Expert Mode: The Analog Resurgence in a Digital-First World
This article was based on the interview with Corin Mills, Brand Marketing & E-Commerce Director at MOO by Greg Kihlström, Marketing keynote speaker for The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström podcast. Listen to the original episode here:
As marketing leaders, we live and die by digital metrics and measurements. We obsess over click-through rates, scroll-depth, and algorithmic favor. We’ve become masters of a world measured in pixels and milliseconds, constantly striving to capture a sliver of attention in a deafeningly loud and crowded space. Yet, we all feel it. The creeping sense that for all our technological prowess, we are often just contributing to the noise, serving up another fleeting impression that is forgotten the moment a thumb continues its endless scroll. The digital channels we rely on, for all their power and reach, can feel impersonal and ephemeral.
In this environment, a curious thing has happened. The tangible, the physical, the thing you can actually hold in your hand, has begun to reclaim its strategic value. This isn’t about a nostalgic retreat to a bygone era of marketing; it’s a calculated, sophisticated response to digital fatigue. It’s the recognition that in a world saturated with the intangible, a physical touchpoint can be a powerful anchor for brand connection. We’re not talking about the unloved, cheap junk mail of the past. We’re talking about a thoughtful integration of physical media that complements our digital efforts, creating a more holistic and resonant customer experience. The brands getting this right understand that the final mile of an e-commerce journey isn’t just a logistical challenge—it’s a premier media channel.
The Unboxing Moment: Your Most Underrated Media Channel
For a generation of direct-to-consumer and e-commerce brands, the moment a package arrives at a customer’s door is arguably the most critical interaction in the entire journey. It’s the physical culmination of a series of digital promises. Too many brands treat this moment as a purely functional step—get the product to the customer, maybe throw in a discount code. Corin Mills argues this is a profound missed opportunity. The focus has shifted from a simple sales driver to a sophisticated tool for brand building and retention.
“The only touch point that customer has with your brand is the box that arrives in their house. There’s a huge resurgence on inserts that are beautiful that get across a story, not just a marketing message. So yeah, it’s been really fascinating to see that sector grow from labels, stickers, inserts, postcards, and it’s been nice to see beautiful design again on paper products.”
This perspective reframes the unboxing experience from a fulfillment task to a brand marketing one. It’s the one moment you have a customer’s undivided, and often excited, attention. As Mills points out with the example of a coffee company that includes beautiful bookmarks, the goal isn’t necessarily to drive an immediate, trackable action. It’s to add value, to create a connection, and to enhance the brand perception. Instead of a disposable coupon, imagine a beautifully designed postcard with a clever quote, a high-quality sticker that passes what Mills calls the “laptop test,” or an insert that tells the story behind the product. These are not direct-response tools; they are instruments of loyalty. They are the things that make a customer feel seen and appreciated, turning a transaction into a memorable experience.
Brand Systems: The Foundation for Effective Multi-Channel Marketing
The failure of much of the physical marketing of the past wasn’t the medium itself, but the execution. As Mills astutely observes, the same pitfalls that gave direct mail a bad name are now plaguing digital advertising. The relentless pressure for volume and the ease of “spraying” a message can lead to an underinvestment in the very things that make marketing effective: quality design and a compelling creative idea. The antidote to this, whether for a digital ad or a physical mailer, is a robust and consistent brand system.
“It’s got to have a foundational brand system… that’s making sure that every time a customer touches one of your touch points, be that an advert online or be that physical media, it’s recognizably you… unfortunately, marketing can feel like… a volumes number. So you’re just shoving stuff out as fast as possible. And that’s where it just becomes pointless. So my advice is strong brand systems and, and strong creative ideas.”
This is a critical reminder for leaders managing complex marketing ecosystems. A strong brand system isn’t a creative straitjacket; it’s the framework that enables speed and agility without sacrificing coherence. When you know your brand’s core visual and tonal elements, you can react to opportunities and create assets for new channels far more efficiently because the foundational decisions have already been made. It ensures that a customer’s experience with your brand on Instagram feels connected to the experience of opening one of your packages. This consistency builds trust and recognition, making every dollar spent, whether on a PPC campaign or a run of custom notecards, work harder. It’s the strategic discipline that separates brands that are simply present on multiple channels from those that are building a cohesive brand universe.
Beyond the Box: Finding Unexpected Moments for Tangible Connection
While the unboxing experience is a prime opportunity, the strategic use of physical items extends far beyond it. The world of events and corporate gifting, for instance, is rife with what Mills tactfully calls “rubbish.” We’ve all been to trade shows and left with a bag full of flimsy pens and stress balls destined for a desk drawer or the bin. This is another area where a “less is more” philosophy, focused on quality and utility, can make a significant impact.
“I feel like branded merch either ends up in the bin in a drawer or given to someone’s children. It’s one of those three things. And I think just, again, it’s that kind of less is more approach… not giving out five different bits of merch, but giving out a really good quality notebook or a water bottle or something along those lines.”
The calculus here is simple but often ignored. A single, desirable, useful item creates a more positive and lasting brand impression than five forgettable trinkets. It demonstrates a respect for the recipient and reflects the quality of your own brand. This same creative thinking can be applied to even the most traditional of items. A business card doesn’t have to be just a business card; it can be a loyalty stamp card, a product tag, or a miniature piece of art. The key is to look at the medium not for what it has traditionally been, but for what it could be. Mills also highlights the power of finding personality in the mundane—the clever line of copy at the bottom of the terms and conditions or on a 404 error page. These are the details that show a brand cares, and they often cost nothing extra to implement.
The Ultimate Audit: Be Your Own Customer
For all the talk of journey mapping, personas, and analytics, perhaps the most potent and overlooked tool in our arsenal is firsthand experience. We can become so insulated by our dashboards and spreadsheets that we lose touch with the reality of what it’s like to interact with our own brand. Mills shares a cautionary tale from his past work with telcos, where employees are given phones and therefore never have to go through the often-frustrating process a real customer does. This disconnect between internal perception and customer reality is a breeding ground for friction and missed opportunities.
“By knowing your own limitations and where the problems are, one, you’ll helpfully fix the problems, but two, you will really, really drive those little opportunities that I was talking through before. But definitely getting into, not just talking about the customer journey, being a customer, no matter what industry you’re in, is critical.”
This is a direct challenge to all of us in leadership roles. When was the last time you, from a personal device and a non-company email, tried to purchase your own product? Signed up for your own newsletter? Received and unboxed your own shipment? This simple act of empathy is the ultimate audit. It moves the customer journey from a theoretical flowchart to a lived experience. It’s in those moments that you’ll spot the typo on the shipping label, realize the packaging is frustrating to open, or discover a small, overlooked opportunity to inject a moment of delight. It’s the most honest way to gut-check whether the brand experience you’ve designed on paper is the one you’re actually delivering in the real world.
Ultimately, the resurgence of physical marketing isn’t an argument to abandon digital. It’s a call for a more balanced and thoughtful orchestration of all the channels at our disposal. It’s about understanding that in a world of fleeting impressions, a tangible object can create a lasting one. The brands that will win are not the ones that choose between physical and digital, but the ones that master the art of blending them into a single, seamless, and satisfying customer experience.
The path to cutting through the clutter doesn’t always lie in a new social platform or a more sophisticated ad-targeting algorithm. Sometimes, the most innovative thing a marketer can do is to create something real, something with texture and weight. Something a customer might just decide is too good to throw away. And in today’s attention economy, that might be the most valuable metric of all.
