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Augmented Reality in Direct Mail

Insights
November 21, 2019

It’s time to rethink your outdated views on printed media, with the help of augmented reality in direct mail. Savvy marketers are now implementing augmented reality into their print to help readers explore new worlds. Augmented reality marries digital and print together to help showcase your product or service in a whole new innovative way. 

Direct Mail Isn’t Dead

Direct mail is certainly not dead. It is known that direct mail being sent is declining, however, this means that the less clutter that your audience receives, the more meaningful the ones they receive are, and so, response rates to direct mail are on the rise. Some savvy marketers are catching onto the increased engagement rates of direct mail and are in turn embracing the new technologies that are going hand in hand with direct mail, such as augmented reality. 

augmented reality direct mail


How Will Augmented Reality Work In Print?

Augmented reality can be used in print with the use of a simple QR code. The receiver of the direct mail is asked to scan the QR code with their smartphone to reveal the augmented reality experience. 

augmented reality direct mail

What Print Mediums Can Augmented Reality Be Applied To?

The beauty of augmented reality is that it can be applied to any print medium. The opportunities really are endless. By using augmented reality in direct mail, you can offer a more in depth experience to your audience.

We recently began work with US technology giant, Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Using Augmented Reality in a Direct Mail campaign, it supports the launch of new enterprise software product HPE Primera. Aircards created an engaging Augmented Reality experience that was embedded into a printed flyer, which Hewlett Packard Enterprise then distributed to their extensive customer base. The unique design and innovative Call-to-Action buttons have driven strong customer engagement for HPE.

augmented reality direct mail

Augmented Reality And Trackable Data

Augmented reality can also assist in making your campaigns more measurable, as when users experience augmented reality the data is recorded, helping you to track the success and engagement of the augmented reality direct mail campaign. This can tell businesses a lot about how and when their audience is engaging with the experience, including what content gets the most interest. This can be incredibly insightful for businesses and can create a huge opportunity and scope for optimisation. 

augmented reality direct mail

Drive Deep Engagement

Augmented reality is an incredibly engaging technology. It has the ability to create a vast range of opportunities and to make direct mail interactive. By using augmented reality you have the capacity to enhance direct mail with existing content or create a completely bespoke augmented reality experience for the receiver to drive deep engagement.

AR direct mail

Encourage Immediate Action

With augmented reality, direct mail can become interactive and drive action straight from the initial interaction. An example of this could be letting the receiver to buy now or book an appointment. By having this in place with the power of augmented reality, it has the ability to strengthen direct mail as a sales channel and enable it to drive results and sales. 

‍Aircards created an engaging Augmented Reality experience that was embedded into a printed flyer, which Boot Barn then distributed to their extensive customer base alongside a special sale offer. This has proven to be an innovative customer engagement campaign for Boot Barn.

AR direct mail

Augmented Reality Is The Future Of Printed Media

Augmented reality has the ability to add significant value to your direct mail campaigns and in fact your whole business. Augmented reality has the ability to add another dimension to your print marketing campaigns, enabling you to add content such as rich media, contact information and discount codes. 

It is known that direct mail is still an incredibly effective marketing strategy, however, if you add a mobile augmented reality element, it has the potential to skyrocket your results. 

AR direct mail
Augmented Reality Direct Mail And The Public

As the public are becoming more aware and exposed to augmented reality, it is becoming increasingly used and is rapidly growing in popularity. Augmented reality in direct mail brings new life to your standard print mail and brings you one step closer to a sale. Augmented reality in printed media hopes to bridge the gap between both physical real work and digital experiences. 

Direct mail is a tried and tested effective offline marketing tool which puts marketing materials into the hands of their audience. Augmented reality is an innovative technology that is growing in popularity and has endless possibilities. When you marry the two together, augmented reality direct mail becomes a very powerful tool to have in your marketing strategy. 

If you’re looking to incorporate augmented reality into your direct mail campaign, please contact us here, we’d love to chat!