Staying in touch has never been as easy.
Keeping it simple is often the best way.
Helping charities in these challenging times of COVID-19 has never been more important than now.
For those of you who know me well professionally, you will know how passionate I am about the Printed Memories cause marketing programme that I started at Ricoh some 3 years ago with Alzheimer's Research UK.
In those last 3 years, this partnership has gone from strength to strength, not only winning a much coveted Better Society Award, but more importantly, it has allowed us at Ricoh to demonstrate how corporate entities can work successfully and with relevance with charities and NGOs.
In started of with our videos series DementiaUncovered, where we tried to help Alzheimer's Research in their efforts to raise understanding of Alzheimer's and other dementias. At its core, Ricoh 3D based in Telford, provided the technology and capability in Ricoh's 3D print laboratory, to help visualise the difference between the brain of a "healthy" individual and the brain of a person with Alzheimer's using 3D printing technology.
Using the scientific data from multiple MRI scans, we were able to bring this life in this video, narrated by Simon Pegg. DementiaUncovered proved to be incredibly impactful and the millions of views and shares are testament to that. As a follow up from this video, Ricoh has printed over 3,000 3D printed brains for Alzheimer's Research and they continue to be one of the most tactile and engaging pieces that the charity uses as their public engagement and educational tools. Core to the success was the simplicity in identifying how corporate entities can help a charity beyond simply fundraising. A logical, simple and genuine connection between a charity and one of its corporate partners. I personally believe this area is a genuie opportunity for many other charities how to engage with corporate entities in these challenging time. Establish clear common objectives and values and keep it simple!
At the center of our partnership with Alzheimer's Research though is our Printed-Memories online postcard tool. One that is more relevant now than ever in time of social isolation. Similar to the DementiaUncovered video, Printed Memories too was a super simple idea at its core, and provided yet another genuine partnership between Ricoh's capability being matched up with some of the objectives of Alzheimer's Research.
How will you ask? The Printed Memories online platform enables users to create a physical postcard of a digital photo, add a personal message and send this to their family, relative or someone they simply cannot see or speak to at this moment. In return for a ￡1.00 / 1.20 purchase - 100% of this going directly to Alzheimer's Research - your photo is uploaded into our portal, where you can add a personal message and this photo gets turned into a physical postcard that will printed by Ricoh European Smart Factory in Telford and this postcard gets then posted by Royal Mail anywhere in Europe. For us at Ricoh it was a perfect opportunity to apply our know-how in print and end-to-end workflow solutions and turn this expertise into something so tangible and beneficial for Alzheimer's Research.
Social isolation is a problem that many people with Alzheimer's & dementia have to deal with, even more so now that social and physical distancing regulations continue to be in place across Europe. So regardless if you want to send a postcard to a family member who has dementia or if you simply want to stay in touch with your friends, family or colleagues, I would encourage you all to have a look at your Photo Gallery on your smartphone or PC and think about sharing some great memories. Not only will you undoubtedly provide a smile on the recipients face when they received their printed postcard in the mail, but you will also help the all important work of Alzheimer's Research in making breakthroughs possible.
In days of WFH where many have yet to establish a daily routine, why not make a commitment to yourself and send your Printed Memories today and help fund the all important research from Alzheimer's Research UK.