#multi-sensory technologies

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                                             Responsive Web Design

In a nutshell, responsive web design is the way in which design and content on a webpage reformats itself to fit the screen sizes of virtually every device on the market today. However cool this may seem, responsive web design isn’t the silver bullet that will magically make your site faster, increase conversions or manage your content. But responsive design can provide a best in class experience for marketers and consumers interacting with content on smartphones, tablets and desktops.

Technology advances are disrupting ‘business as usual,’ but too many organisations are looking for a solution that wraps everything up in a tidy bow. What modern marketers need to remember is technology can’t displace strategy. Organisations need to recognise an approach is only as strong as the plan to optimise the customer experience. Buying a new pair of running shoes won’t make you run faster, but a dedicated training plan where you run longer, eat better, and continuously make adjustments to how you run probably will.

Like running shoes, a responsive website can only do so much. Making over a site to work better across all devices means taking responsibility for what is going to show up on that site.

Having a site that works well across all devices will only be valuable if it improves the customer experience by delivering relevant content.  Company’s need to consider context and environment when developing, creating and publishing content to their website. All flash and no substance is not the place to be. Organisations need to pay great attention to both tactical and strategic objectives. They should look outward and determine:

- What do we want users to do—engage or transact?

- Will the site deliver the information they need to take action?

- Is the content relevant?

They also need to look inward and assess how consumers interact with content on a smartphone vs. a desktop vs. a tablet.  Some considerations may be:

- What is threshold for the length of article/content being read on devices? How many clicks to source.

- How conversions compare on different devices?

- What impact do images have on speed? Do they detract or add to the experience.

The beauty of the digital age is that these factors can be measured and monitored and adjusted as necessary to improve the performance of the site. Realistically organisations need to recognise not everything can be done at one time, but fortunately sites are fluid and not static! A well thought out plan should include company objectives and ways to manage and measure against these deliverables. It will go a long way to ensuring an investment in responsive design is money well spent.

Although responsive web design isn’t a silver bullet, it can help propel organisations ‘ahead of the curve’ and improve the performance of their website if they take responsive for what it is—a platform that can help improve the bottom line with the aid of strategy and planning.

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                 10 Stats That Will Impact Your 2016 Content Strategy One of the biggest advantages of online marketing in a tight, competitive market is a company’s ability to quickly produce and distribute relevant, timely content that grabs the attention of customers. And now that 2016 is just around the corner, many marketers are reviewing their successes and failures from the past year to inform tactics and strategies moving forward. With that in mind, take a look at 10 stats that will help you create a content strategy that rocks you past the competition in 2016. Let’s Dive into the Stats. 1. Only 35% of B2B content marketers have a documented content strategy. If you aren’t part of this 35% of B2B content marketers, what’s stopping you? A content strategy is no longer a “someday” project for an intern; it’s what’s going to help you keep your skin in the game and increase the number of “touch points” for connecting with your target audience. 2. The average return on an email marketing investment is $44.25 for every dollar spent. Ladies and gentlemen, email marketing is NOT dead, and should definitely be included in your future content plans. This is a huge return on marketing dollars invested, and that kind of ROI adds up. The key is crafting an interesting email marketing campaign that engages users and nurtures them toward purchase. 3. B2B companies that blog generate 67% more leads per month than those who do not blog. A blog can be one of the most powerful weapons in your content arsenal. And benefits go beyond thought leadership and engagement. As this stat shows, blogs have a huge impact on lead generation. But to get the most out of the channel, it takes planning, collaboration, and consistency. Without these elements, a good blog will quickly go bad.

4. 37% of marketers say blogs are the most valuable type of content marketing.If you aren’t already blogging regularly about topics relevant to customers, you are losing significant online market share. Remember, focusing on education in blog posts is a must. Grasping for a sale in every post is a major turn off, although linking to items or services for purchase is perfectly fine. The more you can provide value, the easier it is to get people to click around the site, come back more frequently, and build the kind of trust that leads to a purchase decision. 5. 72% of marketers think that branded content is more effective than magazine advertisements. 69% say it’s superior to direct mail and PR. Branded content rules the roost. And with all of the information flying around the web, quality content helps you stand out as an expert in your field. People don’t always enjoy being blatantly advertised to, but they do want to read information that comes from a trusted source, enriches their lives, and can be applied to their careers. By developing more branded content in 2015, you are creating an easy way to be seen as a thought leader and go-to resource for your target audience. 6. Interactive content—such as apps, assessments, calculators, and quizzes—generates conversions moderately or very well 70% of the time, compared to just 36% of the time for passive content.Beyond the passive content in print and online, make room for interactive content. Apps, quizzes, polls, and other “functional” pieces entice people to participate and share their thoughts or results on social media. Interactive content adds a whole other dimension to “word-of-mouth” advertising, and is pushed through more diverse channels by people outside your business.And if you need more convincing, interactive content also drives 2X the conversions.

