This week I had the pleasure of attending the first Papercuts webinar series. I heard about this free event on LinkedIn through my friend Debrah Corn of the PrintMediaCentr. When I signed up, I assumed it would be just like every other webinar in that all the interaction would be digital. So when my boss walked in and handed me a large cardboard envelope a week later, I didn’t make the connection. The return address said the package came from the Millcraft Group, a company I’d never heard of before. The label looked very professional in an old school way. I opened it up not knowing what to expect.
Here’s what I saw inside:
Now I’ve been to my fair share of webinars, but I’ve never seen anything like this before. The mailer gets its name from the Neenah Cabinet Paper App. Unfortunately, I can’t download the mobile app because I own a Windows Phone. If you’re an iPhone or Android user, please download it and let me know what you think. The app is a print geek’s dream. You can browse from tons of tempting textures, upload artwork, and get a free sample proof before you purchase. You can even find a distributor or printer when you’re ready to commit to a project.
The coolest part about the mailer are the interactive insert cards. I could be wrong, but these seem as though they’re geared towards the design community. I say they’re interactive because there’s a game or brain teaser on the back of each card. Nice touch.
I confess I didn’t get to spend much time listening to the webinar. I had it in the background while I worked furiously on an upcoming campaign. I heard a lot of talk about enevelopes, but I know I missed a lot of interesting info. I’m not sure when the next webinar will roll around—I hope I’m able to actually pay attention because I have a newfound appreciation for funky paper. Thanks to everyone involved in this well orchestrated presentation. If you love paper or just want to explore your design options, I highly recommend attending in the future.
I’ll never look at webinars the same way again. The Cabinet mailer raised the bar so to speak, and now I can’t imagine holding an online event without a direct mail campaign.
Mission Accomplished.