Talking Print says there has been an increase in demand for pieces such as audio cards
A Match Made in Heaven?
While it is true that digital technologies have taken some work away from printers, there is plenty of evidence to show that advancements in this sector are presenting print service providers (PSPs) with new and exciting opportunities.
Whether you are starting simple by adding QR codes to packaging for consumers to scan and access additional content or integrating moving and talking digital technology into printed work, the scope for collaboration between the two industries is varied and far-reaching.
Here, Print Monthly takes a look at recent advancements in crossmedia and picks out some of the more innovative and eye-catching collaborations that should offer plenty of food for thought to PSPs looking for new opportunities.
Standing Out
Without crossing over into the digital world too much, PSPs can combine traditional print with electronics to create something unusual and eye-catching. An expert in this area is Talking Print, which, for a number of years, has been helping PSPs and brands in their quest to make products stand out.
Managing director, David Hyams, breaks this down as bringing print to life with sound and vision. He says: “We add video, audio, lights, and other technology to print. Every job we do is different, and it gives printers a way of adding different things to their printed work.
Every job we do is different and it gives printers a way of adding different things to their printed work”
“At Talking Print, what we do is offer printers an extra feature for their portfolio. Clients these days are not looking for long runs; they are looking to add and offer different things than what the competitors do. Successful printers do provide different offerings such as additional finishes and specialist papers, and we are just part of that, giving clients different solutions for their own services.”
O Factoid: Talking Print has worked with a number of major clients on interactive print projects such as EMI Records, Budweiser, and the Metropolitan Police O
Talking Print is perhaps best known for its video books, where a simple screen and audio modules are added to printed books to help bring the piece to life. Alongside this, Talking Print works with clients on pieces such as audio cards, such as novelty cards popular at Christmas and birthdays, as well as innovative packaging that features lights and audio.
“I love people to throw me curveballs,” Hyams says, adding: “I can do short and long runs. I did one run of two million not too long ago. We can do that as we have a good network and contacts in China. I don’t own a printing press and instead see myself more as a problem solver as to how I can help actual printers and brands achieve their goals.”
With this, Hyams picks out some of the more recent innovations from Talking Print to show what it can do. Last Christmas, Talking Print worked with EMI Records on a special project for Scottish singing sensation Lewis Capaldi. Around 1,000 printed audio cards were produced, each featuring a message from Capaldi wishing the recipient a happy Christmas, with the front of the card featuring the singer in a snowy scene wearing a Santa hat.
“This was only a simple greetings card but what it does is introduce a technology that has been around for a long time to a whole new audience that was not previously aware of this,” Hyams says, adding: “Projects like this will open their eyes to the technology and what it can offer across a range of markets and applications.
Other projects include a medical information audio book that was distributed across Africa. Recipients could press a number of buttons on the printed card to hear various messages about birth control and the options available to them in the local area.
Elsewhere, Talking Print worked with beer brand Budweiser to produce a printed box for an influencer campaign. When the consumer opened the box, a drinks can popped up from the middle, lights flicked on, and an audio message played, helping increase the effectiveness of the box and creating a more memorable experience for those who received a pack.
In addition, Talking Print has worked with the Metropolitan Police on a project designed to help young people who have gotten into trouble with the law. Juveniles are given an interactive book after they have been arrested to learn what they can do to change their path in life.
Flipping the Status Quo
Casting the net further into the digital world and there is certainly no shortage of examples of crossovers for print. Starting with smaller-format work and the classic printed QR code, confectionary giant Mars ran a special campaign this year on its M&M's product in the US.
The all-female packs celebrated women everywhere who are flipping the status quo, with the design of the limited-edition packs being turned upside down to promote this. Packs also featured one of Mars' newest M&M's character, Purple, featuring her not only on the packaging, but inside the packaging as well.
As for the crossmedia angle, QR codes were printed on the packs for consumers to scan and learn more about the campaign. Those who scanned the printed code were linked to a page where they could nominate women in their lives who are flipping the status quo. Nominees were in with a chance of being featured on M&M’s platforms and receiving monetary grants to help fund their ‘flip’. Winners were announced on International Women’s Day (March 8th).
