Think print advertising is irrelevant? Think again. According to the Direct Marketing Association, mail campaigns draw a better overall response than digital channels.
Why? Two reasons: you can more effectively target mail campaigns to desired households and you can offer quality content compared to other mediums. That giddy feeling you get when something cool arrives in the mail? It means something special to a lot of people. Michael Dambra, (below) vice president of creative at Structural Graphics is definitely one of those people.
With 35 years of experience in the marketing services industry, Michael’s the man to ask “What’s so special about print marketing?”
How is multidimensional mailing impactful?
MD: Dimensional pieces help accentuate the message. Right now I am working on a piece in which the message is “Now you can get Plan A and Plan B together in the same package”. [We created] a representation of Plan A on one end and Plan B on the other, and when you pull a tab, Plan A and Plan B physically move toward the center and join side by side. It’s a simple design, but a powerful visual that serves to demonstrate the message.
Do you have any projects you love to brag about?
MD: As a salesperson [I have] sold some incredible projects. One was a magazine insert for Smirnoff. It was a Christmas ad with 12 blinking lights to guide Santa and his sleigh to a snowy roof. The lights formed the runway for Santa to land on. I believe it was one of the first-ever lighted magazine inserts.
How do you work with clients to figure out what they need?
MD: We ask a lot of questions. Who are they trying to reach? What is their message? What is their product or service? What is its advantage? What is their time frame? We try to build a profile we can work to so the [design] format we recommend fits them. Our formats always work best when they enhance the message, not just deliver it.
There are so many ways to market now, including digital. Why should marketers care about print?
MD: Print is a tactile and tangible staple. There is value in having something you can touch, feel and interact with. Something you can refer back to. Email marketing has its place but it is also very easily dismissed, trashed at the point of the subject line. What we do is different – it evokes emotion and interaction. It entertains, it intrigues and it works.
Do you have any quotes that you live by?
MD: “Man makes plans, God laughs.”
“It’s the little things that separate the good from the great.”
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the work are the ones that do.”
And finally… “The days may seem long, but the years are short. Enjoy them.”
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