GOSH to use linguistic analysis to boost DM response rates
Howard Lake | 29 August 2004 | News
Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity will assess all copy to be used in direct marketing campaigns with Linguistic Analysis Software (LAS) in an attempt to improve response rates to appeals.
Developed by psychological marketing consultancy ESP, the software scores written work in terms of its effectiveness and suggests amendments where appropriate “using proven cognitive science theory.”
GOSHCC says that, in head to head tests, it found that creative that had been run through LAS generated up to a 19% increase in response rates. As a result, the charity says that the software will be integral to its future marketing activity.
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Catherine Lundy, head of donor marketing at GOSHCC, said: “LAS is a cutting-edge piece of software that allows us to hone our marketing material to make sure relevant points are communicated far more effectively. It’s amazing how simply rearranging a couple of words in a sentence can up response rates, and in the current climate such a tool is invaluable.”
“LAS allows creative ‘gut-feel’ to be scientifically validated,” said Jim Brackin, director of insight at ESP. “We profile the people who GOSHCC wants to target and the software suggests ideal sentence constructions and use of words. Direct mail has only seconds in which to motivate the recipient and in such a tight time frame, the way things are said is crucial.”
LAS is available as a licensed desktop software.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.