The Campaign That Changed Everything

Every great marketing campaign starts with an idea to address a challenge, and this one began with a request from my CEO at a company I worked with, who was looking for a creative concept to get an introduction to close the sale. He looked at me and said, “We have every single customer in this category except one.” He was talking about one of the largest banks in North America.

That statement was followed by a request. “I would like you to come up with something creative that will garner attention and help us get our foot in the door.” We talked about the potential of onboarding this customer and what it meant for the business. We concluded that meeting with his final parting words… “I don’t need the whole pie, just a piece of it.”

A simple idea… and an apple pie.

That phrase stuck in my mind long after the meeting ended. And then it hit me… if he wanted a piece of the pie, why not send one?

Once the idea landed, I couldn’t let it go. I directed the sales team to identify and verify the contact information of key decision‑makers. I began researching and discovered a company in New York that specializes in baking and delivering classic American Apple pies. This felt perfect. It was warm, nostalgic, and impossible to ignore.

But sending a pie alone wasn’t enough. I wanted to create an experience, something memorable, something that would make a bank executive stop mid‑bite and think, “Who are these people?”

So I wrote a recipe card, not for the apple pie, but for the benefits of doing business with us, focused on our points of differentiation that I knew would resonate with them.  

Recipe for Working With Us

• A heaping serving of security compliance.
  The core ingredient. Every transaction is fortified with rigorous safeguards, continuous monitoring, and industry‑leading protection.
• A full cup of legislative compliance.
  The backbone of the recipe. Built‑in adherence to evolving regulations, ensuring every action meets and often exceeds required standards.
• A pinch of dependable delivery.
  Reliable, predictable execution that arrives exactly when needed.
• A sprinkle of seamless customer experiences
  Smooth, intuitive processes that make secure, compliant transactions feel effortless for your customers.

You get the idea. This was all baked into a playful, clever “business recipe card” that accompanied every pie.

Behind the Scenes: What Apple Pie Taught Me About Creative Selling

What I didn’t know at the time was that this bank had a massive distribution center. Many of the pies never made it past that point.  Apparently, apple pie has a way of disappearing. I mean, who can you resist the smell of a freshly-baked apple pie? 

But enough pies did make it through. And the ones that did? They caused a stir. Suddenly, everyone was talking about the company bold enough to send an apple pie through the mail to top executives.

• It was unexpected.
• It was fun.
• It was human.
• And it worked.

The buzz turned into curiosity. Curiosity turned into conversations. Conversations turned into a meeting. And those meetings turned into a customer. We won the business. All from a simple idea sparked by a single phrase: a piece of the pie.

This campaign was a reminder that creativity still wins in business. That boldness opens doors, and those human touches do matter. And that sometimes, the best way to stand out in a crowded market is to do something delightfully unexpected.