How Saxoprint’s brand awareness rocketed on a paid media budget of zero

Summary

Saxoprint is one of the largest printing companies in Europe but had a low awareness level in the UK. It faced an audience of print buyers who couldn’t find designers, and vice versa.

So in early 2017, Freestyle created a collaborative community platform called ProStudio. The idea was to connect designers and buyers, with Saxoprint at its heart. From here the campaign objective became to create broader awareness of the platform and drive sign-up in the design community.

To tackle this the agency created the ‘Great British Postcard’ design competition hosted on the ProStudio platform. The campaign was supported by The Big Issue and University of the Arts London, as well as celebrities and influencers such as John Lydon and John Bird, who used the platform to drive momentum and create more fame for the project.

In light of Brexit, the highly topical theme for the competition was ‘your Britain on a postcard’. The campaign ran for six months with no paid media by just using entrant’s postcards and social channels to drive awareness.

The campaign culminated in a packed prize giving event at Proud Gallery Camden, with Lydon as head judge.

Results were all above target, with press and broadcast coverage, over 50,000 votes, and 53% business increase for Saxoprint through ProStudio.