There isn’t really anything new, exciting or glamorous about direct mail, but the Royal Mail Group in the UK is making it so. With the mission of highlighting the value of real things, ‘Real: The Physical Network’ was created.
Instead of just being limited to posting image and video clips to preserve memory online, ‘Real’ takes a step back in time to where people saved tickets, souvenirs and addressed hand-written letters to one another. Members of ‘Real’ are allotted a small cube in which they may mail items. Just like an online social network, there’s something public about sharing, since the boxes serve as little mini-museums that others can come and look through.
The project was developed for the Royal Mail Group by the 1000 Heads agency in London and it’s quite a clever way to make physical mail seem cool.
Mail-Based Social Networks
The Real Network by the Royal Mail Group Makes Mail Cool Again
Trend Themes
1. Direct Mail Revival - The Royal Mail Group's 'Real: The Physical Network' is bringing excitement and glamour back to direct mail.
2. Nostalgia-based Networking - By encouraging people to save physical mementos and send handwritten letters, 'Real' taps into the trend of nostalgia for a more personal and meaningful social network experience.
3. Physical Social Network - 'Real' creates a unique blend of physical and digital by transforming small cubes into mini-museums for sharing and connecting, opening up disruptive innovation opportunities for the social networking industry.
Industry Implications
1. Postal Services - The Royal Mail Group's 'Real' initiative presents an opportunity for postal services to rebrand and revitalize the concept of traditional mail by combining it with modern social networking elements.
2. Memory Preservation - 'Real' taps into the trend of preserving memories in physical form, offering an innovative approach that combines traditional and digital methods, making it relevant for the memory preservation industry.
3. Digital Transformation - The integration of physical and digital elements in 'Real' showcases the potential for digital transformation within various industries, including social networking, online marketplaces, and personal storage solutions.