Tag Archives: dimensional print marketing

Unilever Incubator’s Ad Doubles as Wrapping Paper

As more and more brands continue to join the environmental movement, Unilever’s Love Beauty and Planet are taking an innovative approach this holiday season using, you guessed it, print.

On Dec. 8, the brand released an ad in the New York Times’ Sunday edition, which doubles as wrapping paper. The objective? To encourage customers to rethink their holiday waste. The ad was supported by a digital campaign aimed at driving awareness of the initiative through the brand’s social media channels, influencers and word-of-mouth.

According to the brand, trash increases as much as 25% during the holidays. What’s more is that much of the paper waste associated with gift wrap isn’t recyclable.

“We wanted to use our voice to raise awareness about wastefulness…in a way that feels more productive and happy,” said Sonika Molhotra, Brand Founder and Global Brand Director for Love Beauty and Planet.

3 Unique (and Budget-Friendly) Ways to Thank Your Customers This Holiday Season

‘Tis the season of giving and there’s no better time to reflect on your most loyal customers past and present. Here are a few ways to thank them for their support (and keep them around well into the future).

Say it in print.
Any time of the year, cards can make a huge impact, but even more so when you’re looking to send a little holiday cheer. However, we’ve got something a bit more special than your average holiday card in mind this season. Red Paper Plane has our most popular holiday card designs available to order online. Even better? They are fully customizable, dimensional and ship in as little as 7 days.

Say it with video.
Have you heard that saying, “show, don’t tell”? What better way to tell your customers how much you appreciate them by showing what they’ve helped your business achieve! Videos are some of the most powerful marketing tools; they have the potential to increase people’s understanding of a product or service by 74%. Why not use this to your advantage and include it in a Video in Print brochure or turn it into a virtual reality your customers can experience through our SleekPeeks® VR Viewers?

Say it with a gift.

This time of year isn’t known as the giving season for nothing. And what better way to show customers how grateful you are for their business than with a little treat. Some of our clients have sent packages of hot cocoa. Others have included lanyards or sample sizes of the products they sell. Not only is this a great time to say thank you, it’s also a great opportunity to give a sneak peak at your products or services. Package them into one of our Well Boxes or design something entirely your own with our custom luxury packing solutions.

Now, that’s the holiday spirit!

Searching For The Perfect Holiday Card? Here Are 6 You Can Order Right Now.

There’s nothing quite like getting a holiday card in the mail.

It’s a tangible way to see how your nearest and dearest have changed throughout the year and it’s a relatively easy way to make someone feel even more connected to you or your business.

Even if you’re so plugged into your social media accounts that staying up-to-date on your favorite peoples’ lives is like a second job, it’s still worth the time, energy, and investment to let them know just how much you care.

This goes for brands, too.

But we get it. Getting organized with enough time to create, purchase, ship and mail holiday cards to their intended recipients within that narrow holiday window can be tricky. Then there’s the fact that just designing a unique card with the right sentiment can be anything but simple.

To get you started, we’ve rounded up a list of some of our favorite non-denominational holiday cards from Red Paper Plane that can be customized to fit your needs, with downloadable templates available online. Each one is sure to capture the attention of your clients and prospects this holiday season, and your card will be top of mind (and top of recipients’ desks) in as little as 7 days.

StandOut Greeting Card

Our StandOut Greeting Card line features three design options: a scenic winter sleigh ride, snowy park bench and holiday village, perfect for recipients to display on their desktops throughout the holiday season and beyond. Shipping flat, they take on their fully dimensional shape just by pressing in the sides. You’re able to customize the front oval, and also have the option to include a flat insert card or folding hang tag, where you can add your holiday greeting.

 

3″ Globe Greeting Card

Our popular Holiday Globes make the perfect keepsake for your business. All of our globes ship flat, and take on their fully dimensional shape just by pressing in the sides.

Pop Up Snowflake Holiday Card

Open this card and a big, bold, beautiful snowflake takes shape.

