Making Ads That Work: Wrapmail $WRAP
Posted on 20. Sep, 2012 by The Editors in Brands in Digital, Featured
Wrapmail is the brainchild of Rolv Heggenhougen, a Norwegian serial entrepreneur who believes that email as an advertising format is a sleeping giant within the advertising technology industry.
It is apparent to anyone that banner ads still face an uphill battle against more effective mobile and rich media ads, but email, and its vast potential as an advertising format, is not only chronically overlooked but also misunderstood.
The problem may be one linked intrinsically to commercial email marketing’s treacherous proximity to spam. The idea of email as a new kind of ad format, with a seamless integration of targeted, opt-in ads within the body is a relatively unfamiliar one for many marketers.
A recent study by Return Path showed that even for marketers focused exclusively on email, a majority feel that they are “flying blind” and do not possess sufficient tools to create effective, innovate email campaigns.
A Norwegian serial entrepreneur, Rolv Heggenhougen, hopes to change that with his advertising technology company Wrapmail, which has developed projects for brands such as Toshiba, Verizon and Re/Max. The company creates email “wraps” which form a graphic background around email messages, allowing brands to receive repeated exposure of their brand messaging through personal or corporate emails. Wrapmail’s product allows consumers to click-through directly to a website, download content or head to a shopping cart.
“Email as an advertising format is definitely a sleeping giant within marketing,” said Mr. Heggenhougen in an interview with The Advertising Technology Review. “Consumers are frequently blind to banners but they always read their email.” Email’s potential for upstaging other formats in digital advertising is dependent upon the ability of marketers to distinguish email marketing methods from spam and other inbox intrusions, like PR-driven newsletters. This distinction, according to Mr. Heggenhougen, should be based on trust.
Via email, education about a brand’s offerings can be subliminal and effective, Mr. Heggenhougen states.
“People open emails from their trusted network throughout the day, so what if those emails contained a email “wrap” which, without intruding on the message of the email, allowed a business to showcase products, goods, services without having to resort to an overt sales pitch,” Mr. Heggenhougen queries. This may be the marketer’s ultimate subliminal advertising campaign for existing customers whom will naturally open emails from companies with whom they regularly and voluntarily communicate with, but that doesn’t mean that new clients will want to hear from unfamiliar brands.
“It is all about our regular emails, these are the trusted ones. They come from people you know, not from some “do-not-reply” email address,” states Mr. Heggenhougen.
Mr. Heggenhougen’s answer to the question of the format’s ability to inspire consumers to sign-on is a hybrid of daily deals strategy with a healthy does of the “trusted network” maxim mixed in. Consumers, either interested by daily deals, content access or social issues, would select a range of “wraps” to be included around their emails. Those on the receiving end of their emails as well as those sending the emails would have the choice to opt-in or opt-out at any time. This, according to Mr. Heggenhougen, can help reduce waste in direct email marketing by allowing consumers and brands to share ads based on their intimate knowledge of their social and business networks. “The potential for these ads to create multiple opportunities for businesses to showcase products, content or make direct sales is huge,” Mr. Heggenhougen believes. “Imagine a company with 100 employees that’s sends at least 10 emails each a day, that is 1,000 missed impression opportunities,” according to Mr. Heggenhougen.
“Where’s the best place to grow revenues? Utilizing your base of existing clients,” Mr Heggenhougen asserts
However, the question remains whether consumers, already disenchanted with traditional display advertising, would want to invite more ads into their intimate conversations, even for a deal or exclusive content. “Consumers are passionate about their charities and social issues,” said Mr. Heggenhougen, “allowing consumers to integrate an appeal for a missing child, for example, gives them a sense of being empowered to do something good without effort- this is an opportunity for brands too.” The idea of branded social good marketing isn’t new, but the trend has yet to be introduced on a large scale to email marketing formats, outside of Wrapmail’s product. Heggehougen also suggests that there is the potential for clicks on a Wrapmail email to directly fund a charity or a social cause. The company, Mr. Heggenhougen also hints, is working on integrating rich media elements and mobile applications.
According to Mr. Heggenhougen, Wrapmail ads boast a CTR of more than 20 percent.
WRAPmail, Inc. is a publicly traded company, stock symbol (WRAP)
