“WE NEED TO BE MORE DIGITAL”…is the cry from many a boardroom chief across the land. Spoken with confidence and panache, these words are generally enough to put fire up the behinds of many brand executives *cue agreement, some chatter and a flurry of digital brand activity*.

And they’re right of course. With the amount of time being spent online increasing as well as a surge in mobile ecommerce (no to mention VC investment) in 2015, this feels wholly intuitive.

But I would like us to stop and spare a thought for physical marketing because, let’s face it, this is (also) the world we live in. Physical is, and will always remain, an important antidote to online – and a combination of the two, cleverly executed, will surely win out. A recent independent study by Royal Mail in the UK demonstrated the (often overlooked) value of physical mail to the consumer – that lead to a number of commercial outcomes.

Havas Media are emerging as thought (and action) leaders in creating content and experiences that are both seamless within and across physical / digital platforms. There are some great market examples too…

• LEGO Fusion – Children use the physical LEGO bricks to create the car, house, castle they wish to play with. Using an accompanying app, they can scan and upload their creations into a digital game.

• Scribble Stylus – By holding the stylus to an object, it can capture the exact colour and shade and transfer it into the digital world. Great for those wanting to match interior design sections or simply create more true to life images.

• Porter – Ignoring the mantra “print is dead” Net-a-Porter launched a print magazine that now rivals fashion mag giant Vogue (UK). Their shopping app allows customers to scan products they like redirecting them to a purchase page. Simple but extremely effective.

More recently, gimmick factor notwithstanding, Domino’s continue to please their audiences with some simple but potentially highly effective tech innovation. The arrival of their new ‘’Easy order’ button literally allows you to order your favourite pizza “at the touch of a button”. (Also comes as an app for those not ‘lucky’ enough to be eligible for superfan status).

As time (and not money) becomes the new consumer currency, the emphasis is now on brands to provide maximum value and meaning whilst reducing the amount of time they need to invest to get it. Jay Baer talks about this at length in his book New York times best seller, ‘Youtility’.

Frictionless Experience as a concept is something brands will need to increasingly prioritise in order to warrant consumer consideration. At BrandHook, we’re constantly developing ways to understand the consumer mindset that help close the gap between the experience consumers want and the experience brands offer – however they chose to access it.