Birds N’ Branches Holiday Card

This holiday greeting mails flat, and once opened, the card expands and takes on its fully dimensional shape. This product is customizable with your messaging along the bottom panel and is sure to be on the desktop of everyone who receives it.

Tree Spinner Holiday Card

This holiday tree appears flat when removed from the envelope, and then spins into dimensional shape when the card is opened.

Holiday Tree Card

Open the card and interlocking die cut strips mesh into dimensional holiday tree shape.

Click here to see Red Paper Plane’s full line of holiday greeting cards.

No designer? No problem! Red Paper Plane also has a large selection of holiday cards with professionally designed artwork that are ready to be personalized. We can add your logo and message for free! See the selection.

Announcing the New and Improved RedPaperPlane.com!

We’re excited to announce the launch of our online ordering division, Red Paper Plane’s, new and improved website! Our goal with this redesign is to create a user-friendly browsing experience that makes it super-easy to find, design and order your perfect dimensional print mailer, brochure, invitation or promotional box. Here’s what else you can expect from the new redpaperplane.com:

More Choices: We’ve added new products, too! You can now design your own Cardboard Virtual Reality Viewers and explore our expanded line of Video in Print brochures and mailers in addition to our other customer favorites.

Improved Navigation: While we still have our customer success stories, templates and design interface, we’ve simplified our navigation bar to make it easier to find exactly what you’re looking for. Browse by product or by use. We’ve also included three featured templates and our latest customer spotlights right on the homepage.

Expanded Features: Now, you can drag and drop your artwork, instantly preview your proof, download and share quotes, and easily create multiple versions of your marketing piece straight from the website.

Easy Design: Our custom interface makes designing a dimensional print piece as easy as 1-2-3:
Choose your format.
Download your template.
Place your art.

Superior Results: The average response rate of dimensional mail is three times greater than traditional mail! Check out Red Paper Plane’s Customer Success Stories here.

With more products, expanded features and convenient benefits, Red Paper Plane’s website will make it easier than ever to set your brand apart. So, what are you waiting for?

Check it out at RedPaperPlane.com/.

Cool Startups Love Using Direct Mail. But Why?

When was the last time you had a mailbox full of actual mail?

Us too.

Print magazines and books now have “e” in front of them. People are paying their bills on the Internet. Customers are opting to go paperless and companies have scaled back printing catalogs, opting instead to use their budgets for websites and social media advertising.

Yet there seems to be a print resurgence of sorts among new, digitally-savvy, direct-to-consumer companies. Brands like Casper, Glossier, Quip, Wayfair and HelloFresh have taken to targeting customers in the mail, not just via email.

“The rise of young, digital brands spending money to mail us stuff speaks to the cyclical progress of shopping trends,” says Chavie Lieber in this Vox article. “A decade ago, companies looking to reach customers would often buy email addresses from third parties. They’d do giveaways and, if existing customers handed over their family and friends’ email addresses, they’d offer discounts too.”

But today, it’s a different story.

“[T]he virtual mailbox today looks a whole lot like our parents’ IRL mailboxes back then: A total s*** show,” Lieber continues. “Our inboxes are overflowing with newsletters, real letters, ride-sharing receipts, lunch-sharing receipts, bills, fake bills, breaking news notifications, not-so-breaking news notifications, brand promotions, sales promotions, social media alerts, spam… How do we all stay on top of this?”

The answer: We don’t.

Every day, we’re inundated with hundreds of emails. Add that to the excessive number of ads we’re faced with on social media, TV, radio and the Internet, and it almost makes you want to scream “Uncle!”.

