Animate the Inanimate – Let’s get physical!

“Only hope can keep me together – Message In a bottle, yeah” Gordon Sumner (Sting) - 1979

“To retain their relevance brands will have to innovate and activate with synchronicity (did you see what I did there) across content, commerce and media in what will become an even more crowded world of communication”

As another renowned troubadour once said, “The Times They Are A Changing”, do any of us believe that things will return to exactly the way they were? Many things to do with our lifestyles may get refreshingly better, many will remain difficult. Brands will need to think fast and, on their feet, to continually originate and innovate with the strategies and tactics they use to build trust and confidence. deliver compelling content.

We’ve spoken a lot about digital customer experience and whilst clearly the last 10 years have seen an overwhelming shift to online commerce that has devastated many of our “bricks and mortar” retail institutions. However, over the 5 years, whilst many of the dinosaurs were slowly heading towards extinction, a new breed of stores were emerging, mostly brands selling direct to their consumers. After all humans are fundamentally tactile creatures – we have up to 5 senses and however many we’re gifted with we like to use them all at once if possible.

But what happens to the new breed of bricks and mortar shops as we start to unwind. Destination is one of the key factors in drawing shoppers from the screen and through the door, but will these destinations be as much of a draw with Covid still hanging around and the talk of a second wave.

So how can brands deliver a physical experience to people in their homes and connect that to a digital one that doesn’t require them to leave it? This paradigm has made packaging a brands most valuable “owned” media.

Shopping habits have changed, possibly irrevocably! Consumers are shopping less often and buying greater quantities which equals bigger packs these packs inhabiting shelves for much longer. Also, the packaging focus has doubled back. Take fruit for example, pre-Covid the consumer mood was for pack free fruit, since lock down was implemented the resurgent trend has been for bagged or boxed produce.

This presents an unmissable opportunity for brands, FMCG especially, to use packaging as a conduit to connect the physical and tactile experience. By using on-pack technology to bring their content directly into people’s homes through the products on their shelves they can create experiences that are educational and entertaining.

The more recent generations of smartphones, with embedded readers, have made the experience of interacting with QI codes and AR markers frictionless removing the need to download apps and pull-though directly into a limitless world of digital experiences.

By connecting packaging with their content brands have the opportunity to evolve the economics of brand consumer engagement across all their channels.

BORN Group blends the highest quality of creative content with frictionless commerce and technology to empower your brand to speak to customers from their shelves, cupboards or possibly even pantries.

Talk to us, let’s get a conversation started.