Classic Postcard Marketing

The other day I got a postcard in the mail, reminding me that I made a dentist appointment six months ago, and it’s coming up. With this reminder in hand, I made a note in my calendar of my date with a comfy chair and sharp objects. Doctors and dentists have been practicing this type of reminder postcard marketing for years, and that’s because it hasn’t gone out of style. You can crow all you want about iCals, digital datebooks and the like, but the fact is: I’ve seen plenty of people walk out of the lobby without jotting down their next appointment, and you know they won’t retain the information by the time they get to a computer or pull put their phone next. Neuromarketing posted a blog on Monday about paper versus digital marketing in terms of which forms of advertising leave a deeper emotional footprint. According to a study by branding agency Millward Brown, “physical material is more ‘real’ to the brain. It has a meaning, and a place. It is better connected to memory because it engages with its spatial memory networks.” Indeed, when it comes to reminders, I find that I retain information better if I write it down with a pen on paper rather than if I type it into a digital Post-It. Holding and seeing the postcard from my dentist reinforces my appointment next week rather than if I simply typed it into the calendar on my smartphone – I likely wouldn’t recall the appointment until that day, when I received an alert 15 minutes prior. Neuromarketing recommends taking advantage of print marketing with a few tips, including, “Build in your brand imagery, since brand recall may be enhanced by the paper medium.” Which classic forms of print promotions does your business stick with year after year?