“People our age get hundreds of emails a day, but they only get ten pieces of a mail a day, if that many,” says Pete Christman, the head of acquisition marketing at the shaving company Harry’s, which counts on mailers as part of its marketing. “From a numbers perspective, email is a much noisier environment. Same goes for social media,  you will work yourself to death unless you buy views on TheMarketingHeaven.com. Otherwise you won’t be seen and there are too many people banging on the same door. ”

But it’s not just consumers who are feeling the effects of playing in this noisy digital space. Businesses are feeling it, too. Many are finding themselves fishing in a small pond, targeting the same age group, living in the same heavily populated areas with the same general income. In a word, it’s crowded.

This is why direct mail is often a more effective way to capture the attention of new and existing customers. Instead of pouring money into a Facebook or Instagram ad (the price of which increases based on how effectively it’s performing), direct mail pieces not only encourage trust in the brand that sent it, but the customer also retains the information in the mailer longer than if they were to have seen it in an email. Not to mention, when a high-impact printed format is received by a consumer it stands out in an engaging manner, which is more than we can say for the cluttered digital ads still sitting in their inbox or smartphone applications.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: Dish Network Uses Pop-Up Cube As Unique Handout

How does a company stand out at a trade show with a sea of many other vendors to compete with?

Dish Network used the pop-up cube as a unique handout at the CES Show in Las Vegas. They kicked it up a notch by delivering the cube inside a half-sleeve, giving the recipient a sneak peek of what was on the inside. As the cube slides out, it immediately pops into shape delivering information about Dish Network’s award-winning DVR, The Hopper®.  Click here to see it in action!

Are you ready to generate some buzz and awareness for your company?

    

Structural Graphics Celebrates 40 Years of Innovation in the Interactive Print Marketing Industry

sgs-40th-anniversary-party-21

Structural Graphics, the pioneer of the dimensional print marketing industry is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The company introduced the world to dimensional print marketing in 1976 and continues to lead the interactive print marketing industry today.

Over the years, Structural Graphics has created more than 40,000 interactive paper designs for clients in almost every industry and holds many U.S. Patents. For more than four decades, the company has helped some of the world’s most influential brands reach their audiences with high-impact and multisensory marketing campaigns. Brands such as Samsung, Google, Whirlpool, Coca Cola, Lincoln, Land Rover, UPS, American Express, Nationwide, Victoria’s Secret, Calvin Klein, Leading Hotels of the WorldNabisco, AstraZeneca, The Hartford and Prudential, just to name a few.

As the world changes, Structural Graphics’ capabilities and service offerings have continued to evolve. Building on the company’s success in the insurance sector, The Lift Factor was established to deliver fully integrated marketing solutions utilizing print and digital executions for the nation’s top insurers. The Red Paper Plane division was created to provide a fast turnaround, do-it-yourself platform to buy Structural Graphics’ top selling formats online.

“The vast majority of companies never make it to see their 40th anniversary. The fact that we are celebrating this milestone here at Structural Graphics is a testament to the innovative products and services we offer, and our wonderful clients and suppliers. But most importantly, it’s a reflection of the creative, hardworking and talented employees that have walked through our doors over the past 40 years. Our people are truly our greatest asset,” stated Mike Maguire, CEO.

Structural Graphics markets its products and services nationally and in Canada, with its design and paper engineering, production management, marketing and administrative offices operating from the corporate headquarters in Essex, Connecticut. The company has sales and production operations throughout the U.S. and Mexico.

For more information or to view some of Structural Graphics’ work, please visit www.structuralgraphics.com.

A Brief History of Packaging

It all began with some twigs and leaves…

For most of us, shopping is an integral part of our daily lives — food for our fridge, supplies for our offices, a new pair of shoes.  Chances are, whatever it is we may need will be wrapped up in a nice little bag or box.

Packaging is everywhere. But do you ever wonder where it all began?

Shopping list


Packaging as we know it today has been the result of a long development process.

Packaging is an industry that has been around since the beginning of man. In ancient times, packaging was used to transport, assist, store or protect items using natural materials such as leaves. In the Middle Age, wooden barrels were the most common way to store goods.  In the 1900’s, paper and cardboard became more important packaging materials.  As our world continued to evolve, so did packaging.

