Let’s just say that the new decade hasn’t quite got off to the start that most of us imagined and move on from there shall we?!
Whatever your plans for 2020 were, they are likely to look very different now, and although we planned the topic of this blog at the end of 2019, it seems very apt that we’re about to highlight some of the ways that people can get closer to experiencing real things, but remotely, as the world gets to grips with a different way of interacting.
So what is interactive print?
The phrase interactive print covers lots of different ways of people getting involved with something that’s printed. It usually combines the digital and the physical, so a good example would be adverts with QR codes that take you to a dedicated website.
But it can also relate to print that’s hyper-personalised, meaning the interactive part is within the design, with a series of variations produced depending on the data held about the recipients. Take a fundraising campaign with five different lead images. The image and perhaps strapline would be changed for recipients depending on what campaigns they have respond to previously, increasing the likelihood that it will resonate and prompt action.
What do we foresee for interactive print in the 2020s?
One of the big trends in 2019 was personalisation and that will only continue throughout this next decade; whether that’s personalised gifts or a more scientific use of a company’s data to send more personalised communications.
Augmented and virtual reality will continue to develop, with a new term – extended reality – covering all types of technology that combines the real and virtual worlds. Print has a crucial part to play as the gateway to extended reality, being a trusted medium and a reliable way to get consumers to interact with brands. What better way to introduce extended reality than to combine it with a print ad in the magazine your customer already subscribes to, or in a piece of direct mail?
If you want to explore what’s possible with interactive print and extended reality, take a look at these examples, which include the IKEA catalogue and Coca Cola’s approach to getting shop owners to visualise its drinks fridges in their store.
The last decade saw great advancements in the technology use to actually do the printing. We can print colours more accurately than ever before, and cleverly combine data and creativity to produce hyper-personalised print that will be more likely to get a better response. We all want to be treated as individuals, and as the need for experiencing the real world from the comfort of our sofa has just stepped up several gears, interactive print might be just the answer.
To explore your options for using interactive print in the new decade, give one of our friendly PMG team a call on 01924 284330.
