International Paper Mailings
When the medium proves the message.
These were a series of B2B direct mail pieces created for International Paper, aimed at senior decision-makers within local authorities and large corporate organisations.
The brief was beautifully simple, and creatively liberating: every mailing had to be made using International Paper’s own paper. Beyond that, we were given complete freedom.
That constraint became the idea. Each execution was designed to demonstrate the innovation, quality and versatility of International Paper’s products by making the paper itself the hero — not just as a substrate, but as the storytelling device.
The mailings were produced as small-batch, highly targeted pieces, allowing for bold, conceptual thinking rather than mass-market safety. Concepts ranged from playful to provocative, including pieces such as a discarded letter addressed from inside a bin, lamenting that it wasn’t made from International Paper stock — because if it had been, it might never have been thrown away in the first place.
Every execution was crafted to surprise, engage and reward the recipient, while subtly reinforcing the commercial truth: better paper performs better, and gets noticed.
The work proved hugely successful, picking up multiple industry awards across categories including Direct Mail and Copywriting, with recognition from major international awards bodies including the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and the London International Awards.
A great example of how a single, well-chosen constraint can unlock genuinely distinctive B2B creativity, and turn a product demonstration into something memorable, talkable, and award-winning.