How interactive print can help brands connect with potential customers

Interactive print is becoming an increasingly important feature for marketers as they seek to capture the attention of the modern consumer. Here, Rob Fletcher highlights some of the ways print can help brands connect with people while out and about.

Given the number of distractions facing the modern consumer, capturing their attention is no easy task for brands. For this reason, marketers are having to use new and innovative methods to connect with people and ensure they are getting their message across.

Inviting passers-by to interact is one effective way of not only connecting with them, but also ensures you leave a lasting impression. Of course, digital technologies offer all manner of opportunities in terms of interaction, but there is still plenty of room left for print to have a similar impact, with many options available to marketers.

When we talk about interactive print, many minds will immediately be drawn to QR codes. These allow brands to direct consumers to websites with more information on products or even allow them to access additional content. However, interaction can be much more than this.

Here, FESPA.com celebrates some of this work and the clever initiatives being rolled out to keep consumers interested in today’s fast-paced world.

Tasty treat

In Canada, print business Global Printing Enterprises teamed up with Reignite Marketing, Warner Bros Canada and Oxford Properties’ Yorkdale Shopping Centre on a project to promote the recently released ‘Wonka’ film. A prequel to classic book and film ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, this offered audiences an insight into the early life of the fictional chocolate factory owner.

As part of promotions for the film, a pop-up experience was created for Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Ontario, allowing shoppers to explore and interact with Wonka-inspired displays. Print content included wall murals, backdrops and floor graphics, all of which were themed on the film.


As for consumer interaction, passers-by were invited to enter the Wonka experience, view the pieces and even take selfies with and pictures of the display. Shoppers could then share these images across social media and with their family and friends, helping to promote the film to a wider audience.

In terms of how Global Printing Enterprises achieved these effects, the company worked with a range of material from Drytac. Products included Polar Grip Air, a white polymeric self-adhesive vinyl with air release technology, Polar Premium Air, a self-adhesive vinyl also with air egress technology, and ReTac Smooth 150 polymeric PVC film and FloorTac, a matte white polymeric PVC film, paired with Interlam Pro Emerytex.

“The captivating displays they created provided an immersive brand experience, generating a tremendous amount of excitement and significantly increasing brand recognition,” said Dennis Leblanc, senior business development manager for North America at Drytac. “As a result, foot traffic to Yorkdale Mall skyrocketed, leading to a substantial surge in movie ticket sales.

“The benefits of utilising Global Printing Enterprises for experiential marketing are crystal clear, as they allow for personalised and eye-catching displays, flawless execution, scalability, and adaptability.”

Game, set and match

Another company making use of Drytac materials for a similar, experience-type project was Print Three Calgary. A franchise working as part of the Canada-wide Print Three network, Print Three Calgary used Drytac SpotOn Floor 200 to create floor graphics that mimicked a tennis court and promote the Calgary National Bank Challenger professional tennis event.

Graphics were installed at the Core Shopping Centre, close to where the event was being hosted, with shoppers invited to take part in tennis challenges and attempt to win free tickets to the event and various other prizes.


Print Three Calgary, which took on a similar project for the previous year’s event, printed a total of 18 panels for the job, piecing them together to create the tennis court graphics that measured 11m x 8m when complete. The company printed all graphics in-house using its HP Latex 335 printer.

“We have been working with Drytac’s SpotOn and ReTac products on a wide range of applications for a number of years now; they have always been great materials for us to work with,” Print Three Calgary general manager Mark Eisan said. “This was another example of this success.”

Picture perfect for Primark

Alongside actual printed pieces, print technology can also help encourage interaction and engagement. For example, Fujifilm offers partners the opportunity to use its ‘Photo by Fujifilm’ instant print initiative as a way of connecting with consumers.

Among those brands taking advantage of the scheme is Primark, which has recently added a new concession at its shop in Birmingham, which is incidentally the largest Primark store in the world. The Photo by Fujifilm concession is home to three selfie booths and six instant photo printing kiosks, where customers can print photos from their phone, in sizes ranging from 6x4 to 8x12.

In addition, an Instax Van pop-up kitchen hosted a series of special events outside the store, with its photobooth-on-wheels parking up on the high street. Here, shoppers could claim free Instax prints and other goodies.


The Birmingham launch marked the second phase of the partnership between Fujifilm and Primark. Last year, a concession opened at the Primark store in Manchester.

“We want to continue offering unforgettable shopping experiences and Photo by Fujifilm gives us another opportunity to engage our customers, so they can capture all of life’s moments and make memories in store,” said Tim Kelly, director of new business development at Primark.

Fujifilm UK general manager Theo Georghiades added: “This collaboration merges fashion and photography, providing shoppers with the unique opportunity to explore the range of INSTAX products instore and to print their favourite photos at the Fujifilm kiosks. We are excited to bring this partnership to Birmingham, offering an immersive shopping experience that celebrates both style and the art of capturing unforgettable moments.”

Capitalise on interest

Of course, QR codes are still an incredibly important part of print interactivity when it comes to out of home marketing. Internet application innovator TenantMagic recently announced the launch of BrowsingMagic.com, a platform with lead generating QR code technology for print advertising. This, the developer said, revolutionises the way businesses connect with potential customers in real time.

The newly developed QR code by BrowsingMagic.com offers dual functionality. When the code is scanned, this not only directs the consumer to a landing page but also triggers a non-spam text message to a designated salesperson. This message includes details about the advertisement that was scanned and provides the person’s phone number. As such, this enables the salesperson to engage with the interested prospect, capitalising on their immediate interest.

“While traditional QR codes are effective in driving website traffic, they fall short in generating actionable leads in real time,” said Wayne Rothman, the developer behind BrowsingMagic,

“Research indicates that a warm sales lead is 100x more effective if responded to within five minutes. BrowsingMagic bridges this gap by enabling immediate engagement between an interested prospect and a motivated salesperson within that critical 5-minute window.

“We firmly believe that our new QR code technology will significantly enhance lead conversion and revolutionise initial interactions between businesses and potential customers.”

These are just some examples of the many way marketers can use print to help interact with individuals. Thinking outside the box and rolling out innovative campaigns will allow brands to connect with even the most distracted consumer.