Key Gordon used large, bright photographs to entice luxury travellers

“One of the things we’re trying to do is be soft-sell,” says Grant Gordon, president and creative director of Toronto-based Key Gordon. “For this mailer in particular, we didn’t want it to come off as marketing. We didn’t want to be screaming at the readers, ‘It’s time to spend $8,000 on a trip to Europe!’ We wanted to come at it a little more subtly.”

In order to advertise B&R’s international trips, which range from $6,000 to $60,000, Gordon says it was important to acknowledge the elephant in the room: the recession.

To grab the attention of even the most skeptical readers, the brochure, which went out on June 5, mixes humour with an ongoing story that uses lots of negative space in its images. Large, bright photographs are matched with punchy investment metaphors to describe the travel experiences available. The title “Stay Liquid” is paired with a photo of a woman holding a bottle of wine in China; The heading “Get Into Foreign Markets” appears opposite a man haggling the price of hot peppers in a bustling Vietnam farmer’s market.

“We’ve moved from a simple photo to a more complicated photo and changed the perspective on each one [from page to page],” Gordon said. “But the main thing is to keep it simple and tell a story using very few words, with as many big, beautiful photos as possible.”

Since Key Gordon was working with a much-reduced budget compared to last year’s brochure, they used several cost-efficient strategies: the accordion-fold format reduced binding costs, the direct-mail brochure was sent to previous B&R travellers only and the brochure is a self-mailer, so no envelope is required. In order to reach new clients, a digital version was sent out via email. 

Response to the direct mail piece has been positive, says Gordon. B&R has received numerous emails from clients who were delighted with the mailer, and bookings are up.