Sensory initiative enters B2B customer magazine

A special edition of Royal Mail's B2B customer magazine, Contact, has been launched to support the Touching Brands initiative to engage more of the senses through direct mail.

The one-off issue created by Redwood is a Sensory Marketing edition, exploring how the use of all five senses in marketing communications can help businesses engage with customers on a deeper emotional level.

Royal Mail has developed a solution with Brand Sense, the sense branding specialist and is using the latest edition of its own customer magazine to demonstrate the benefits.

To immediately win reader attention, the front cover of Contact, which is distributed to 25,000 senior marketers, draws on tests for colour blindness as its inspiration and features black 'text' within a scattering of over-laid coloured dots to create a trick of visual logic.

Highlighting the influences of the different senses there are themed sections throughout the magazine, for example, the 'sight section' features a visual insert representing the ancient debate by Greek philosophers about sight being the result of a 'visual fire' emanating from the eye.

The pupil of the eye has been removed and through the tiny aperture, readers can see hints of a flaming inferno.

The section also includes interviews with Marc Brickman - an award-winning lighting designer who worked with Pink Floyd, The Scissor Sisters and Steven Spielberg and an article by the London College of Fashion's Andrew Tucker on how young designers are adopting unconventional, even controversial, marketing techniques.

The sound section contains an interview with profoundly deaf percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, an article on the power of music looking at the work of Boston Philharmonic conductor Benjamin Zander and a feature piece by Julian Treasure, chairman of the world's first sound consultancy, The Sound Agency, on creating an auditory brand identity.

Other key content includes a feature by author and journalist Graham Vickers looking at the rich history of sensory marketing; insight from taste specialist Thornton Mustard on how tastes are acquired and evolve over the course of a lifetime and an article by Professor Morton Heller, the US author of The Psychology of Touch, revealing the importance of touch in the marketing mix.

Additionally there are a number of sensory inserts to reinforce the individual strengths of the senses including an invitation to touch a page and release the scent of danger; perforated recipe cards and an embossed, tactile works of art.

Antony Miller, Head of Media Development, Royal Mail, said: "Our latest marketing initiative, in conjunction with Brand Sense, is about showing brand managers how they can engage customers using direct mail that appeals to the different senses.

"Developing a sensory approach to direct mail will expand a campaign beyond one of direct response and increase it business's ability to enhance brand communication.

"We decided to demonstrate and bring to life the power of the senses by commissioning a special sensory edition of Contact, which is distributed to 25,000 of our customers.

"Redwood has excelled itself; the magazine is bursting with sights, sounds, smells, different textures and alluring tastes, all of which provide a compelling argument to the power of the senses".

Keith Grainger, Chief Executive of Redwood, said: 'This issue of Contact is at the cutting edge of customer publishing - it shows how engaging sensory marketing can be and proves that print is still a hugely exciting place to be.

"It perfectly positions Royal Mail as a thought-leader and as an organisation alive to possibilities and seeking new ways to build rapport.

"We're sure its readers will be inspired and look forward to measuring its effectiveness".

Contact is distributed to 25,000 senior marketers and demonstrates how Royal Mail is a key strategic partner and the industry expert in mail and direct marketing.

The magazine fuses 'practical ideas for today' with 'inspiration for tomorrow', giving readers the tools they need to achieve surprise and impact with their marketing communications and drive brand affinity.

The issue uses variety of production techniques, including silver foil blocking, die cutting, embossing, stickers, scratch and sniff, sealed sections, perforations and a range of different paper stocks.

Redwood also produces two of Royal Mail's internal communications titles as well as its three business-to-business customer-facing publications Contact, Sort It and Smart.

Back to top