Interactive print glossary
The terms that come up when print becomes interactive and measurable: what they mean, how the technology works and where it makes sense in a campaign.
ABM direct mail
ABM direct mail is the use of personalised printed mailings within account-based marketing (ABM): instead of mailing a broad list, a company sends tailored pieces to the decision makers of a defined set of target accounts and coordinates each delivery with sales follow-up.
Connected packaging
Connected packaging is product packaging, or an insert inside it, that carries a machine-readable link to digital content, usually a QR code or an NFC chip. Scanning or tapping it with a smartphone opens product information, instructions, a loyalty programme or a reorder page, and each interaction gives the brand data about how the product is used.
Data carrier
A data carrier is a machine-readable element on a product, its packaging or a document that holds an identifier or a link, such as a bar code, QR code, Data Matrix code, NFC chip or RFID tag. Scanning or tapping it connects the physical item to digital information about it.
Dialogue marketing
Dialogue marketing is a form of direct marketing that addresses individuals personally and is designed to provoke a measurable response, so that each contact starts or continues a two-way exchange between a company and a customer or prospect. The term is widely used in German-speaking markets (Dialogmarketing).
Digital Product Passport (DPP)
A Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a structured digital record of a product’s data, such as materials, origin, repair, recycling and compliance information, linked to the physical item through a data carrier and a unique identifier. In the EU it is being introduced product group by product group under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).
Dimensional mail
Dimensional mail is direct mail with physical depth or substance beyond a flat letter or postcard, such as a box, a tube, a pop-up construction, an enclosed object or heavy, finished premium print. It is used to reach a small number of high-value recipients with a piece that is hard to ignore and likely to be kept.
Direct mail ROI
Direct mail ROI (return on investment) is the profit a mailing campaign generates relative to what it cost, calculated as (attributable gross profit − campaign cost) ÷ campaign cost × 100. A result of 50% means every euro spent on the mailing came back plus fifty cents.
Direct mail vs. email
Direct mail vs. email is the comparison between physical, addressed marketing mail and marketing email: two direct channels that reach a named recipient, but differ sharply in cost per contact, attention, legal requirements, speed and how responses are measured.
HCP marketing
HCP marketing is the communication of pharmaceutical, medtech and healthcare companies aimed at healthcare professionals (HCPs) such as physicians, pharmacists and nurses. It covers product information, scientific education and invitations, and it runs under stricter rules than almost any other B2B marketing.
Interactive direct mail
Interactive direct mail is a printed mailing that the recipient can open digitally, usually by tapping an embedded NFC chip or scanning a QR code with a smartphone. The tap or scan launches a video, form, configurator or AR experience in the browser and records the interaction, so a channel that used to be unmeasurable produces engagement data.
NFC (Near Field Communication)
NFC (Near Field Communication) is a short-range wireless technology that lets two devices exchange data when they are held within a few centimetres of each other. It runs at 13.56 MHz and is built into almost every current smartphone, where it powers contactless payments and the reading of NFC tags.
NFC authentication
NFC authentication is the use of a secure NFC chip to prove that a product, document or package is genuine. When a smartphone taps the chip, it produces a cryptographically signed message that a server checks, and some chips also report whether a seal has been broken.
NFC tag
An NFC tag is a small, battery-free chip connected to an antenna that stores a short piece of data, usually a web address, and passes it to a smartphone held within a few centimetres. The phone’s NFC field powers the tag, so it can be embedded in paper, labels or packaging and keep working for years.
Personalized URL (PURL)
A personalized URL (PURL) is a web address created for one specific recipient, such as brand.com/anna-meier or brand.com/p/7KX2Q, that opens a landing page tailored to that person and records their visit. PURLs are printed on direct mail and other print pieces to attribute responses to individual recipients.
Phygital marketing
Phygital marketing is marketing that connects a physical touchpoint, such as a printed mailer, a package or a store display, directly to a digital experience on the customer’s phone. The physical object starts the interaction, the digital layer delivers content and collects data, and both are planned as one journey rather than two separate channels.
Print attribution
Print attribution is the practice of linking a printed piece, such as a mailing, brochure, catalogue or print ad, to the actions it caused, so that responses, leads and revenue can be credited to a specific print campaign, version or recipient.
QR code vs. NFC
QR code vs. NFC describes the choice between two ways of linking a physical object to digital content: a QR code is a printed pattern that a phone camera scans, while NFC is a small chip that a phone reads when it touches the object. Both open a web address without an app, but they differ in cost, range, effort for the user and the moments they suit.
Response rate
Response rate is the share of recipients who respond to a campaign, calculated as the number of responses divided by the number of pieces delivered, multiplied by 100. In direct mail, a response is whatever action the campaign asked for, such as a visit, a form, a call, an order or a booked appointment.
Trackable direct mail
Trackable direct mail is printed mail in which each piece, version or recipient carries a measurable element, such as an NFC chip, a unique QR code, a personalized URL or a promo code, so that interactions and responses can be counted and attributed instead of estimated.
Triggered direct mail
Triggered direct mail is printed mail that is sent automatically when a defined event occurs for an individual customer or prospect, such as a sign-up, a lapsed subscription or an abandoned quote. The event in a CRM or marketing automation system starts the personalisation, printing and posting of a single piece without a manual campaign.
Variable data printing (VDP)
Variable data printing (VDP) is a digital printing method in which text, images or codes change from one printed piece to the next within a single print run, based on records from a database, so that every mailing, card or label can be personalised for its recipient.
WebAR (web-based augmented reality)
WebAR (web-based augmented reality) is augmented reality that runs directly in a smartphone’s web browser, without installing an app. The browser uses the phone’s camera and motion sensors to place digital content, such as 3D models, video or animations, on top of the real world, and the experience starts from an ordinary link, QR code or NFC tap.
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