iFOLD: Fold More, Save Paper

Billions of business envelopes are used every day. Imagine how much paper can be saved if we just halved their size.

So while posting a letter, ask: can it be folded once more. If it can, fold more.

Use a smaller envelope. Save trees. It’s that simple. It’s called iFOLD.

A tiny behavior change, packaged as a system

The mechanism is effort-to-impact math. One extra fold reduces envelope size. Reduced envelope size reduces paper consumption. The campaign frames this as a repeatable rule anyone can apply without new infrastructure or technology.

In high-volume corporate mailrooms and customer communications, small process changes compound into meaningful material savings.

Why it lands

This works because it does not ask for a lifestyle shift. It asks for a micro-habit that fits inside existing routines. The instruction is binary, memorable, and immediately testable. You can literally try it with the next letter in your hand.

Extractable takeaway: When you want behavior change at scale, give people a single, repeatable decision rule that requires almost no extra effort, and make the benefit feel cumulative and obvious.

Steal this envelope logic

  • Make the rule portable: one sentence people can remember and repeat.
  • Target a high-frequency routine: boring, repetitive processes are where scale lives.
  • Prefer “do this instead” over “stop doing that”: substitution habits stick better than abstinence messages.
  • Connect the micro to the macro: one fold feels trivial. Aggregate savings makes it feel worth doing.
  • Design for adoption inside organizations: the best ideas fit procurement, operations, and compliance realities.

A few fast answers before you act

What is iFOLD?

iFOLD is a paper-saving idea that encourages people to fold letters one extra time so they can be mailed in smaller envelopes.

Why focus on envelope size?

Because envelopes are used at massive volume in business and government. Small reductions per unit add up quickly at scale.

What makes this a strong sustainability message?

It is a concrete action, not an abstract appeal. People can do it immediately without buying anything new.

Where does this work best?

In organizations that send large quantities of letters and statements, where a standard change in folding and envelope formats can be implemented consistently.

What could prevent adoption?

Template constraints, inserts that cannot be folded further, window placement, and operational inertia. The idea works best when mail formats are designed with folding flexibility in mind.

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter applies for a job

In order to get more companies to buy the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, German ad agency Lukas Lindemann Rosinski actually got the Sprinter to apply for a job. To do this, they came up with the world’s first printing tyre. This enabled the Sprinter to write its own letters of application, all on its own.

Why this direct marketing idea lands

The power is in the role reversal. Instead of telling fleet managers that the Sprinter is a hard worker, the campaign makes the vehicle behave like one. It “applies”. It shows initiative. And it creates something physical that naturally gets noticed on a manager’s desk.

What makes the execution feel credible

The printing tyre is not a metaphor. It is the proof. It turns the van into the production tool, which makes the claim harder to ignore. If the Sprinter can literally produce its own application letter, it signals capability without relying on copy.

What to borrow for B2B marketing

  • Make the product do the talking. Let capability show up as a concrete action.
  • Put the idea into the buyer’s workflow. A real letter in a real office beats another brochure.
  • Design for “desk gravity”. If it looks like it belongs in the process, it is harder to dismiss.

A few fast answers before you act

What did Mercedes-Benz do here?
They had a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter “apply for a job” to companies as a way to drive interest and consideration.

Who created the campaign?
German ad agency Lukas Lindemann Rosinski.

What was the core mechanic?
A custom “printing tyre” that enabled the Sprinter to write its own letters of application.

Why is it effective as direct marketing?
Because it delivers a physical artifact into a business context, and the product itself is the proof of the idea.

What is the main lesson for B2B campaigns?
Convert product benefit into a behavior that buyers can witness, not just read about.

Check in! Snack Out!

GranataPet is one of the innovative leaders of high premium petfood in Germany. Their ad agency, Agenta Berlin was given the challenge to create awareness for the GranataPet dog food with a slim budget!

So Agenta targeted dog owners as they took their best friend for a walk. Socially activated installations were positioned on key walking paths. Dog owners walking past would then be stopped by their dogs smelling treats and they would only see a billboard saying “Check in! Snack Out!” with accompanying information telling each person on how to check in with Foursquare in order to activate a free bowl of dog food.

Along with the free publicity generated on Facebook, the hundreds of billboard visitors also generated an additional demand for GranataPet at the local pet stores.