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Thinking about Earth Day

Posted On: Category: Giving Back / Community, Inside Structural GraphicsPosted By:

It’s a gorgeous spring day and in recognition of Earth Day we wanted to remind our loyal friends and customers of our commitment to the environment.

Being “Green” may be a catch phrase for some, or just something to add to their brochure. Here at Structural Graphics, we take it seriously. From our extensive recycling programs to our energy conservation policies in all of our facilities, we live this commitment each and every day. You can learn more about how Structural Graphics and our partners fulfill this promise to the Earth by downloading our Green Information Sheet.

Enjoy the weather!

Stryker Augemented Reality Mailer Featured in BtoB Magazine

Posted On: Category: Inside Structural GraphicsPosted By:

The tradeshow invitation we produced for Stryker Diagnostics is featured in this week’s BtoB online magazine. The article talks about how this solutions bridges the traditional-digital divide.  The call to action on the mailer was to bring the postcard to the tradeshow to see a live 3D demonstration of Stryker’s hip and knee replacement products. When the recipient held the card up to the webcam at the booth, a 3D demonstration was immediately launched on the screen. Click here for a demo!

Muffins, Coffee and the Truth About Direct Mail

Posted On: Category: Custom Design & Printing, Direct Mail MarketingPosted By:

I recently participated in a webinar about direct mail and ways to improve response rates. All of the advice the speaker offered was sound, but he was missing one fundamental aspect of direct mail. Your direct mail needs to get noticed to work.

In my mind there is no question that direct mail needs to stand out from the usual clutter in your mailbox. Take for example a recent Dunkin Donuts flyer I received in the mail. I was sifting through my stack of bills, insurance and credit card offers when I noticed the glossy mailer with a large picture of a cup of coffee and muffin. I grabbed it without hesitation and stuck it to the front of my refrigerator with a large fish-magnet. In fact, the next morning I was tearing out one of the coupons and graciously offered to pick my wife up one of her favorite muffins, the chocolate chip. I don’t know how she can enjoy that in the morning, but I digress. Her only response was to point out that I had hung the flyer over the picture of my daughter.

Unless your offer includes something as tasty as coffee and a muffin, you’re going to need something more. A high-impact mailer offers the opportunity to grab the recipient’s attention and engage them. How could you possibly ignore a pop-up Bookcube™ that jumps into place when an envelope is opened up, or a mesmerizing Flapper™ that can fold into itself over and over? These are the type of mailers that get pulled out of the pile. The ones that translate your message visually. Furthermore, the recipient will usually hang onto a direct mail piece if it’s different and likely to show it to someone else.

Most direct mail marketers can offer their tips for improving a piece’s response rate. Of course, there are crucial elements like your offer and the quality of the list. But there is one fundamental truth about direct mail that will never change. Your piece has to get noticed. Without that, everything else is moot.

Real insoles in a magazine ad?? You bet!

Posted On: Category: Custom Design & Printing, Dimensional Print Marketing, Inside Structural GraphicsPosted By:

We worked with Sandy Alexander Inc., a well respected New Jersey based printer, to hand-apply actual Dr. Scholl’s Insoles to over 3,000,000 magazine inserts delivering the ultimate tactile experience. An article ran in this week’s New York Times Advertising section about the campaign. The article as well as an image of the insert can be found here.

Integrated Campaigns and the Goldilocks Theory

Posted On: Category: Marketing InsightsPosted By:

Long gone are the days of huge marketing campaigns with ginormous budgets and low expectations. Marketers today have to stretch their budgets and insist on higher returns. This has been obvious since 2008, when everything began to dramatically slow down. However, in our business this slow down has given rise to the opportunities in integrated campaigns. An integrated campaign is all about finding that sweet spot between too little and too much.

The Goldilocks Theory was originally applied by NASA to describe the distance from the Sun that a planet needs to be in order to have the right temperatures to support life. Venus sits in front of that zone between the Earth and the Sun and has an average temperature of 900 degrees. By contrast, Mars sits beyond the Goldilocks zone and has an average temperature of negative 100 degrees. Not surprisingly, Earth sits comfortably within the zone and well, I don’t have to tell you how nice the weather is here.

The same theory can apply to integrated campaigns. Too little, and your ROI will be gut-wrenchingly cold. Too much, and you’ll be burned by an over bloated budget.

The key to finding the goldilocks zone in your integrated campaign is to keep a few basic principals in mind.

1. Prioritize your channels: You can’t do everything in the campaign so figure out what channels tend to yield the best response rates and start there.

2. Remain consistent: Your creative, messaging and overall theme must be consistent throughout the various channels. If your direct mail piece drives them to a landing page, then be sure the landing page has a similar look and message as the direct mail piece.

3. Follow your targets: Understanding what channel your targets responded too is important for obvious reasons. The channels you use in your next communication are going to be determined by the outcome of this campaign. Don’t get stuck not knowing what worked and what didn’t at the end of a campaign.

4. Ask your targets: Be sure to ask your targets how they prefer to be communicated with. This can be done on a landing page or in an email, but it is important information to have for your future communications. I recently received an email from Sirius Satellite Radio telling me that they never hear from me and asking how I would like to be communicated with. I receive about two emails a month from Sirius and I have never responded to any of them until that one arrived.

Applying these principals to your integrated campaign will help yield the greatest results. Of course, understanding your targets and prioritizing your channels is marketing 101, but when it comes to integrated campaigns the rules change a bit and finding the goldilocks zone in your efforts is the difference between too hot and too cold.

David Granger named Editor of the Year by AdWeekMedia

Posted On: Category: Ideas & Inspiration, Shout-OutsPosted By:

Esquire Editor-in-Chief, David Granger is known for pushing the envelope. He has continuously embraced print while exploring different ways to integrate new technologies into this medium. From the commemorative e-Ink cover we produced to the recent AR cover, David is continuously pushing the envelope.  Congratulations Dave on being named MediaWeek’s 2010 Editor of the Year. Click here to read the full article.

Great article on making email and direct mail work together

Posted On: Category: Custom Design & Printing, Direct Mail Marketing, Marketing Insights, TechnologyPosted By:

Greg Grdodian, EVP of ePostDirect, recently wrote a terrific article about the ROI benefits of combining direct mail with e-mail.  He states that response increases across the board when direct mail and e-mail are combined in a multichannel campaign, and if executed correctly, response can be double!  Here is a link to the article as well as 5 key tips to executing an integrated campaign successfuly.

Nissan Cube Mailer on YouTube

Posted On: Category: Custom Design & Printing, Direct Mail MarketingPosted By:

We produced a pop-up cube mailer for Nissan to promote the launch of their new Cube vehicle. The cool thing about the mailer is that it shipped flat and then automatically popped up into a dimensional cube when the envelope was opened up. The cubic shape of the mailer tied in perfectly with Nissan Cube’s look and branding. The mailer is on YouTube and has generated over 9,000 views. Check it out!