Inspiring customers with calendars

High-quality picture calendars are brand ambassadors – 365 days a year.

There are many reasons why picture calendars are among the most popular advertising media. They combine daily benefits with high contact frequency. Successful picture calendars call for a well-thought-out picture concept, a first-class design and, finally a high-quality substrate for long-term success.

We at Sappi are proud that many customers choose to have their calendars produced with our premium white Algro Design cellulose board. Today we would like to present to you three distinctive examples that stood out at the beginning of 2019: the Mondberge Species Protection calendar from the Rheinbacher Tipp-4-Verlag, the Macrophotography calendar from ACTEGA and the #truecharacters calendar from Wolford.  

The Mondberge Species Protection calendar

This printed work, which was acknowledged with the coveted Gregor Award of Excellence, catches the eye at first glance with its outstanding picture motifs: each calendar page depicts one of twelve threatened animal species, captivatingly photographed by highly respected nature photographers. The heart and soul that were put into this calendar can be seen in the details that have a unique effect on the viewer: the calendar sheets are held together by bamboo wood instead of a conventional wire binding – this makes it possible to remove the perforated sheets individually in order to frame and hang them. As well, a booklet that contains interesting facts about the animal species depicted was integrated into the calendar. The calendar is an eye-catcher also because of its print finishes that change from sheet to sheet – including print, relief, structure and soft-touch varnishes. The 2019 Mondberge Species Protection calendar was printed on Sappi Algro Design Duo (250 g/m²) by Druckpartner in Essen. All in all, the Species Protection calendar embodies exactly what distinguishes an impressive picture calendar:

• The motifs were beautifully photographed and are brought together by the harmonious "Species Protection" concept;
• The Algro Design cellulose board from Sappi guarantees that the calendar pages convey the highest Quality, while providing an ideal basis for the selected finishing.
• The finishings ensure an exceptionally realistic portrayal of the animal motifs; the relief/structural lacquer on the May calendar page, for example, highlights the leathery structure of the rhinoceros' skin, while the partial relief lacquer on the November motif brings out the skin surface of a chameleon in a surprisingly multi-faceted way.

The macrophotography calendar from ACTEGA

For years, ACTEGA's picture calendar has also been very popular with customers. This calendar is printed on Sappi Algro Design Card (235 g/m²) because the surface of this bright white substrate brings out the properties of ACTEGA's specialty coatings and inks. In order to further strengthen customer loyalty, ACTEGA dovetailed the development of the calendar for 2019 with a social media campaign for the first time: customers, business partners and employees were asked via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to name the calendar topic they would most like to see. Most participants in the survey opted for Macrophotography and the "Real effects, surreal scenes" motto. The twelve pictorial motifs in the calendar show model figures that are staged as surreal macro compositions with everyday objects such as glasses or a light bulb. The individual motifs gain their special appeal from the ingenious finishes with ACTEGA Terra varnishes – from impressive matt/gloss contrasts to a tactile varnish with a velvety effect to pure screen printing. ACTEGA's calendar effectively takes the step from a pure image ambassador to a product advertising medium:

• In addition to the monthly motif sheets, the calendar also includes other sheets explaining the finishing varnishes and techniques used;
• At the same time, the www.calender-insights.com microsite was made available online, which allows the printing and finishing process of the calendar to be discovered in detail;
• The calendar is also thematically revisited on a regular basis on ACTEGA's Facebook channel (www.facebook.com/ACTEGA).

The #truecharacters calendar from Wolford

Wolford, the Austrian premium lingerie and underwear manufacturer, also integrated its wall calendar for 2019 into a strong campaign concept: the extremely reduced, almost entirely white cover page only includes the Wolford logo and the #truecharacters campaign hashtag, sparking curiosity about the following pages. The twelve-monthly motif sheets then depict the colourful and at times provocative photographs from Ellen von Unwerth, acknowledged as one of the best-known fashion photographers and with numerous magazine covers for Vogue, Vanity Fair and Elle in her portfolio. The photographs were printed on Sappi's premium Algro Design cellulose board (240 g/m²) and look as elegant as if they were printed on real photo paper, even without any finishing – for example, the skin tones of the models are very realistically staged thanks to the bright white substrate. At the same time, the calendar serves as a teaser for Wolford's entirely revamped brand communication:

• The new concept is much more expressive and colourful than before;
• The motifs will be shown together with campaign videos in the mono-brand stores and on the label's website;
• The calendar also communicates on the product level – since Ellen von Unwerth staged all the models in Wolford products from the 2019 Spring/Summer collection.

Conclusion

Wall calendars can do so much more than simply delight the viewer: they can be integrated into sophisticated campaign concepts and serve not only as image carriers but can also be used to attractively present individual products. Whether and how the desired message reaches the recipient always depends on three factors: a well-thought-out concept, strong image material and a substrate of the highest possible quality. After all, it takes a high-quality material to successfully bring the concept and the pictures to life.