print and digital worlds is crisp giant FritoLay. Last year, the company ran a special campaign aiming to promote careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to girls around the world. Working with actress and science-fiction star Sonequa Martin-Green and STEM Next's Million Girls Moonshot, an initiative seeking to engage one million more girls in STEM learning opportunities through afterschool and summer programmes by 2025, the Back-to-School Blast Off program made use of QR codes on Frito-Lay packs. Cardboard box multi-packs of crisps featured a printed QR code that consumers could scan to find out more about the campaign and the opportunities to young women in school. The codes also linked people to pages where they could take part in a wide range of activities designed by NASA, one of the most famous STEM employers on – and indeed outside – planet Earth. “While we aspire to deliver joy through our snacks, we also seek to use our position to do more,” says Danielle O'Keefe, senior director of brand marketing for Frito-Lay Variety Packs, adding: “This year we want to make our impact even more meaningful as we continue to support the dreams of young girls everywhere.” Explore a New Reality While adding a QR code may be one of the simpler forms of crossmedia, there are a whole host of other avenues for PSPs to explore in this area. This could be some form of NFC (Near Field Communication) on a printer poster or even augmented reality (AR) integrated into the printed design on drinks cans, all aimed at giving added value for the consumer and creating a more memorable experience for them. Take food and beverage brand Chobani for example. The company released see myself more as a problem solver as to how I can help actual printers and brands achieve their goals.” With this, Hyams picks out some of the more recent innovations from Talking Print to show what it can do. Last Christmas, Talking Print worked with EMI Records on a special project for Scottish singing sensation Lewis Capaldi. Around 1,000 printed audio cards were produced, each featuring a message from Capaldi wishing the recipient a happy Christmas, with the front of the card featuring the singer in a snowy scene wearing a Santa hat. “This was only a simple greetings card but what it does is introduce a technology that has been around for a long time to a whole new audience that was not previously aware of this,” Hyams says, adding: “Projects like this will open their eyes to the technology and what it can offer across a range of markets and applications. Other projects include a medical information audio book that was distributed across Africa. Recipients could press a number of buttons on the printed card to hear various messages about birth control and the options available to them in the local area. Elsewhere, Talking Print worked with beer brand Budweiser to produce a printed box for an influencer campaign. When the consumer opened the box, a drinks can popped up from the middle, lights flicked on, and an audio message played, helping increase the effectiveness of the box and creating a more memorable experience for those who received a pack. In addition, Talking Print has worked with the Metropolitan Police on a project designed to help young people who have gotten into trouble with the law. Juveniles are given an interactive book after they have been arrested to learn what they can do to change their path in life. Flipping the Status Quo Casting the net further into the digital world and there is certainly no shortage of examples of crossovers for print. Starting with smaller-format work and the classic printed QR code, confectionary giant Mars ran a special campaign this year on its M&M's product in the US. The all-female packs celebrated women everywhere who are flipping the status quo, with the design of the limited-edition packs being turned upside down to promote this. Packs also featured one of Mars' newest M&M's character, Purple, featuring her not only on the packaging, but inside the packaging as well. As for the crossmedia angle, QR codes were printed on the packs for consumers to scan and learn more about the campaign. Those who scanned the printed code were linked to a page where they could nominate women in their lives who are flipping the status quo. Nominees were in with a chance of being featured on M&M’s platforms and receiving monetary grants to help fund their ‘flip’. Winners were announced on International Women’s Day (March 8th). “The M&M’s brand is on a mission to use the power of fun to create purposeful connections, as we work to create a world where everyone feels they belong,” Mars Wrigley North America chief marketing officer, Gabrielle Wesley, says, adding: “Women all over the world are flipping how they define success and happiness while challenging the status quo, so we’re thrilled to be able to recognise and celebrate them.” Another company making use of QR codes and the crossover between the ▲ Consumers could scan QR codes on M&M's to nominate influential women to receive grants Every job we do is different and it gives printers a way of adding different things to their printed work 52 email: news@printmonthly.co.uk January / February 2024 - Issue 346 CROSSMEDIA AND INTERACTIVE PRINT
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