The Value of Custom Postcards

bus-shape-business-cards custom postcards

Helps with Attracting and Keeping Attention in Print

If you counted how many times you see an ad in a day, what would be your estimate? How many do you remember and respond to? The number of advertisements we see per day sits between 3,000 and 20,000 according to now passed, researcher and social analyst, Daniel Yankelovich. Tech 21 Century say this is approximately 34GB of advertisements our brains process per day.

Custom postcards, business cards, brochures and many other forms of customised printing is a great way to set yourself apart from the norm and be remembered. Why? Lets take a look at human behaviour and responses.

Attracting the right kind of attention and keeping it, has been the research topic of Forbes’ 30 under 30, Ben Parr who released his findings in his book, Captivology. Here we delve into his ideas and how they relate to print media.

  1. Automaticity

    Automaticity is about our natural reactions. If we hear sirens, we look for danger. If we smell a bbq, we may feel happy (or hungry). Smells, sounds and sights are sensory cues.
    Imagery we subconsciously associate with certain feelings can be included in designs to communicate without needing words. Same goes for scent, known as ‘aroma marketing’.
  2. Framing
    The accumulation of our experiences, religious and political views, and biological make up frame our perspectives. It is framing that sees us having a different experience or perspective to the same stimuli than someone else. A campaign that alters the consumer’s frame is possible. If we hear the same message enough, it starts to become believable – normal. This is where print media can be digitised to be delivered both in print and digitally.
    Where do you shop ‘if you pay cash so they slash the prices’? Funnily enough, The Good Guys stopped that jingle in 2015 in light of new payment options and online shopping discounts. They re-framed consumer perspectives so well they still haven’t shaken the ‘pay cash’ discount.
  3. Disruption

    Disruption is linked to expectation violations theory. It is to break expectations through communication to the point where the recipient can’t help but take notice. Sending a millennial (whose world is digital) direct mail does just this. It literally sends a message. Millennials check their letterbox more than any generation and 77% give time to reading it (VoPP 2017).
  4. Reward
    Our brain releases a similar amount of dopamine to a bargain whether we have it or if we can truly visualise having it. The flip side is the fear of missing out. All natural cosmetics company Lass distributed biodegradable coupons stating the offer was valid only while the coupon itself lasted. Over the two days it took to degrade 70% of the coupons were used (Sullivan 2015).
  5. Reputation
    Professor Gregory Berns explains in his publication how the brain slows down to absorb content when it is coming from an expert (Pincus et al. 2014). It is valuable to share your expertise and credentials. Unlike 30 second commercials or billboards, print offers the space and the consumer the time to take in the information.

For the retailer or business owner, convenience and professionalism are key. Send all of your marketing materials to Absolute Colour for digital printing online and tick that off your to do list.

References

Pincus, M, LaViers, L, Prietula, MJ, Berns, G 2014, ‘The Conforming Brain and Deontological Resolve’, Plos One, vol. 9, no. 8, doi:10.1371, www.journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0106061#s1.

• Parr, B 2015, ‘7 Ways to Capture Someone’s Attention’, Harvard Business Review,

Sullivan, L 2015, ‘Is Australia’s Creativity Lost in the Post?’, B and T, .

Tech 21 Century 2019, ‘The Human Brain is Loaded with 34GB of Information’, Tech 21 Century, .

Value of Paper and Print (VoPP) 2017, ‘What You Didn’t Know About Millennials’, chart, www.valueofpaperandprint.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/tsa3797_vopp_millenials.pdf.

Yankelovich, D cited in Johnson, S 2014, ‘New Research Sheds Light on Daily Ad Exposures’, SJ Insights, www.sjinsights.net/2014/09/29/new-research-sheds-light-on-daily-ad-exposures.

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