The return of touch - why marketers need to embrace physical experiences again

At the ANA Masters of Marketing Conference back in October, the Harris Poll surveyed marketers to understand the key issues they face today. The results of those polls were compared to consumer data research to see where marketer perception is (or isn’t) meeting public reality.

Four key takeaways were shared, but the one that caught my attention was the return of touch (RoT).

People crave human touch. Whioe it feels like everything is digital today, and much of that is automated and artificial, there’s something to be said for getting back to physical touchpoints as part of a marketing strategy. Marketers were asked what kind of physical touchpoints they should invest in (if at all), and 70% said community-hosted brand events were top of the list, followed by experiential retail (66%), and pop-up stores (56%).

From a B2C consumer context, 73% of millennials and Generation Z (Gen Z) said that shopping at a hyped retailer pop-up store “felt like being part of a cultural moment.” In another Harris Poll/Quad study that looked at RoT, 79% say that in-person shopping feels like a treasure hunt. Sure, online shopping is easy, but there is something to be said for that in-person shopping experience when it’s done very well.

The same idea rings true for B2B. In-person events remain a popular marketing tactic, whether a brand hosts or sponsors them. In Bizzabo’s 2025 State of Events, 72% of attendees said in-person conferences provide the best networking opportunities, and 71% believe in-person B2B conferences offer the most effective way to learn about new products or services.

We’re all getting a little tired of Zoom meetings and crave the more real interaction with people. But that doesn’t mean marketers need to invest in large conferences. Micro-events, or local in-person events, can be equally beneficial. The Bizzabo study found that 64% of brands hosted a micro- or local event, and 77% said these events were an effective way to build and grow their community.

Micro-events can include lunch-and-learns, breakfast with a guest speaker, small gatherings of key customers and high-potential prospects, or even something fun like an influencer thank-you event where the brand celebrates top influencers. There is no shortage of ideas that don’t necessarily cost a lot of money.

Getting back to paper - and standing out

However, there was another touchpoint that was lower on the list: direct mail/catalog (19%), which I would consider low-hanging fruit for marketing.

From a consumer context, 79% of millennials look forward to brand catalogs, and 64% of Generation Z (Gen Z) display them as decor. The Harris Poll/Quad study examined return-to-touch behavior in greater depth and found that Gen Z and millennials prefer brand mailers, print magazines, catalogs, special-edition/commemorative magazines, and lifestyle magazines.

And brands have been listening, at least in B2C. According to the study:

Last year, the clothier J.Crew reintroduced its print catalog after a seven-year hiatus. Outdoor retailer Patagonia has evolved its biannual catalog into what it calls a “bona fide journal” — complete with op-eds and stories from journalists and other contributors. And digital-first brands including Amazon, Parachute and UNTUCKit have all added print catalogs to their advertising arsenal. (Anyone with young kids has likely had their holiday wish lists upended by Amazon’s nostalgic holiday toy catalog.)

Neither report reported on what Gen X or older adults thought about direct mail or catalogs, but I suspect that, as a generation that grew up with these things, they would hold some nostalgia. And nostalgia influences brand awareness.

But it’s not only brand awareness that physical paper generates. In the Harris Poll/Quad report, 69% of consumers said they’ve been influenced by print media to choose a brand over competitors in the last year. Also, 78% of Gen Z and millennials said physical mail has prompted them to visit a brand’s physical store.

Again, magazines and mailers are not only effective for B2C brands; they can also help B2B brands build greater awareness. There was a time when many brands invested in physical mailers and magazines, but their use has declined significantly. And that means they have now become an opportunity for marketers looking to stand out.

Here’s an example that caught my attention. It is not a marketing tactic per se, but it functions like one. Melanie Diezel is a business consultant and keynote speaker who works with brands on their content processes. She recently started offering a “snail mail club for creatives.” Essentially, it’s a monthly delivery of prompts, activities, and creative inspiration, delivered via physical mail (you can check it out here).

Now, this club isn’t free, but it’s such a unique idea in a sea of digital communities that it will make Diezel stand out, not only with people who want to be a part of the club, but also to brands that want to create something similar for their target audiences. It works because it blends physical with digital (paper-based prompts). It forces a person to slow down and think about what they are doing, rather than simply cutting and pasting prompts in a chat window.

This is a great idea for a brand that wants to cut through the digital clutter. It could be a monthly magazine, a set of activities, as Diezel offers, or something completely different. The ideas are wide open for a smart marketing team that wants to drive awareness of their brand and build a community of people who can help advocate for the brand, or want to buy from the brand at some point in the future.

My take

I love mail and I almost never get it anymore. I love brands that send physical materials that make me take the time to sit, read, and reflect. There was a time when people were receiving too much of this type of content and it just sat in a pile on their desk. We have to be smart enough to not fall back into old traps of material that doesn’t provide some kind of real value.

The magazine should include activities, the mailer should have a QR code for more information, the catalog should include real-person stories, and fun tips. The ideas are endless, as long as they encourage interaction.

And those in-person events should be more than a bunch of speakers (and a few paid workshops). There should be interactive workshops, drop in conversations with experts, and better networking opportunities than walking through a bunch of booths.

The B2C and B2B brands that find a way to create great physical experiences will stand out. If your brand is one of them, let me know.