Direct Marketing

To see the puzzle solved, click on the photo above.

How could St. Anthony Park Bank reach out to a select group of prospects — the presidents of medium-sized businesses in the Saint Paul area — when most of those top executives wouldn't even return phone calls?

Maccabee Group devised a direct marketing campaign for the bank, which involved a mysterious puzzle featuring a silver dollar trapped in a steel cylinder. Prospects actually welcomed a call from Park Bank's president, who held the secret to liberating the dollar. The puzzle mailer won both "Best Direct Mail" and "Best of Show" Awards from the Minnesota Bank Marketing Association.

But, most importantly, the puzzle generated a stunning response rate of more than 50 percent, signing on 10 new commercial accounts.

"The Maccabee Group has been an absolutely integral part of our bank's growth success. We consider them an extension of our management team, involving them in all aspects of customer communications. They are available at a moment's notice to meet and, more importantly, mentally and emotionally available in helping us do a better job telling our story" — Rick Beeson, President Saint Anthony Park Bank