Unexpected Ways to Grab Your Audience With Print

By Bob Wagner, director, Global Communications, Technology Business

As we become more and more saturated with digital media, some marketers and creatives are taking a fresh look at how print can help them stand out in the crowd. While many are having success by employing digital technologies and data to personalize their printed pieces, others are finding new ways to apply the physical qualities of print to surprise their audiences. Two intriguing pieces that recently caught my eye explore the possibilities of ink and media, respectively, to deliver memorable messages in unexpected ways.

Cover Wrap Turns Orange to the Touch

A black-and-white and mostly gray cover wrap to the Nov. 17 Telegraph magazine graphically demonstrates how donations to the Age UK charity can help people stay warm this winter. Touch the cover photo of Age UK’s celebrity ambassador Lynda Bellingham in a living room, and the spot you touch turns orange. The secret: the wrap is made from thermal paper, which changes color when exposed to heat. Click here for the full story.

Origami-Like Business Card

This distinctive business card serves as a real sales tool by enabling inclusion of second-level information without getting cluttered. The secret: origami-like Xerox FunFlip media, which provides an endless loop of folding that reveals four discrete panels. Wall Printing, one of the companies offering the cards, produced this video to showcase it. For a look at how a fun-flip application is assembled, watch the video here.

How are you using print to surprise your audience and differentiate from the digital mainstream?

You can find Bob tweeting about all things print at @BobW_Xerox. He’s accustomed to tracking digital printing applications from his days in Xerox’s Graphic Communications Industry Business.