In the run-up to the Super Bowl there seems to be more buzz over the advertising than the two teams playing the game. Acura is spending untold amounts of money to resurrect the infamous Seinfeld “Soup Nazi” episode in a new ad featuring the two characters from the Seinfeld sitcom. Not to be outdone, Honda released a preview of their Ferris Bueller ad featuring the original character played by Matthew Broderick, now 25 years older than when he starred in the feature film. Apparently now, Ferris doesn’t want to go to work. How that becomes an ad for an automobile, one can only wonder. However, let’s hope they don’t try to compare a Honda to the original 1961 Ferrari GT that was the centerpiece of the film.

Advertisers don’t spend millions of dollars for a 30-second spot during a football game because of the enormous television audience. They make that investment because they understand the overwhelming amount of residual ROI their ad will garner. From pre-game buzz to post-game review, the ads are discussed, rated and reviewed, not to mention seen millions of more times on YouTube.

So what does an overrated marketing event… ahem… I mean football game have to do with dimensional direct mail? It’s simple, residual ROI.

One of the benefits that attract marketers to Structural Graphics is the staying power that our work has. Because many of the designs we do are interactive for the end-user, they are often shared with friends or co-workers. Not only does the message of the piece become more powerful, but it is seen by more people than just the original recipient.

You get mail every day; credit card offers, bills, flyers, etc. A plain white envelope is easy to ignore and even easier to toss in the trash. However, if you receive something that pulls open to reveal a great offer, or slides, flips, bursts open (literally), lights-up, or even plays a jingle, you’re just not as likely to ignore it.

Residual ROI is only achieved when something is truly impactful, memorable and simply worth sharing. While clever Super Bowl ads are discussed and shared on Facebook and Twitter, dimensional mail stays around and adds impacts with everyone who sees it. It sits on the desks of your prospects, is brought into meetings, and of course, is spared a swift, untimely death in the waste basket of lost marketing dollars.

See examples of dimensional mail that’s fully trashcan proof.