresser tool. He now has a total of 2,500 friends on his Facebook fan page.