Z-CARD
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| Industry | Marketing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2003 |
| Headquarters | London, UK |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | George McDonald (Inventor) Liz Love (Managing Director) |
| Revenue | £7 million (2011)[1] |
Number of employees | 40 (June 2011) |
| Website | www |
Z-CARD is the registered trademark for a foldable guide[clarification needed] invented by George McDonald when he was a travel writer and consultant for British Airways.
History[edit]
McDonald found that traditional fold-out maps were too bulky to carry with him on travel research trips and wanted a more convenient solution. From this the Z-CARD was developed and launched in 1992,[1] with the company as it looks today being founded in 2003. The original manufacturing was outsourced to the Russian prison system as this was the cheapest option.[1]
While Z-CARD pioneered the z-fold market from 1992, a number of other companies have since entered the market by producing their own take on the z-fold format. The original inspiration for the product came from the fold-out map format.
Applications[edit]
The Z-CARD and similar products have been used for a range of applications, including internal corporate communications, product and services information and promotional merchandise across all major industries.
Use of technology[edit]
In recent years, cards have featured technology such as Radio-frequency identification, QR codes and Augmented reality.[1][2][dead link]
Awards[edit]
In 2011, Z-CARD won the Chartered Institute of Marketing Excellence Award in the SME category. Previous winners of CIM awards include Saatchi & Saatchi, McCann Erickson and JCDecaux.
In 2010, Z-CARD won South London Business of the Year and the Best Business for Marketing categories at the South London Business Awards.[3][dead link]
See also[edit]
- Brochure
- Business card
- Comp card
- Folded leaflet
- Marketing collateral
- Merchant Mariner's Document
- Pamphlet
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d The Telegraph Z-Card seeks to shape up for austerity times 2011-4-19, retrieved 2012-12-10
- ^ Printweek Z-Card launches augmented reality PocketMedia product 2010-07-21, retrieved 2012-12-10
- ^ South London Business RBS South London Business Awards 2009 retrieved 2012-12-10