of course, you can still just send a simple letter… But some of the methods, innovative or reinventing old techniques of the trade, often combining paper and digital, can also help to spice up its promotional emails to better reflect the spirit of the client. Illustration of five examples.
1. The post connected : the paper “boosted” in the digital
The idea : to access online content on their smartphone from a simple object of paper (an e-mail, but also a packaging, a show-program…). The technology used : the QR code (less and less, the success was not at the rendez-vous in France), image recognition (thanks to the camera of the smartphone, an NFC chip (Near Field Communication – a chip embedded in the paper which communicates with the smartphone when placed in close proximity, such as for contactless payment), or other solutions still in development. Possible applications : to access a specific content (video, music…), an online shop, a contact form, respond to an invitation… This way to “boost” by the digital print has for example been applied by Renault for the launch of the new Scenic in 2017. We find other interesting examples, based on image recognition, in the start-up parisienne Onprint. For the advertiser, these technologies have another interest : they allow to measure precisely the impact of a campaign mailing, because we know how many clients are connected via the device. For the moment, beyond experiments, the use of this technology remains relatively low : at the customers, scan their mail is not (yet ?) a reflex.
2. Augmented reality : to give life to the paper
A variant of the previous solution, that really allows to “give life” to a letter paper, through augmented reality, a technology which the companies are quite fond of. Scanning the mail with his smartphone, one sees appear on the screen an animation in augmented reality (that is to say, that is superimposed on the “real” image of the mail). The mutual Apicil thus arise directly a commercial of its mailing.
In frames, some possible applications of printed matter connected to or risen :
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3. The “magalogue” : the catalogue is a showcase
Against all expectation, the good old catalogue, instead associated with the pre-Internet era, knows a return to grace. But not in its original form. The catalog today is more of a “tool window”, the purpose of which is to immerse the customer in the universe of a brand, to inspire, to show trends, rather than present all the offers in a comprehensive way. So the idea is rather to integrate it into a multichannel communication, to give the desire to visit the web site or in shops. Showing happy to the codes of the magazine (hence the neologism “magalogue”), it can also be distinguished by a particular format, the quality of the paper or visuals, a side connected to (for example, to scan products with their smartphone to buy online)… or even its branding : the brand Cyrillus has sent to 80,000 customers a catalog customized based on their browsing history and their purchases. Finally, it is a support that lasts : a beautiful catalog is likely to hang out on the living room table, to be laminated several times… instead of finishing straight in the trash.
4. Sample : a classic that reinvents itself
A classic trade. The sample shipment by mail is a pleasure for the client, allows him to discover “physically” products of the brand… and combine that today with the digital. Brands of cosmetics have allowed users to order online samples customized to their tastes and their profile, after having filled a short questionnaire, such as, for example, Roger & Gallet in 2018. A way to bring a sensory dimension to a communication dominated by the digital. Customers, obviously, enjoy : according to a study by Mediapost Advertising / CSA 2016, it gets to 77% of the French to enquire after you have tested a sample, and 84% of them to buy the product. The brand, by the way, also took the opportunity to collect precise data on customers.
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to appeal To, and explain, Nespresso relies on the paper [Best-of] re-live the conference “Challenge-think of the dematerialization, re-think the communication” [VIDEO] Interview : Yves Xemard (Post)
5. The discount commentary : with the compliments of the factor
“Hello, I have a letter for you from the brand so-and-So…” The offer of “discount commented” launched by The Post office wants a new way of distributing the mail : it is hand-delivered by the postman, with a small comment (defined with the advertiser, and pretending to be neutral, without a promotional message direct). The purpose of this interaction : to strengthen the attention that the recipient will be in the mail, and, therefore, the impact of it. Condition : good to target the campaign to a maximum of recipients are actually in their home or at their office during the passage of the factor – the device can for example be relevant for a communication in business-to-business destination for professionals.