Deutsche Post DHL is delving deeper into the world of digital communication in an attempt tofind new markets for itself in the face of digital substitution, launching a new ‘app‘ for Facebook
users with an individualised print option enabling them to sort and keep track of their data.Clemens Beckmann, Executive Vice President of Deutsche Post Innovation, said: “Deutsche Post DHLhas always been the bearer of social memories on postcards and letters, nowadays often substitutedby digital communication. We are now turning it around, giving physical form to the digitizedworld.”
Called ‘Social Memories‘, the customised book compiles the social network data of Facebook usersand visualises them with photos and infographics. Social Memories was developed together with theagency Cosalux and is offered to Facebook users globally.
The app offers the choice between a free digital photo album consisting of selected book pagesor a 28-page printed hardcover version that can be shipped worldwide. Once the user selects thetime frame to be covered, the Social Memories application automatically begins to craft a book fullof photos and statistics, culling from the user’s profile, status updates and photos. Images can beadjusted individually.
Functioning in strict compliance with data privacy regulations, the app also analyses the user’sprofile information, such as a person’s most active friends or most popular wall posts. The resultsare plugged into easy-to-follow graphs. The user can also choose between three colours for the bookand different languages. An online bookshelf lets the user flip through all his personal memorybooks created over time. Vouchers for making this book a gift are also available.
Nearly 70,000 virtual books have already been created since Social Memories was started in themiddle of May. Deutsche Post DHL plans to continue to create features to the app to offeradditional individuality.
