Digital Print Direct Mail Drives Bookings for Ramblers Walking Holidays

Brief

Ramblers Walking Holidays (RWH) specialises in guided walking holidays across the UK, Europe, and worldwide, offering over 300 unique destinations—from the Hadrian’s Wall National Trail to the Pilgrims’ path through Spain’s Basque country. Each tour is led by expert guides, with travel and accommodation included, providing a fully immersive and stress-free experience for travellers.

RWH’s core customer base tends to be older, a demographic that relies heavily on offline communications, including printed brochures and direct mail campaigns. The company sought to re-engage past customers and enquirers, promote upcoming tours, and drive bookings using a more targeted and cost-effective approach than traditional bulky brochures.

RWH engaged Red C, a specialist direct mail agency, to develop a campaign that combined personalised messaging, compelling creative, and strategic targeting. The objective was to create a direct mail campaign that would stimulate interest, build confidence in travel, and encourage recipients to visit the website to explore tours and complete bookings.

Approach

Red C applied a data-driven methodology to deliver an effective direct mail campaign. Working with insights from RWH’s data agency, the team analysed customer preferences, booking history, and behavioural patterns. This information informed the direct mail strategy and planning, ensuring that the campaign would be highly relevant to each recipient and address varying comfort levels regarding travel.

The recommendation was a 12-page digital print mailer, offering a cost-effective and flexible alternative to large, comprehensive brochures. Digital print allowed for personalisation at scale, enabling each recipient to receive content tailored to their interests and past booking behaviour, while maintaining high-quality production standards.

The direct mail design focused on visually engaging layouts that showcased selected UK and European holidays, with stunning photography to evoke adventure and reassurance. By highlighting a curated selection of destinations rather than the full range of 300 holidays, the mailer inspired interest while guiding recipients to explore more online.

Direct mail copywriting was crafted to build trust and encourage action. A personal message from the Managing Director established a human connection and reassured recipients of the company’s commitment to safety and customer satisfaction. Clear messaging, including a travel refund guarantee and easy-to-follow calls to action, addressed potential concerns and encouraged confidence in booking. Additional copy highlighted promotions such as a Double Early Booking Discount and emphasised convenience with messages like “All you need to do is pack,” reinforcing the simplicity of the experience.

The campaign was designed to drive recipients to the website, integrating direct mail with digital touchpoints to track engagement and measure effectiveness. This linked approach allowed RWH to see how personalised mailers translated into online exploration and bookings, providing insight into customer behaviour and campaign ROI.

Red C also proposed a more agile direct mail strategy and planning approach. Rather than relying solely on large annual brochures, a series of smaller, targeted mailings could be produced quickly, sent to specific segments, and aligned with promotional objectives or seasonal demand. This method increased flexibility, improved targeting, and optimised costs, demonstrating the value of an adaptable and responsive direct mail strategy.

Close collaboration with RWH’s internal marketing team ensured all creative elements, messaging, and campaign execution aligned with brand standards and business objectives. By combining data insights, personalised direct mail design, and persuasive direct mail copywriting with strategic planning, Red C delivered a highly effective campaign capable of driving measurable results.

Conclusion

The personalised digital print mailer successfully stimulated interest among past customers and enquirers, driving bookings for RWH’s walking holidays. The campaign demonstrated that targeted, well-designed direct mail could effectively engage an older audience that traditionally relied on offline communications.

By integrating data-driven insights with expert direct mail design and compelling direct mail copywriting, Red C created a mailing that communicated reassurance, convenience, and value. The campaign messaging, including a refund guarantee and early booking incentives, built confidence and encouraged recipients to act.

The success of the project highlighted the advantages of adopting a flexible and targeted direct mail approach. Smaller, personalised campaigns can be produced efficiently, tracked effectively, and optimised continuously to achieve better ROI than traditional large-scale brochures. By linking offline mailings to digital channels, RWH gained deeper insight into customer engagement and behaviour, enabling informed decisions for future marketing activity.

This collaboration demonstrates the impact of working with a specialist direct mail agency that combines strategic planning, creative execution, and effective messaging. Through careful direct mail strategy and planning, visually appealing direct mail design, and persuasive direct mail copywriting, Red C helped RWH convert interest into bookings, creating a scalable model for future campaigns.

RWH now has a cost-effective and agile direct mail framework that can reach new and lapsed customers, complement digital channels, and drive engagement for their wide range of walking holidays. The campaign serves as a benchmark for how personalised, data-informed direct mail can successfully stimulate bookings and enhance customer experience.