Phoneworks: delivering the message sneaky style

Brandweek, March 9, 1998 by Beky Ebenkamp

There are many ways to get a busy executive to look at a pitch letter: make it entertaining or have an irresistible price. Then there is connivery, which Phoneworks successfully executed in a program for its SmartSpiffs interactive marketing system, a promotion that piqued the curiosity of executives through a supposedly lost wallet.

Phoneworks CEO Brad Wendkos and creative director Ken Weightman wanted to get the attention of agency heads, an extremely busy and insulated group. To reach CEOs, they had to get past their gatekeepers, the secretary or assistant who screens mail. "Ken thought of the idea of walking down the street and finding a wallet," said Wendkos. "You're curious about what's in it. And there's the hero factor: You want to find out who the owner is so you can return it."

"I Found Your Wallet" was born. The plan: Deliver a bulky FedEx package to the agency head. Upon opening it, the assistant would find a leather wallet along with a rubberbanded note scrawled on a scrap of paper, "I found your wallet! I'll call tomorrow to make sure you got it. Kathy."

Considering the urgency and personal nature of the contents, it would likely get to the boss pronto.

The busy but curious boss would look through the mystery wallet for clues to the owner's identity, only to find an ID card with his name and business address, and photos of people he supposedly knew. A look through the billfold produced three dollar bills and an ATM slip. On the back, a "to do" list supposedly written by him reminds to "find out about SmartSpiffs."

More hints were placed throughout the wallet. A closer inspection turned up Kathy's business card and a matchbook cover with Smart-Spiffs' 800-number. A fortune cookie predicted a good news phone call, and certificates boasted of awards for Phoneworks' clients like Minute Maid and Jack Daniel's.

The idea was to intrigue the recipients so that they would be receptive to a call from Kathy that afternoon, during which she would proceed to schedule a SmartSpiffs presentation. "These heads of agencies called us when they got the wallets," Wendkos said. "We spoke their language and managed to impress them. Whatever we were selling, they were willing to listen."

Some of the bosses appreciated the humor, and even joked around when they called. "You owe me $27," said one. "There was $30 in the wallet when I lost it." Then there was the agency head who actually had lost his wallet recently. "When he found out h was a promotion, he was a little ticked off at first," Wendkos admits. But did he get his foot in the door? "Of course."

Of the 100 wallets mailed out, 86 companies scheduled a presentation, versus Phoneworks' projected 50% success rate. Some $2.5 million in business has closed to date. Moreover, said Wendkos, those results were produced on a shoestring budget: It cost only about $50 per wallet. "Altogether, it was about the same cost as placing a single page ad in a trade magazine," he said. "And there is no way any ad could generate as much as this did. I dig that aspect very much."

Program "I Found Your Wallet"

Marketer Phoneworks, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Agency In-house

Key players Phoneworks: Brad Wendkos, chief executive officer; Ken Weightman, creative director; Kristin Brett, vice president of sales and marketing