Not as High Tech as You’re Thinking. We’ve all seen GIFs on the Internet. They’re relatively easy to make, allowing even the less tech-savvy among us to create moving images to attach to e-mail or social marketing messages. Now, there’s a way to bring GIFs into direct mail marketing.

You’re probably wondering how in the world we can put moving images from the Internet into direct mail without exorbitant expense. It’s not like we can send our direct mailers with built in microprocessors.

The answer is actually fairly low-tech. Or old tech, at least. You can bring images to life by using lenticular printing, a technology that’s been making images move since the 1940s.

Lenticular Printing: What it is and How You can Use it in Marketing

Put in layman’s terms, lenticular printing takes multiple images and lenses are used to create the illusions of depth and movement. Think back to the holographic pictures you used to find in Cracker Jack or cereal boxes. Those are among the simpler lenticular printing creations.

Modern lenticular printing takes the concept a bit further, allowing for more complex images and greater range of motion. It can even be used to create an effect very similar to the GIFs we’ve all received in instant messages and emails.

Keeping Your Direct Mailer Out of File 13

Here’s the think about GIFs: They’re eye catching.

We all know that the majority of direct mail goes directly into the circular file. What makes the difference between a mailer that gets tossed and a mailer that gets a response is whether you catch the customer’s eye long enough for them to actually read about your promotion or product.

Give them something worth looking at, and they’ll take the time to check out your offer. Put an eye-popping “GIF” in your direct mail and your ads are more likely to be noticed, read and responded to. They provide something different, a cut above the same-old, same-old stack of direct mail that consumers throw away.

Of course, a GIF can’t sell a product in and of itself. What it can do is shout “hey you” and get a potential customer’s attention long enough for the customer to check out the information and decide whether they’re interested.

It Must Cost a Fortune

We all know that you have to spend money to make money. We also know that advertising isn’t the place to skimp unless you want to run yourself out of business. However, because this exciting new idea uses older, established tech, it’s not nearly as expensive as you may be thinking.

The real trick to pulling off GIFs in your direct mailers is finding a printer who really knows what they’re doing with lenticular printing and who has the capability to add multiple lenticular layers. This can take a little searching, but in the end it’s worth it to add sizzle to your direct mailing ads and raise your response rates.

SCG Provides Lenticular Printing Direct Mailers

Southern California Graphics is Los Angeles’ premier printing company. We work with our clientele, getting to know them and their operations and providing top in the industry direct mailers, advertising and marketing materials and other printed resources. We are among the best lenticular printing companies in the world and know what it takes to add GIF-like images that really pop to enhance your direct mail campaign.