7. By 2017, online video will make up nearly 70% of consumer Internet traffic. Online video has always been a powerful tool, but it’s becoming more mainstream for businesses of all sizes. The combination of visual and audio elements adds an immediately engaging, human, and emotional touch to content. And as mobile viewing stats continue to increase with the rate of technology advancements, video has more outlets for potential “eyeballs” than ever before.

8. Three-quarters (75%) of executives said they watch work-related videos on business-related websites at least weekly; more than half (52%) watch work-related videos on YouTube at least weekly. Videos and podcasts geared toward executives are a great investment for a variety of reasons. Not only are executives more willing to purchase after watching a video, but they also share videos with colleagues, creating a valuable business and social dynamic around the video experience.

9. Social media has overtaken pornography as the No. 1 activity on the web. This is a milestone in the Internet Age, and solidifies social media’s top spot in shaping a strong content strategy. People use digital networks to connect over shared interests and have real conversations. Being part of these interactions gives businesses the opportunity to engage with target audiences in a meaningful way, and provides insight into developing trends and news. 10. By 2020, customers will manage 85% of their relationships without talking to a human. We all knew that the rise of the machine was coming, but the impact it has on your content strategy is still under construction. Now is the time to figure out how to automate key aspects of the sales process and add personalisation into your content strategy. Tackling this in 2016 will help you match the needs and expectations of your customers, and will keep you ahead of this trend instead of struggling to catch up.Now is the perfect time to ramp up your content strategy for 2016. These stats provide insight into what marketers and, more importantly, customers / buyers find valuable in today’s digital world. What will you take into 2016?

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               6 Areas Where Artificial Intelligence will Revolutionise

Artificial Intelligence (AI) research efforts — along with efforts to develop radical new approaches to connectivity and developing immersive new technologies — are a longterm endeavour. But if we can get them right we will be able to build systems that are smarter and more useful, enable developers to create immersive new experiences, and make it possible to connect everyone in the world.

1. SELF-KNOWLEDGE Knowing yourself is at the heart of directing efforts and communicating inner needs and perspectives to others. The idea of self-knowledge has always had high prestige, but the opportunities for acquiring it have been restricted. At present, we are often deeply ignorant about where our talents lie and what our flaws and true interests are. Our consciousness doesn't grasp at all well what is happening to its owner. For example: I might not realise that I am irritable because I'm tired, not because my partner is being obtuse. But AI will get us the self-knowledge we need. It will map brain activity and alert us in good time as to the reality of our psychological lives. We will get much better in two areas in particular: knowing what job we should be doing, and knowing whom we should try to form a relationship with, and how.

2. EDUCATION Education goes desperately wrong, because we're not good at knowing what particular individuals are capable of, what they really need to know, when it's best to try to teach them - and what manner of instruction will suit them best. We all know from our own lives that there are moments when we've made remarkable strides and others where progress has been slow, but our society has yet to arrive at sound generalisations.

3. NEWS MEDIA We're agreed that high-quality, widely disseminated information is vital to a flourishing society. That's why some news organisations make huge claims about how they keep us informed. But, in truth, news media feeds our brains in highly inadequate, sporadic and often manic ways. We do need good information, in the right doses, about the right subjects, to help us lead our lives. In a future with Artificial Intelligence, we'll know how to lead people to information that is genuinely fruitful for them and their nations, rather than merely stories that shock, titillate and horrify. We'll get better media and, in turn, more democratic politics.

4. ART Great works of art are, at present, incredibly rare. A Tolstoy, Picasso, Lennon or Louis Kahn are still agonisingly unique. AI will stop us having to feel so grateful to them. We will, for example, be able to produce novels like those of Tolstoy on an industrial scale, but geared towards our own particular circumstances and cultural references.

