Mailchimp's Ingenious Campaign Trail: Transforming 'Clustomers' into Thriving Customers

Our Campaign Trail provides a thorough examination of the latest innovative marketing campaigns. To explore previous articles, visit our archives.

When it comes to small and medium-sized businesses, connecting with customers often demands the same level of personalized approach as larger brands.

"According to Javier Molinos, creative director at Intuit Mailchimp's in-house agency Wink Creative, personalization is crucial for driving business and making customers feel valued. It allows them to develop a stronger emotional connection with a brand when they receive proper care and communication tailored to their needs.

Unfortunately, without the necessary tools, some businesses resort to spamming and sending mass messages to all customers. This relatable customer experience is depicted in a recent Mailchimp campaign, developed by Wink Creative in collaboration with production companies Prettybird and Breakfast for Dinner, under the direction of Calmatic."

The commercial "Turn customers into Clustomers" portrays business customers as a collective entity referred to as a "clustomer" - a diverse group of individuals mixed together like a giant ball. In a concise 30-second advertisement, each person, whether they are an influencer, yoga practitioner, musician, cyclist, or office drone, receives a unique personalized email that allows them to break away from the clustomer collective and regain their individual identity once more.

At Mailchimp, the concept of the "clustomer" showcases a common challenge faced by marketers and customers, while also highlighting the platform's unique benefit—enabling businesses to personalize their interactions on any scale, whether they have a customer list of 10 individuals or 10,000.

Pete Kehr, Wink's Associate Creative Director, explained, "Our customer bases consist of individuals with diverse purchasing behaviors, objectives, and patterns. Our goal is to be like the Coinstar machine for our customers, assisting them in organizing, categorizing, and effectively targeting each customer in a highly personalized manner."

From AI rabbit hole to a ‘circus act’ production

After Wink Creative discovered the "clustomer" concept, the team delved deep into the world of artificial intelligence to explore the characteristics of a clustomer. The agency has extensive experience working with AI, and its parent company, Intuit, has recently introduced Intuit Assist, a platform powered by generative AI.

Kehr explained that he had recently started using the Midjourney AI program, experimenting with different words to find a captivating visual representation of the customer experience. Despite the buzz around generative AI in marketing, Kehr emphasized the importance of human involvement and stated that automation cannot replace the entirety of one's job. In addition to this, Wink had to accurately understand the emotional states of different customers and create compelling dialogue and scenarios to enhance the campaign. These materials would then be used in bumper ads and short clips for social media platforms.

The campaign's most remarkable aspect is the clustomer itself, which was ingeniously crafted in real-time and resembles a sensational Cirque du Soleil performance uniting conventional actors and contortionists. A thrilling multi-day shoot for the spot turned out to be gratifying not only for Wink and its collaborators but also for certain members of the clustomer who are performers themselves.

“You put individuals in a confined environment for an extended period of time, they naturally form acquaintanceships, and by the conclusion of filming, several members of the cast had established true connections, exchanging contact details and [arranging] future communication,” stated Kehr.

In-house insight

“Turn Clustomers into Customers” is the latest project by Wink, an in-house agency established in 2020. With a team of over 40 creatives, Wink has been recognized as Ad Age’s in-house agency of the year. While both Molinos and Kehr have experience working in traditional agencies such as Wunderman Thompson, J. Walter Thompson, and 22squared, they believe that the in-house approach offers unique advantages.

According to Molinos, working in-house sharpens everything. The clients being your colleagues eliminates much of the friction typically found in a traditional agency-client relationship, leading to more relaxed and inclusive conversations.

"We possess the ultimate advantage at an in-house setting – an unparalleled understanding of the product beyond anyone else," he added. "We immerse ourselves in it, constantly engaging with it day in and day out. Hence, it can be considered as a sort of superpower... undeniably unmatched in terms of speed and intimacy."