Stu Heinecke is a hall-of-fame nominated marketer, a Wall Street Journal cartoonist, best selling business author, and the founder of Cartoonists.org. The American Marketing Association has recognized him as “the father of Contact Marketing,” a term he created for his highly successful book, “How to Get a Meeting with Anyone”.
The following is an excerpt from Get the Meeting! by Stu Heinecke:
"Putting your heart and soul into your videos makes sense, but can we put our videos into something other than email? Thanks to thin-screen micro-displays and innovations from companies like UviaUs, Structural Graphics, and others, the answer is yes.
You could produce a theme box around a movie and send the DVD with a slim bag of microwave popcorn, but that's not what is meant by the term "video-in-a-box." Here, we're talking about a beautiful enclosure that features a built-in screen, usually on the lower surface of the top lid, set to play the moment the box is opened. This creates all sorts of possibilities for Contact Marketers.
The box can be almost any size or shape (as long as it accommodates the screen's quarter-inch thickness). They can be made of wood, metal, Styrofoam, even carbon fiber, but they're usually made of paper-wrapped cardboard, the kind of box that fine gifts are presented in.
When video becomes part of the packaging, the dynamic changes. The video becomes the narrator of the piece, the equivalent of a letter, but one that can take the viewer anywhere in the world, or beyond, to show—rather than describe—virtually anything. Perhaps it's a parade of customers giving their testimonials. That's a powerful way to open a box, and we haven't even filled it yet with the goods, the visual metaphors, gifts, and proposed agendas that will open doors.
UviaUs founder and president Jaycen Thorgeirson figures, "If a picture is worth a thousand words, one minute of video is the equivalent of 1.8 million words—it gives you the ability to connect and inspire." While UviaUs works with sales teams to connect with their most valuable accounts, it also helps brands connect with top social media influencers.
Thorgeirson points out that "unboxing" videos are one of the most popular genres on YouTube. "Opening the box creates a shareable moment," he says, which is useful for any Contact Marketing mission. Video-in-a-box is both a gift box that delivers a viral message and a digital medium that delivers a tangible experience. It is a rare combination of digital and physical that is sure to stand out and open doors."