Consumers could scan QR codes on M&M's to nominate influential women to receive grants
“The M&M’s brand is on a mission to use the power of fun to create purposeful connections, as we work to create a world where everyone feels they belong,” Mars Wrigley North America chief marketing officer, Gabrielle Wesley, says, adding: “Women all over the world are flipping how they define success and happiness while challenging the status quo, so we’re thrilled to be able to recognise and celebrate them.”
Another company making use of QR codes and the crossover between the print and digital worlds is crisp giant Frito-Lay. Last year, the company ran a special campaign aiming to promote careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to girls around the world.
Working with actress and science-fiction star Sonequa Martin-Green and STEM Next's Million Girls Moonshot, an initiative seeking to engage one million more girls in STEM learning opportunities through after-school and summer programmes by 2025, the Back-to-School Blast Off program made use of QR codes on Frito-Lay packs.
QR codes printed on the side of Frito-Lay packs led people to online activities designed by NASA
Cardboard box multi-packs of crisps featured a printed QR code that consumers could scan to find out more about the campaign and the opportunities to young women in school. The codes also linked people to pages where they could take part in a wide range of activities designed by NASA, one of the most famous STEM employers on – and indeed outside – planet Earth.
“While we aspire to deliver joy through our snacks, we also seek to use our position to do more,” says Danielle O'Keefe, senior director of brand marketing for Frito-Lay Variety Packs, adding: “This year we want to make our impact even more meaningful as we continue to support the dreams of young girls everywhere.”
Explore a New Reality
While adding a QR code may be one of the simpler forms of crossmedia, there are a whole host of other avenues for PSPs to explore in this area. This could be some form of NFC (Near Field Communication) on a printer poster or even augmented reality (AR) integrated into the printed design on drinks cans, all aimed at giving added value for the consumer and creating a more memorable experience for them.
Take food and beverage brand Chobani for example. The company released a limited-edition run of its products with Halloween-themed packaging. The special packs featured a QR code that shoppers could scan to unlock an AR experience whereby people could knock on virtual doors to find tricks and a treat – just like real-life trick or treat at Halloween.
After exploring the AR experience, participants could take a selfie with a mask inspired by the Chobani Flip Halloween characters and share it with family and friends. In addition, consumers could use the QR code to enter a competition to win a house of prizes such as phone screensavers, colouring pages, button pins, keychains, stickers, hats, totes and even a mini fridge.
Best of Both
Then there is of course the option of running new digital technologies side by side with print, making the use of both mediums without one overshadowing the other. This is exactly what Toronto-based sign-maker Minoh Inc did last year in partnership with Marlin Spring, an integrated real estate company that acquires, develops, constructs, and repositions assets throughout North America.
Canadian company Minoh Inc integrated graphics with digital screens for a display project
Minoh was tasked with creating wall graphics to be integrated as part of a wider interior video wall display at Marlin Spring’s facility. The graphics featured inspirational wording that portrayed Marlin Spring’s core principles and aims as a business.
Printed graphics were placed in and around three video screens installed on an interior wall with the screens overlapping the wording without completely blocking the oversized text. Other aspects of the job included a graphic that listed amenities in the area local to Marlin Spring’s latest real estate project in Toronto, with the aim of showcasing the benefits of living in the region.
Minoh used Drytac ReTac Textures Linen for the project, printing the graphics in-house on its HP Latex 365 printer. The graphics were then installed on-site by Minoh’s expert team.
“The customer was absolutely over the moon with the look of the graphics after they were installed on the walls,” says Minoh sales manager, Steven Mayers, who adds: “Such was the success of the job that the client will be looking to use this method again on other projects and we look forward to supporting them with future jobs.”
These closing comments offer something of an exciting conclusion to this special feature. To put it simply, there is so much scope for crossmedia in print in terms of combining a media we are all aware of with new, more modern digital technologies that were previously seen as a threat.
While there is obviously some level of tension between print and digital in terms of which medium brands and customers prefer to turn to, the examples featured here show that the two mediums can support each other in terms of helping clients stand out in today's fast-paced world. Be it a simple QR code that offers access to additional content or running print and digital screens alongside each other to double the impact on passers-by, there is no reason that the two cannot live – and indeed thrive – in harmony.
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