Postcards: A History of Unique Marketing Art Form

by: abreu.michelle79

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Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 Time: 10:03 PM - 0 comments

Among the most cost effective and successful forms of marketing materials, postcard print tops the list. For over a hundred years, postcards have offered businesses an interesting way of promoting their business including their products and services.

The first postcard

John P. Charlton patented the very first postcard in the United States in 1861. Back then, postcards were intended to send short messages without the use of envelopes. This offered a convenient and cost efficient way for people to deliver their messages. The first postcards produced were nothing similar to the marketing postcards we have today. Only the USPS has the authority to print postcards at that time with the message on the one side and the address on the other side. It was only in 1870 that the postcards we know today were first printed.

The first official marketing postcard was released in Great Britain in 1872. At that time, the card was printed in black and white only. It was years later, in 1889, that people started using colored postcards. Rough paper was first used in postcards. But as the printing industry transitioned, printers started using high gloss paper that allows for high quality results.

In the days when television and the internet were not available to everyone, postcards were the window into worlds people could only imagine. But as days and technology progress, postcard printing gained worldwide popularity. At this point, everything is virtually possible—glossy cards, full color cards, and picture cards.

The creative value of postcards is the main reason why this marketing tool has created such a wave. But early postcards went through lots of trouble before they became a successful marketing tool. These problems include:

1. Cost of high quality color postcard
2. Restriction on printing message on one side of the card and the other side for addresses only
3. Expensive mailing cost

Nowadays, postcards have opened a gateway for artistic and compelling marketing campaign. People can now use different postcard templates and print anything on their card as long as they are pertinent to the business. Production and mailing are conveniently inexpensive. It is now possibly easy to produce postcards for little amount, in fact, many business can now afford full color postcards that grab attention and boost sales. Modern postcard printing offers appealing advantages that include:

1. Fast turnaround time
2. High quality output
3. Affordable pricing schemes

Other advantages of postcards are:

1. They are easy to carry around
2. They serve as an effective and convenient reminder to people of your business
3. Customer friendly
4. Perfect for informing people of your business and your products and services
5. Encourage people to visit your store or check out your website.

Whether you mail your postcards or hand them out in events, restaurants or other public places, postcards will effectively serve as your marketing tool. But still, many modern businesses today forego postcards in favor of more modern and aggressive marketing tool. Unfortunately, these modern tools don’t touch on the points postcards target. So, when running a marketing campaign, don’t forget the intrinsic value and aesthetic merit of postcards. This art form is not created simply for art’s sake. Postcards are a proven marketing tool with an impressive success record behind it. To this day, postcards remain a fun and unique form of art.