In every industry there is technology that packs such an impact that it changes the way the entire sector operates. In music, the iPod and iTunes collaboration has completely changed the way the industry connects with consumers. For the direct marketing industry, one could argue that this industry-changing technology is variable printing.
Variable printing, to some, may still seem like innovative technology, but the power of this tool is quickly becoming a commodity within the direct marketing industry. If you want to maximize the success of your direct marketing initiatives, you need to be able to connect with your customers one-on-one — and variable printing is the ideal tool to become just that.
Cost-prohibitive and onerous to all but a select few marketers only a few short years ago, variable printing is now commonplace as the technology becomes less and less expensive and more and more responsive. For instance, ink jetting variable print technology allows some of our clients to produce upwards of 30,000 personalized pieces in about an hour.
Like the iPod has now enabled the creative exploration of further new advancements such as the iPhone, the commoditization of variable print technology is enabling creative teams to explore all sorts of new, high impact direct marketing campaigns. Formats are no longer limited to 8-1/2 by 14 sheets. Today’s technology supports sheets up to 38-inches wide, double-sided and in colour.
The result is the ability to leverage variable printing in endless ways to establish a stronger rapport the recipient. For instance, as a long-time Aeroplan member, I used to get letters personalized with my name, but standard body copy.
Now, they are sending me correspondence that actually correspond with my specific needs and my interests. It touches on the places I like to go and correlates with the amount of Aeroplan Miles that I tend to accumulate. The pieces feel like they speak directly to me — as if Aeroplan actually understands me and value my relationship with them.
Integrating variable technologies into catalogues and magazines is fast becoming the next big wave of consumer-guided production. The ability to have an introductory page that highlights key articles of interest or specific products the recipient would enjoy takes the whole idea of one-to-one direct marketing through value-added content to an entirely new level.
Another wave is adding personalized devices, like magnets or business cards, to personalized mailings in order to further increase response rates. Where once these separate elements all needed to be produced separately and combined and assembled, with inline variable printing, you can now create a fully integrated direct marketing campaign (for instance, including a personalized magazine, personalized envelope and personalized magnet) in one pass of the press.
Of course, variable printing is only an effective tool when the data used to create the piece is accurate. As variable printing becomes commoditized, the drawback is that if the data isn’t correct, or used inappropriately, it can immediately turn a recipient off. Having the wrong name or the wrong gender indicated on a variable printed piece is definitely a deal-breaker.
Furthermore, a customer may like the fact that you understand that he is a male, of a certain age group, and is a loyal customer. He won’t like it if you start revealing his most recent grocery list. When it comes to variable printing, too much information can be too much of a good thing.
Print already does a superior job of capturing emotion, moving readers to action more quickly, and generating higher brand awareness and loyalty and is not considered as intrusive as radio, TV, or pop-up ads. Variable printing has enabled the direct marketing to once again raise the bar in terms of establishing ourselves as the ideal medium for establishing and maintaining loyal, long-term relationships with consumers.
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