It’s no secret I love paper. But over the last decade, things got kind of dicey for the industry I love. Social media became the darling of marketing, and web design got all the attention. Print sales were already declining and a bad economy only sped up the process. Every industry goes through this kind of reset, but not everyone can adapt to the changes needed to survive. A few suppliers got out ahead of things and started advocacy campaigns: Paper Because, Down to Earth, Do You Know the Facts – but much of these resources seemed to focus on promoting and educating those within our industry. That’s not a bad place to start, but to have a lasting impact the industry needed to change the perceptions of those outside the industry. As the economy gradually recovered something interesting happened, people unfamiliar with the industry were becoming enamored with paper. And when you think about, there’s no more perfect medium than paper for connecting people. It’s this sentiment that is at the heart of the new consumer advocacy campaign by The Paper and Packaging Board, How Life Unfolds.
The consumer campaign launched last week with a $20 million investment in paid and earned media over the next six months. The intent is to slow the growth of decline in paper and increase the demand for packaging. The Paper and Packaging Board, which is a checkoff program, oversees the multi-million dollar campaign using an emotional, story-telling approach to generate consumers appreciation of paper and packaging. The hope is that it will do for paper and packaging what Got Milk? has done for the milk industry.
Cramer-Krasselt Chicago developed the ad campaign that features digital, print and out-of-home as well as three launch TV spots. The web site is chock full of case studies and sections on how paper and packaging connects us, helps us learn and provides creative solutions. “Paper and packaging help us stay thoughtfully connected to the people around us. Handwritten notes can make a lasting impression, while a package on our doorstep can surprise and delight us.” Well, we certainly agree with that.
Here’s a look at our favorite TV spot, but you definitely should visit the site and check out all the good nuggets of info for yourself. You may just be inspired to deliver a little paper inspiration of your own.
Images via the Paper and Packaging Board