Think about your favorite book, chances are one of the first things that comes to your mind is how it feels in your hands, whether the title is embossed or if the cover is hard or soft. Now think about your winter jacket, feeling how the seams align and the texture of the fabric, you could know it was yours just by touching it. Chances are, you could know most of your belongings apart from others just by touching them. This physical connection to the way an item feels is one of the most overlooked aspects of advertising, but we think it’s time that everyone in printing entered the world of texture!
Touchy Feely
Just as colors and sounds evoke certain emotions and responses from people, so will various textures. Picture the label of your favorite beverage or snack, chances are you won’t just remember the colors or style, or even their latest commercial, you’ll also remember how it feels in your hand. For example, the velvet bag of Crown Royal feels very different than the rough paper label on Makers Mark. Texture is the key to creating a piece of advertising which contains a multi-sensory experience for a consumer. These experiences do not need to be limited to labels and packaging, they can also be utilized in all types of advertising, including your direct mail pieces.
An article in Paper Specs, highlights this very aspect, quoting Millward Brown’s study “Using Neuroscience to Understand Direct Mail” which explains “Tangible materials leave a deeper footprint in the brain… Physical materials involve more emotional processing, which is important for memory and brand associations.” These memories and brand associations are the key to your success and texture creates another avenue for your potential customers to access them.
You want your consumers to pick up one of your advertising pieces and know it’s yours just by touching it, and texture will make that happen.
Tapping into Texture
In order to get the best results from textured advertising, it’s important to know which messages you want to convey to your consumers and how to accomplish them. For example, a bumpy texture and a smooth texture will each read very differently to a consumer. As with any type of advertising, it’s important to know your audience. There’s a big difference in the texture which brides-to-be will be enticed by compared to the texture a football player will find appealing!
If you have an idea of who your audience is, your printer can help you determine the right textures for your direct mail pieces. Let them guide you in the process because they’ve seen what works and will have a better idea of what paper stock to use.
Textures can be created visually as well as physically. Many direct mail advertisers utilize prints and designs which appear to have texture while others create it through various paper stocks and printing processes.
Whether you’re looking for a piece of advertising which will evoke feelings of indulgence or one which creates a sense of excitement, your printer should be able to design it for you.
Sense of Touch
Textures can encourage people to act in ways which a slogan or graphic couldn’t on their own. After all, we have more than those two senses! Don’t rely on hearing and sight alone, add the sense of touch into your advertising tool box. Give your advertising campaign a boost by supporting your pieces with an unforgettable texture which will lead your consumers to want more. Begin your adventure in the world of texture today!