5. SHOPPING Consumer society is really about choice, and in so far as it makes us happy (rather than leads us to squander our wealth and energies), it's about wise choice. This opens up a huge area for AI. We tend to operate on a mixture of intuition, hope and habit, and are routinely abused by advertisers along the way. We're heavily influenced by what others are doing: impulse plays a big role and we leave much to chance. AI will mean encoding consumer intelligence. Just as we might work out a sum in our heads and then check it on a calculator, so we will check our decisions on an AI device.

6. RELATIONSHIPS It's extremely hard to be wise around relationships. We struggle to communicate, are impatient when we don't get what we want, defensive in discussions, and have trouble talking calmly through hopes and failings around fidelity. AI means we will be able to tap into the lessons that others have, often painfully, learned.

Artificial Intelligence will use technology to reduce the randomness!

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                                            To Be Human Is To Adapt

The pace of innovation may be accelerating, but our ability to adapt to the latest technologies remains undeterred. Technology is not an obstacle to humanity. Humans evolve — behaviourally, physically, morally, biologically. Over many millennia, humans migrated around the globe adapting to changing climates, predators, foods, pathogens, rival tribes and countless obstacles and opportunities. To be human is to adapt.

Thankfully, technology evolves, too. Innovative technologies, created by humans to benefit themselves, are among the principal drivers of changes in the human condition. The Darwinian drive to survive and reproduce has expressed itself in unexpected ways through the human mind, which is always seeking to create, invent, develop, improve and advance. We all know the story: stone tools led to writing, aqueducts, printing, farm implements, heating, electricity, medicines, computers, satellites, gene therapy and more.

Consider video technology fused into print, a young discipline that is beginning to transform marketing in ways no one thought possible. Since Video Plus Print’s® first consignment of Video in Print Cards for Volkswagen Germany, VPP broke new ground by successfully communicating Volkswagen’s message beyond static pictures and printed words., little did we realise that it would become a much sought-after video marketing product. With the development of better printing techniques and a myriad of other technologies, Video Plus Print® is now seeing major advances.

The debates we see today about how modern technology harms our children, ourselves, society and our environment are not new. Somehow humans have found ways to adjust and adapt. So today, what — if anything — is different? Pace and scale. The pace of innovation is accelerating. Technologies arrive at an exponential rate because they build cumulatively upon each other, across disciplines. Moreover, with 7 billion people on earth, new technologies can affect nearly everyone in some way, not to mention the entire planet.

And since being human means being able to adapt, change course and evolve, we will learn to embrace the change we create — in large part because we will ethically and logically steer the course of our own evolution in ways that are fundamentally human.

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                                 Who Watches B2B Videos And Why? Creating and publishing video content as part of your digital marketing strategy is a hugely effective way of reaching your target audience. But it's also good to have some research to back up that approach when it comes to allocating resources, right?

Who watches B2B Videos and why? Mostly male, and a little more than half perform in IT, with an average age of 45.  So a lot of these people are well ingrained in their job and are often high up: 20% are top IT executives and 31% at least report to a top IT executive.  Now, what exactly are these well-entrenched people looking for when they watch these videos? Basically, people just want to learn how to use the product and stay on top of the current products in the industry.  They're seeking information, how to use the product and what is being said about it.  So what is important to remember when making a B2B video is to be informative more than any one thing in which you would want to focus. 95% of the B2B tech buyers watch video, and 78% forward, post, or share the video with others.  The infographic above this post shows how important video is to B2B marketing. 

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                                   Video Plus Print® Video Solutions

Bring your products to life through video merged with high impact print solutions. Highly intrusive, Video Plus Print's® video solutions create the ultimate multi-sensory experience, capturing and holding your viewer’s attention. By integrating digital monitors into our high-impact print solutions, the most powerful marketing tool is available at your fingertips.

Our wealth of interactive and dimensional marketing solutions give you the creative flexibility for a customised video delivery vehicle. Combined with a variety of LCD screen applications, you have the tools to create the best possible customisable communications solution for capturing and making an impact to that all important decision maker.

