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Cavemen looking at interactive print booklet

Why is interactive print considered the future of print?

In an increasingly “noisy” market, print is re-emerging as a powerful medium for cutting through digital fatigue whilst establishing trust and brand awareness among consumers. A study by the Canadian Post Corporation (CPC) revealed that consumers were 70% more likely to remember a brand if seen through print than on a digital platform. While Business 2 Community shared that 56% of customers deem print marketing to be the most trustworthy marketing medium.

Print is an essential means to effective local area marketing. It has greater longevity than some digital, and delivers a tactile experience. Digital, shines when it comes to delivering seamless customer journeys that have great potential for increased reach and virality. Digital is also well-known for its ability to deliver powerful, low-cost campaigns that generate powerful performance metrics and can be easily integrated across multiple channels. Online marketing can also be easily modified and enhanced mid-campaign or “on the fly”.

Print & digital work hand-in-hand

It is easy to understand why some businesses question where their marketing budget or attention is best invested. Is it in print for the cut-through and trust/brand building? Or is it digital for its lower costs, increased reach and versatility?

Augmented Reality or Interactive print solves this dilemma by providing marketers with the ability to make the most of both worlds. You can seamlessly integrate print and digital to work together on the same marketing goal. The old saying “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” is never truer than when referring to interactive print. In fact, a 2016 review into the effect that AR had on direct mail by USPS showed that interactive direct mail campaigns that were enhanced by AR delivered an increase in response rates from 2–3% to a massive 35% (Printing Impressions).

In a world where the average consumer uses up to six touchpoints on their journey to purchase a product, with up to 50% using more than four (Marketing Week), it’s easy to see that omnichannel marketing, or marketing designed to help consumers seamlessly navigate across these touchpoints, is essential to successfully engaging the market. Generally, omnichannel marketing has been predominantly structured around integrated digital content. However, interactive print now changes this. This form of print should be considered a key component of any omnichannel marketing strategy.

See our poster come to life with our caveman video

Where to use interactive print

AR can take material like brochures, press adverts, booklets or signage to the next level by adding immersive, interactive content. Consumers are able to scan printed material with their mobile devices to access more information on products or services and ways to connect with the brand. The interaction can drive the consumer seamlessly through to purchase or associated social media channels to share the experience. The digital component of interactive print can also be embedded with tracking tags. You can then monitor the consumer’s journey across channels and retarget with relevant content on the appropriate platform where required.

Interactive print also has the potential to reduce marketing costs. It provides marketers with the ability to deliver more content from a smaller print piece. You can also change out or modify interactive content on longer-lasting campaigns without the need to reprint material.

This form of print has also become a formidable marketing solution in the property space. It allows marketers to immerse customers into the buying experience with highly engaging, interactive property content delivered from brochures, magazines, street signs or magazine adverts. This is especially vital for properties that are yet to be built and realtors need to find a way to show the property to buyers and help them visualise it as their dream property. Of significant benefit to the consumer is the ability to access engaging, interactive and informative content when and where it best suits them. For example:

  • additional property information off of street signage when walking their dog 
  • 3D floor plans and models or interactive virtual tours in the comfort and safety of their own home.  

See our flyer come to life with our mammoth video

Interactive print can take product packaging, labels and product brochures to the next level. It enables consumers to access additional information about a product, then and there.

There has been a number of big-brand examples like Jack Daniels and Bombay Sapphire delivering interactive experiences directly from their packaging, labels and brochures. There is also a growing interest from many smaller brands in leveraging existing video footage and sharing their story and brand messaging using product packaging and labels:

  • A bag of coffee beans that shares a story about the roasting process.
  • A wine label that talks about the land where the grapes were grown and the process undertaken to produce the wine.
  • A packet or product card for a food ingredient that delivers inspiration through engaging recipe videos.

In a competitive market, leveraging existing assets to create an immersive experience can be the differentiator that allows a brand to stand out from its competitors and create sustained recognition.

It is evident that interactive print is here to stay and adds real value to functional cross-channel marketing campaigns. In the years to come, interactive print will be as common as email marketing and search engine optimisation.

Above all, your customers deserve the best experience possible.

Contact us now for more information on how we can help you make Interactive Print a part of your everyday performance marketing!

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