|
The Xplor Document University’s educational road show came to Philadelphia in November, and IPG attended the one-day seminar. Though rain and traffic took a toll on attendance levels, the five speakers gave interesting and thought-provoking presentations.
Pat McGrew, Kodak’s evangelist for data-driven communication, delved into one variable data dilemma in a session called “You Have Data. Now What?” She noted that, to create relevant communications materials, you have to interpret and analyze the data you have, and even augment it by buying additional data. Otherwise you can get an inaccurate picture of the person you’re marketing to. For example, she said, when people do their Christmas shopping on Amazon.com, they may later get offers for products they have no interest in, based on those gift purchases.
She also noted that using people’s personal information can backfire when your message verges into “creepiness,” making it apparent that you know too much about them. When your mailing says “We noticed this about you and want to offer you this product,” the consumer will likely be put off. Instead, she said, aim for serendipitous offers that seem like they just happen to fit your interests.
She also noted some of the problems with QR Codes. Often marketers who use them don’t supply any information on the page telling readers what to do with them. And too often, when people do correctly use their smart phones to scan the QR Code, they are directed to a Web site that is not very helpful or relevant. This only teaches them to ignore QR codes the next time they see them.
“Make sure there’s a payoff,” she stressed.
As printers focus on the ever improving quality of digital printing, Robert Raus, Jr., of Riso, approached the topic from a different point of view when he noted that not every digital print needs to be “offset quality.” Would you frame copies of your phone bill or bank statement, he asked. For items like these, “pleasing color” is all that’s really required.
He went on to cite a study by INTERQUEST that compared the costs and response rates for marketing pieces printed with toner and inkjet. Though the quality of the inkjet pieces may have been lower, the response rates were nearly identical. And because the inkjet pieces cost so much less to produce, the cost per response in the study was 62 percent less.
Companies Mentioned:
 |
|
|
|
Variable Data Printing Case Studies
The Ultimate Guide to Multi-Channel Communications Solutions
