Royal Mail launches interactive post with digital watermarking technology. Landmark deal means companies can link consumers to websites and videos through the post. Customers use their 3G phone to scan digitally-enhanced mail.

Royal Mail has become the world’s first postal company to help businesses make their post interactive using digital watermarking technology.

Combining state-of-the-art technology with history and heritage enables people to link from their post to a company’s online content, such as a website, video or Facebook page, in seconds.

People receiving the digitally-enhanced post simply scan the mail with their 3G phone to start an online journey.

To view the digital content, people who receive a mailing with the digital watermark technology will simply download the free Digital Space App (available shortly from the Apple and Android App stores). By holding the 3G phone over the digitally watermarked image – which is indicated by a symbol – users are then given instant access to the digital content available.

The solution, launched by Royal Mail’s Door to Door unit in partnership with Digital Space, provides a digital watermark that can be embedded into pictures on leaflets and mailings. The watermark enables marketers to integrate their print and online material without the need for barcodes or QR codes.

The digital watermark has no impact on the design and layout of a piece of mail:

The watermark is embedded into the existing design

No special inks or changes to the printing processes are required

Dave Smith, Royal Mail’s Chief Customer Officer, said: “Royal Mail is committed to helping make leaflets and mailings increasingly sophisticated and engaging for the people who receive them. This landmark partnership means that Royal Mail is the first postal company in the world to offer digital watermarking technology to its customers.”

Source: Royal Mail

published June 19th, 2011