You’ve had this experience: You’re standing at the greeting card section in the store. You have been here for several minutes, picking up, reading, then putting card after card back on the shelf.
None of them say the right thing.
Or, they ALMOST say the right thing but it doesn’t sound like you. So you think, maybe an Ecard is the right way to go.
Back at home, the ecard options are the same. The movies go on forever, the words aren’t quite right, and they only convey part of what you feel.
You think about sending a text, but that is too impersonal for this occasion.
You want a card to get you started, but you want to add your own voice to say what you can’t write down.
You wish that greeting cards and ecards could in some way merge with a text. You want to share this day in a way that is both formal and personal. You want a solution that is both physical and digital.
Merging the physical card with a digital message
Llama greeting cards might be the solution for you.
With Llama, you are selecting the greeting card that is perfect for any situation, with the opportunity to add your own content electronically, and within a minute or two you will have created the perfect greeting which conveys your message.
After you complete your purchase and at the time of your choosing, scan the QR code on the Llama card. Follow the directions and create the perfect message for the moment and for your relationship.
Llama provides for a fully customized greeting allowing you to craft the message with the medium that suits you and fits the occasion. Create a video, record an audio message, take a selfie or select the content from your mobile device’s gallery. Then add a llama (of course) from the delightful comic llama selection which connects to you, the receiver or the occasion. In addition, you can choose from dozens of different phrases and greetings designed to help you say exactly what you need to say or you can write your own personal text message to add to the greeting.
Say as much, or as little, as you need to say.
Perhaps you want to record a message in your own voice, without the pressure of writing the perfect sentence to capture the moment. In one moment of recording you can convey the love, the laughter, the grief, the passion, the language of your heart in a way that your writing never seems to be able to do.
Maybe you have a video clip that will brighten their day, or recall a treasured moment. You can share that with them.
Is there a picture that perfectly captures a time you spent together? Attach it.
Is there a song you sing when times are hard? Sing it to them, in your voice.
Or maybe you aren’t that good with words. Choose from a wide range of possible greetings. Use them as they are in the menu, or edit them as you see fit.
You have as many options as you can imagine.
You are supplementing the physical card with your own curated digital content. It can take a second or two, or you can take as much time as you want to add just the right mix of media to convey your message.
Why are greeting cards so powerful?
Humans need to feel a sense of connection. It was not surprising when a recent study suggested that for human beings, being connected to one or more other people might be more important than food for overall health. It is, in fact, our connectedness that makes us human.
In a perfect world, we would all live in a community with the people we love the most. However, life has other plans for us and our loved ones. We go to school in another city, take a job in another state, or even marry someone from another country.
Difficulties with time, travel, finances, and schedules mean that we can’t always be there on a birthday, or for a funeral.
A greeting card conveys a message of thoughtfulness and concern for another person. While it conveys a specific greeting in the words on the cover and inside, there is more to it.
A greeting card says, “I thought about you. I chose this message. You are important to me.” Even when the words and the occasion are lighthearted, the deeper message is of belonging to a community with another person and caring for them.
Being able to give a traditional card says all of this. Giving a phygital card sends an enhanced message. This personalized message reveals a deeper connection. It shares an inside joke. It conjures up memories that trigger the release of oxytocin in the brain.
Oxytocin actually makes the recipient feel better – with medically proven effectiveness at reducing pain, fighting depression, and weakening the effects of anxiety.
Mixing the physical card with digital content gives the sender several different ways to make a connection with the recipient. Multiple ways to prove “I care.” “I wish I was there.”
It’s not a hug, but it might be the next best thing.
Receiving a phygital card
When your loved one opens their Llama card, they encounter a caring message that you chose for the situation. At first it seems like any other card: a message that matches the event, perhaps even a handwritten note from you, and your signature. But there is so much more …
When they scan the QR code, their phone takes them to the personal message you designed and created just for them.
In a moment they are hearing your voice, or watching the video you chose, or seeing the picture that captures a shared moment.
They are seeing the love and care you have added to the card.
Just as the physical world and digital world are combining into a unique greeting experience in this card, so too is your message part of their world in this moment. This is the magic of the phygital greeting card experience.
It is, quite simply, another level of greeting.