The technology available in our video solutions include:

-Screen sizes ranging from 2.4" to 10.1” -Touch-screen monitors available -Up to 60 minutes of superb video and audio quality -Rechargeable Li-Ion Polymer grade “A” batteries -Multi-sensory features can be built into various marketing collateral -Multiple buttons to highlight chapters, multiple videos and volume control -As many as six buttons to highlight chapters and multiple videos -Recordable and re-recordable devices for individually customised messages

VPP's Video solutions fused with print translate into powerful direct mail, sales aids, presentation and training manuals, media kits, and more.

This is the ultimate breakthrough communication solution. It is a must for your sales arsenal to help drive bottom line results and connect with your clients in a much more personal manner.

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               Video Plus Print® Video Cards For Life's Celebrations

Don't just invite guests. Delight guests with invitations that set the scene for your best corporate conclave, festival, gig, anniversary, wedding, Christmas/New Year bash or birthday yet. Every Video Plus Print® video invitation card is integrated with customisable elements of your choice with the goal of helping you get guests excited about the fun to come. Just film a video and download it to the card, then watch your friends and family as they enjoy your self-made card in awe. We promise you a simple and fun experience!

Our video invitations fuse multisensory technology into print adding energy and building interest and enthusiasm and serves to unveil your party details with a flourish, building a special feeling of celebration. Tons of personalisation options, including custom music, favourite photos, text and creative touches, let you create a stand-out invite that reflects the unique spirit of your event. Your guest of honour is sure to feel truly celebrated thanks to the many thoughtful details we integrate such as:

-A video invitation that will touch hearts, guaranteed! -Crystal-clear sound -High Definition Video -Personalised Keep-sake -State-of-the-art technology -We can even include party favours, additional information and Wi-fi /3G functionality. -Interactive packaging

Using the latest Printings in Motion technology, Video Plus Print® video invitation / greeting cards are printed greeting cards which include a digital screen and a set of speakers. We offer you high quality video and sound allowing you to show and play any type of presentation in the most pleasant and surprising way!

Come to us with your dream theme for any occasion big or small, from a twins baby shower or breakfast with Santa, to a cocktail soiree or a surprise 50th birthday party… the list goes on. When party guests can't wait to attend your party, anticipation builds and the party itself takes on a more vibrant atmosphere. Bring your invites to life with Video Plus Print®, and throw an unforgettable celebration. Here’s Your Chance to Surprise Your Soulmate, Family or Wedding Guests And Transform Your event Into An Event To Remember!

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    Let’s Get Connected: Intelligent Machines And Our Optimised Future

Video Plus Print® believes in intelligent technology as an emerging reality, not a distant sci-fi concept. We look forward to a future where the power never goes out, where the water is always clean, where airplanes always run on time, and where the health care industry is working to its full capacity. Connected, intelligent machines can get us there.
 It’s a bold statement, but then again, VPP’s mission is to create meaningful customer experiences through state-of-the-art marketing products; smarter products. As Asia’s only direct manufacturer of multisensory marketing products, we understand the importance of technology. From a manufacturing point of view, the industrial internet – a network that links machines with software analytics and data in the cloud – is a bigger deal than the Internet of Things, which already connects fitness monitors, smoke detectors, light switches and other consumer devices to apps and smartphones.

So just how much could connected machines/devices and the Industrial Internet change the world? Experts believe that they could add $10 to $15 trillion to the global economy over the next 20 years. To start, take a look at your own buying habits, and how data connections have changed the consumer world.

In the 1990s, when the Internet was just becoming well known, many companies built “brochureware,” simple webpages with their phone numbers and hours. But the founders of Amazon, PayPal and other future web giants realised that the consumer world was going through a seismic change. They said, what is the business opportunity when a billion people get connected? The next thing you know, they turned the retail world upside-down.

Video Plus Print®  is now doing something similar in the digital manufacturing space. It’s revolutionising business marketing through its array of multisensory experiences, developed and implemented through state-of-the-art video marketing solutions. Our vision to see beyond financial impacts and the ability to look further puts us in a position to provide the world with better experiences so your customers Experience More™.

An “intelligent” device in the future for example, can carry sensors for monitoring everything from pressures, vibrations and gestures. The sensors remotely feed the data to the cloud where software can analyse the same information from other sources of the same model or device, no matter where in the world they are, optimise them and spot problems. Any asset can be optimised, if the machines can share the right information. At such scale, even tiny tweaks can lead to huge savings.

We think about this as connecting minds and machines so that you will always Experience More™.