DME Studios Shakes Things Up With "The Target"

Daytona Beach, FLA – Top executives and marketing managers for some of Central Florida’s largest corporations were quite surprised when a man with an earpiece, black suit and briefcase showed up to hand deliver a package to their business. The package was hand addressed and the contents were unknown, instructions from the courier were that it had to be hand delivered to the recipient and was of the utmost importance. Court summons? Important paperwork? You’d have to open it to find out.

Opening the package, recipients were surprised to see their photo and company name in a case file that looked as if it were part of a CIA operation. A personalized website address in red promised to show full case details and information. Upon visiting the website, a high definition video preview played in what appeared to be a movie trailer of some sort. The video showed a hitman about to perform his last job before retiring from a profession he seemed to be having second thoughts about. A mysterious voice on the phone gave orders that the high profile target must be eliminated without compromising the hitman’s identity. But who was this high profile target?

The target turned out to be the recipient, as part of a clever and innovative marketing campaign using personalized video technology by XMPie. Each recipient’s video would feature their headshot, name, job title, and city as the hitman uncovered different pieces of information throughout the story. Variable audio was used to insert the recipient’s name into the video for an added element of personalization. As the action led up to the hitman about to fulfill his hit, a message appeared that DME Studios could target your customers with innovative, personalized and relevant communications. After watching the video, the website’s “Order a Hit” feature encouraged recipients to upload their friend’s photo and information to send their own personalized video like the one they just viewed.

All this for a marketing campaign? “We knew we needed to grab the attention of the hardest to reach decision makers in an organization, so direct mail or email was not an option. We wanted these people to understand the type of work DME Studios creates and start a conversation with our agency,” says Ben Dyon, President of DME Studios. As a decision maker himself, Dyon rarely allows himself the time to read through mail and other solicitations for his company. “We needed to cut through the advertising clutter and reach these people directly by sparking their interest with a mysterious package. Trying to explain how our personalized marketing communications work with a postcard or email was not going to be effective. People need to experience it firsthand to realize how impactful it can be,” says Dyon.

“The Target” won local ADDY Awards for cinematography and non-traditional self-promotion, and went on to win a Gold ADDY at the District competition. To create your own personalized experience and view “The Target”, visit www.DMETarget.com, or view Ben Dyon’s personalized campaign at www.dmetarget.com/ben.dyon.