For many businesses, standing out amongst other competitors in their industry - and holding the attention of their target customer base - is a difficult riddle.
But it’s one that feeds the work of marketers the world over.
At Trust Point Inc., a Wisconsin-based firm that provides a full range of financial and advisory services to individuals, nonprofits and businesses, separating themselves from others in their field was the only way to capture the attention of would-be clients looking to obtain a retirement plan.
“In order to get in front of them again, we wanted something that would really stand out,” said Hilary Whitaker, marketing associate at Trust Point. “We didn’t want to do just a plain white envelope or just a regular postcard; something that, you know, CEOs get that just goes in the garbage or doesn’t even get to them as the receptionist sorts through the pile of mail. We really wanted something they couldn’t ignore.”
“I brought in a sample pop-up box that I got and showed it to my supervisor, Angela Strangman,” she said. “We actually did the video brochure, too, and we just kind of ran with it. We were able to do something a little more outstanding, kind of separating us from pack.”
The team had a long list of qualities this piece had to possess: It had to be interactive and quick to the point; it needed to have some longevity so prospects could leave it on their desks to go back to again and again; it had to be eye-catching otherwise it would get chucked into the bin; it needed to be inviting enough that people wanted to play with it, but not too difficult.
Red Paper Plane’s Magic Changing Picture checked all those boxes.
“We thought it was perfect,” Hilary said. “You know, it’s quick and easy. You just pull the tab and we could get the messaging that we wanted across.”
What’s so unique about the Magic Changing Picture is that it allows businesses to showcase two sides of their story. When you pull the tab, the panels in the die-cut window transform to showcase something entirely different, whether that’s a cause and effect, a before and after, or multiple parts of your brand messaging.
All Hilary had to do was choose the template, design the piece and upload the creative to Red Paper Plane’s online interface.
“The templates were just black and white, easy to read,” she said. “I knew exactly where I needed to place things and if there were any questions, I called customer service and they were quick to respond. The process was fantastic.”
The finished piece, which was distributed to some 2,500 folks nationwide, came out exactly as the Trust Point team had envisioned it would.
“Everything is on point to a tee,” Hilary said. “We actually had a staff meeting and brought this in to show what we were working on. We passed it around the room and gained a lot of great feedback. On top of that, we actually got a sample pack from you guys and I had about five or six people in my cubicle playing with all the pieces."
“I think that, in itself, just shows that these pieces catch people’s attention. It’s fun. It’s interactive. It’s a good conversation point, almost like a coffee table book.”