THE MORE PERSONAL THE BETTER. ALL
THE THINGS WE DO THESE DAYS TO MAKE
OUR DAY QUICKER AND MORE CONVENIENT,
LET’S PAUSE AND TAKE A STEP TO BE MORE
CONNECTED.” — JUSTIN AHRENS, CHIEF EVANGELIST, RULE29
milkshake 5
The data shows that 88% believe they
understand, retain or use information
better when they read it in print. In
addition, 80% have a clear preference for
reading complicated materials in print, in
contrast to 13% for computer screens and
3% for smartphones. Of 18 to 24 year olds,
69% say it is important to “switch off” and
enjoy printed books and magazines once in
a while.
You want more proof on the power
of haptic marketing? The Association
for Psychological Science stresses that
taking notes with pen and paper boosts
memory and our ability to understand
better. “Companies are looking for ways
to enhance their customer’s experience
by transforming their digital world into a
physical one,” says Joanne Gore, President
of the full-service B2B marketing agency
Joanne Gore Communications Inc. and
CMO of Taktiful.“Designers want to
transform the digital vision into a tangible
one, while marketers mine data to provide a
hyper-personal customer experience.”
That’s why brands like Netflix, Amazon,
Shopify and Nike are using physical stores,
merchandise branding and pop-ups to
provide memorable immersive experiences.
These “phygital” approaches enable brands
of all sizes to bridge the physical-digital gap
and engage customers with an experience
that transcends platforms, devices and
location.
When you make print interactive using
QR codes, Artificial Intelligence (AI),
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality
(VR), you bridge analog and digital worlds.
You capture the attention of prospects and
customers for a longer period of time and
foster smoother business operations. Not
only do these technologies literally bring
print to life, they elevate digital-only tactics
with long-lasting, memorable and sensory
experiences that only print can provide.
“Interactive print technologies engage
the senses by blending the physical and
digital, as customers discover your products
and services in exciting new ways,” Gore
says. “QR codes make it easy to drive
customers to pURLs, URLs, landing pages,
surveys, videos, contact information,
featured promos and more—without having
to navigate through website menus and
submenus. Adding AR and VR elements
helps keep them there.”
Haptically speaking
Emotions. That’s the driving force behind
why marketers love the strategy behind
a haptic approach to marketing. Abergel
says that our ability to connect with each
on a physical level, something that was
happening even before the pandemic
stepped in, makes the strategy even more
important today.
“We become more and more reliant
on technology,” Abergel says. “The sense
of touch is an essential part of human
interaction, and by recreating it through
haptic technology, we can bridge the gap
that has been created by our increasingly
digital lives.”
Abergel says that in an age where digital
marketing reigns supreme, many marketers
are looking for ways to make their
campaigns stand out and offer something
unique that will capture consumers’
attention. “Haptic marketing provides a way
to do just that.”
In addition, haptic marketing can be used
to create a sense of urgency or excitement
around a product or service. By stimulating
the sense of touch, marketers can create
a “buzz” that will encourage consumers
to take action. Even though we can buy
anything and everything online today,
56% of consumers surveyed recently by
RetailDive admit to visiting retail stores to
see or touch a product before purchasing.
Once they do, the impulse purchase
probabilities skyrocket by 62%.
Justin Ahrens and his team of creatives,
thinkers and doers at Rule29 continue to
take it upon themselves to find ways to
intimately connect and engage with today’s
fickle consumer. The creative agency, where
Ahrens serves as chief evangelist, views the
reemergence from the pandemic as a way
to reestablish our senses.
“I believe before the pandemic, and
even more so now, we as people were
collectively searching for more unique
and custom experiences, as we have been
dulled from the immediacy we can give and
receive information,” Ahrens says. “Today
we have so many options to connect
with a customer. We have found that a
well-designed print piece, direct mail and
environmental design can still turn a head,
create a memorable moment and promote
action.”
Ahrens says the whole process comes
down to our “connectedness.” How can
we be more connected to how we truly
feel, then be open to the world around
us, nature and the people we come in
contact with? In his commitment and
passion to building engagement, Ahrens
often refers to one of his favorite quotes
by Harriet Goldhor Lerner: “Only through
our connectedness to others can we
really know and enhance the self. And only
through working on the self can we begin
to enhance our connectedness to others.”
“The more personal the better,” Ahrens
says. “Handwritten cards. Emails that are
freshly written and do not sound like form
emails. Call versus text. All the things we
do these days to make our day quicker and
more convenient, let’s pause and take a step
to be more connected.”
They are lessons from a bygone era—
ones that still ring true today.
July 2022