New media industries have really changed the rules, and that goes for recruitment also. Red 5 Studios, the makers of the World of Warcraft,  set the bar really high when it comes to finding the best professionals in game development with a fantastic direct marketing campaign: Golden Ticket

They realized that the usual recruitment tactics (usually email or phone) wouldn’t be enough to catch the best minds, so a different approach was in need.

A unique invitation was sent to one hundred professionals, highly admired in the industry. Their work, habits and personal tastes were studied. With that knowledge in hand, the design agency Pool handled the invitation and really made a offer you can’t refuse.

The iPod had a personalized message from Red 5 and access codes to a website, where the professionals could find out more about the job they were being hired for.

Result: nearly 100% response rate on their campaign. And of course, a kick-ass team of happy developers.