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2018 Reed Award Winner for Direct Mail Custom Audience Segmentation
Our engagement solutions team worked closely with in-house data experts to develop two different models to score the potential target audience. We then tested the two different segments of custom built audiences using tear-off mailer. At the end of the test, we were able to track which segment performed better, which informed the campaign’s overall approach to issue advocacy outreach.
The Challenge
To determine the audience most likely to take action on state property tax reform using tear-off mailers by testing custom built models of activist behavior.
Our Approach
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Aggregate the Data: Cull voter records from across the state and identify which segments would be ideal to target for a tear-off mailer campaign.
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Identify the Models: Test two different custom model scores, a) a challenger model, and b) an activist model, to identify the target audience most willing to take action on state property tax reform.
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Conduct the Research: Mail tear-off sheets to two custom modeled audiences and track results via a unique identifier code.
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Examine Results: Determine highest performing group and use this insight for additional omni-channel targeting.
Our Solution
For our research, we proposed testing two different custom model scores to identify which would be more effective for use in future calls for action. The first was an activist model built using survey responses that highlighted the people most likely to respond to a call for action. The second was a model that utilized publicly available data on property tax challenges to score the audience based on their likelihood to challenge their property appraisal. The full mail universe was divided in half, with one half of the mail going to a universe narrowed by the challenger model and the other half narrowed by the activist model. A tracking code was attached to each mailer so we’d know how many from each group were sent back to their respective legislative target.
After the test, our results indicated that the activist model outperformed the challenger model nearly 5:1 – there were 4,034 cards were returned from the activist universe, while only 815 cards were returned from the challenger universe. In other words, even if someone was likely to challenge their property tax bill, it was not a guarantee the same person would contact their legislator or answer a call for action.
Utilizing this knowledge, the campaign is now able to more effectively target their advocacy outreach to the people most likely to take action saving valuable resources and budget. Also, the increased volume of activism has had a marked effect in their work with the legislature.
