Think back to just 30 years ago, for example. Direct mail dominated advertising, as did billboards and signs and fliers. This was the norm for the longest time until the dawn of the internet took place. And once the online advertising world took off, it never looked back to the age of snail mail.

And now think about when social media took off. Once again, marketers saw this as a completely new opportunity. From direct mail to email and email to social media marketing in just a span of 20 years, the game has been in a constant state of flux. That’s what makes the job so interesting, especially since something new could happen next year and everything may completely change (for better or worse).

One of the new things I’ve never noticed, though, actually takes things back to the world of direct mail. It’s funny to think about, especially considering how outdated it seems and how it seems everything is much different now.

Basically, these new video mailers are starting to pop up here and there. They’re these foldable, page-sized packages that have some sort of company branding on the top and nice shipping supplies. Once you open them up, though, a little screen reveals itself and starts playing a pre-recorded video (usually of the marketers choice).

What’s really different and out there is that you can actually pause, play, rewind, and fast forward the videos if you need to get to a certain point in the content. Additionally, the marketer can include whatever sort of text copy in the mailer as well in order to prompt the receiver forward with a call to action.

I’m just baffled that such a technological advancement is going back to the basics and reimagining the original method of advertising, with the nice shipping supplies and branding and all. It’s almost so unexpected that it’s very engaging, something that marketers care more about than most other metrics. If your recipient is interested and engaged in whatever you sent them, you now have their attention. And when you have their attention, there’s a chance for getting them on the phone to talk. And of course, when they’re on the phone, you make your pitch and hope that they come on board.