Ancient people

The Industrial Revolution sparked a tremendous change in the way that people lived their lives. Ultimately, hands were replaced with machines in the workforce, which lead to faster and higher levels of product production. This naturally created a higher demand for different types of packaging, such as:

1. Storage and transportation bins

2. Bags

3. Food packaging methods

4. Primary packaging materials

5. In-store packaging options

The Great Depression brought in the rise of the “self-service” culture where people began going to grocery stores more often.  This new trend changed the way that items were packaged.  The use of packaging turned into more of a sales tool, also known as the “silent salesman”, instead of a tool to simply hold items. After World War 2, new materials were explored, such as plastic and aluminum foil.  This offered the convenience of single use and “throw away” packaging, which was highly attractive to the supermarket culture.

In the later half of the 20th century came the rise of digital technologies, and the producing world became more competitive. Businesses now had a way to differentiate themselves on the shelf. The marketplace became more competitive as mass producing allowed businesses to venture globally.

Shopping icons

Today, packaging plays a primary role in consumers buying decision.  It’s a marketing tool that directly impacts point-of-purchase. Packaging is an industry that continues to be sculpted and molded to fit current trends.

More of a visual person, or just can’t get enough of the history of packaging? Take a look at this infographic:

History of Packaging Flowchart


Marketing ideas for your next campaign: Scrolling images

You know that saying, “a picture’s worth a thousand words?”

Structural Graphics is blowing that old idiom out of the water with a new marketing mechanism created specifically for brand storytelling. Now, SG can help marketers in any industry create compelling visual landscapes with its new See Scroll dimensional design. Continue reading

New Magic X-ray Viewer: 12 IDEAS for Your Marketing Needs

Our NEW Magic X-ray mechanism is a great format to bring to life various types of messaging! Display before and after imagery, old to new restoration, a positive transition, hidden messages, what’s “behind the curtain”… the possibilities are endless!

The Inside Scoop:

Invented in late 2013 by our designer, Rob Kelly, this concept was inspired by his son’s preschool show & tell for the letter “X.” He gave his son paper X-ray specs to wear which were [of course] pretend. He wondered if there was a way he could bring the x-ray effect to life in paper. Energized by the idea, Rob made a working prototype that weekend!

Check out our Structural Graphics 2014 New Year’s card. This card featured a snowy forest scene with some woodland creatures hiding. A fox? The abominable snowman? An owl in a tree? Birds chirping? The only way you can tell who is hiding, is to move the wand around to find them!

2SGHolidayCard2__0__138

Other clients, in addition to Whirlpool, have used this design to bring their messaging to life! See some ideas below to get the creativity flowing…

1)  An x-ray of a body part including the benefits of a new medical device produced

4BodyA

2)  A “discover and find” for kids, similar to “Where’s Waldo?”

3)  What is in your wallet? For financial, credit card, insurance card companies, etc.

4)  Before and after restoration, a new car, or feature a car that changes colors with a movement of the “wand” to reveal

6CarRestoration

5)  Curious what’s in your food? Take a sneak peek into what it is made of, including the vitamins and benefits

6)  X-ray luggage on an airport conveyor

7Luggage

7)  Motivating customers to travel – a black and white snowy scene transforming into a tropical, colorful beach somewhere exotic!

8)  New building design layout, interior views of a building, or everything going on behind the scenes in a home

9Home8Home

9)  Sneak peek “magic reveal” for a new TV or movie premiere!

10)  The magic of a new makeover, anti-aging treatments or simply skin cleansing solutions

10Makeup

 

11AntiAging

11)  Your brand logo as the showcased image with your services and products magically revealed underneath

12)  A look inside of a gift package – revealing jewelry or an engagement ring, keys to a car, a brand new smartphone, etc.

This Magic X-ray Viewer is new and PATENT PENDING, thus only found through your friends at Structural Graphics!