CMYK to RGB: The Art of Print, Digital and Cross-Media Integration

Multi-Channel is Not Necessarily Cross-Media Marketing

2012-01-31T14:18:00.001-05:00

I was recently corrected in a conversation with a web programmer when I referred to an image's resolution as 'dpi'. As a 25 year veteran of the printing industry, 'dots per inch' is how I view the world, and it just flows off my tongue without thought. Just to see if I was truly being reprimanded, I again intentionally used 'dpi' where I should have used 'ppi' (pixels per inch). And yes, he immediately corrected me. Though he was technically correct, the spirit of the message was clearly understood and he could have just chosen to roll with it. So I made a game of it and continued to toy with his irritation over my obvious lack of sophistication.

A square is a rectangle, but a rectangle is not a square. By the same logic, cross-media marketing is multi-channel marketing, but multi-channel isn't necessarily cross-media. Make sense?
Multi-channel in marketing terms means sending outbound messaging across multiple channels simultaneously. Print ads, direct mail, radio, billboard, banner ads, email, text messaging . . . all carrying the same congruent message in a unified voice and branding. But multi-channel is a distinctly siloed method, in that each channel operates independently, typically in an outbound manner only. So if you were to remove one or more channels, the others would still be functioning to reach their intended demographic without being affected by the presence or absence of other channels. The counter-argument is that there is a branding effect that these compounded messages have over time. And yes, that's true. But this logic harkens back to the days when any brand interaction was good because it creates mindshare, and is a whole 'nother post for another day.

Cross-media marketing is using a multi-channel approach, but with a little something extra. The 'cross' is the critical distinction. With cross-media, traditional offline media such as direct mail and print ads engage with the interactive capabilities of web, mobile, and social networks. Cross-media marketing combines data, message, media and technology to achieve this single goal: tracking and improving the return on investment (ROI) of marketing campaigns. Tools such as personalized URL landing pages and microsites are used to bridge print and web. Likewise, QR codes and mobile tagging strategies are used to bridge print with mobile. The entire process is enveloped in a campaign mindset, with engagement and interactivity occurring not only cross-channel, but also between outbound and inbound messaging.

Another distinction is typically the use of analytic tools to measure the campaign's effectiveness based on ROI, and the campaign activity as it happens real time. And while banner ad clicks can be measured, or (800) numbers tracked, cross-media is a much more holistic approach incorporating new and traditional media. The goal is to reach the prospect with the marketing message when and where they choose to accept it, and then encouraging measurable engagement to strengthen the brand relationship or convert to a sale.

Potato, po-taw-to. But it's useful to understand the difference as this awareness gets us to more keenly focus on how and why we are creating a marketing campaign, and what are the relationships and expectations across the delivery channels.

We're On the Road to Nowhere . . .

2011-09-14T21:02:00.001-04:00

Aaaahhhhhh, the Talking Heads. Yes, that was the intended reference. But what does that have to do with printing or direct marketing? Well, not a whole lot. But the point of this post is about direction. The direction you send your prospects, more specifically. Are you sending them to "nowhere"?

As QR codes grab hold of the tech cogniscenti, and permeates into the general population with their smartphones in hand just looking for direction, they depend on you. They depend on you and your business to send them to a place that is useful. That has meaning, That is friendly. That is RELEVANT. So the typical marketing team sends respondants and prospects to . . .

their corporate website.

This may have worked as recently as a year ago, when QR codes made your team look advanced and cutting edge. And while this isn't such a bad thing today, it isn't necessarily the best use of mobile tagging. Why? If you have a smartphone or web enabled mobile device, chances are you've been there. Landing on a website designed for a large, 19" or 22" desktop monitor. But on your phone, it's barely legible. Specular dots that should be words. Links you can't possibly select without striking a nearby link (affectionately dubbed 'fat fingering'). The fact is, most sites are not "mobile optimized", but rather tiny renditions of their desktop versions. Mobile optimized means large, clearly legible links . . . streamlined content for a mobile customer . . . concise and polarized information that deliver the facts of who, what, where, when, why and how. This means the mobile tagging, when scanned, should lead to a mobile optimized site.

Think back to just a few years ago. Most businesses understood they needed to have a web presence. A site that did more than just act as an electronic brochure, but one that had interactivity for their customers. A way to transact business and engage with customers. Today, businesses need to have that same sense of urgency, but with mobile content. Your customers of the future - scratch, of today - are accessing your site in a mobile context. Are you ready?

Talk with us. Accuprint now has the ability to create complete mobile sites that mimic your current website's content. We can keep your brand integrity intact, and synchronize your mobile site to deliver the same rich content of your desktop website. Links, document downloads, social media, rich multimedia content including videos and MP3 audio, one-touch text messaging, mapping . . . it can all be incorporated into your mobile site. In days, not weeks. At a price point that won't dent your budget. And for those DIY'ers that are itching to control their own content, we offer a complete handoff, allowing you to take over administration of your site with our intuitive content management system (CMS). No HTML or web coding knowledge needed. Update on the fly, add images, links, pages and more. And our QR code manager plug-in will generate a unique QR code for each of your mobile pages, to easily include in all of your printed collateral. And for those marketers that are tracking and measuring channels, it even comes with its own mobile site analytics.

Start your mobile solution search with Accuprint - upstate New York's authority on print and mobile integration. Being prepared for the growing mobile transition is easier than you think.

CMO Council 2011 "State of Marketing" Outlook Published

2011-08-19T18:52:00.000-04:00

The CMO Council has published its 2011 State of Marketing "Outlook, Intentions and Investments". If you have never read past reports, and you are involved in marketing - particularly at an influential or senior mangement level - you owe it to yourself to get the report. At $199, it's chock full of study results from your management peers. Particularly what is driving their decisions today, and what keeps them up at night as they struggle to come to terms with rapid technology shifts.

Once again, but more emphasized this year, is the need for campaign measurement and results analytics. Chief Marketing Officers know they must justify budgets and marketing spend, and simply want to know "is this working?". Cross-media applications also are a primary marketing consideration.

And for anyone that has followed our progression over the years at Accuprint, you know these are the very processes which we specialize in. It was exciting reading the report and realizing rather than having to force decisions and sell into these strategies, marketers are coming 'round to our rationale. Sort of hitting our sweet spot if you will.

If you need marketing services - mobile, cross-media, direct mail, web, personalization, and most importantly, real-time campaign analytics - talk with us at Accuprint. Until then, get this report and feed your brain. If you don't want to spring for the full paid report, simply download the (24) pg. executive summary, which can be found here.

"Images of Upstate" Calendar Photo Contest has begun!

2011-06-21T06:46:00.001-04:00

Accuprint's annual calendar photo contest, "Images of Upstate" is officially open to entrants. Upload your images that you think best represent upstate New York, and have the chance to get your image published in Accuprint's 2012 annual photo calendar. Entrants with the most public votes during the voting period in September will also win other great prizes, such as an Apple iPad 2 and more! Let your friends and family know, and tell everyone you know to vote for your entry!

Please read the official rules, and enter the contest here!

USPS Kicking A Can Down the Road?

2011-01-01T18:20:00.000-05:00

This phrase, typically heard these days relating to the U.S. government's pending come-uppance relating to our debt and spending deficit, can be used equally for anyone pushing off problems for another day. It seems to be the way debt is handled these days. Rather than simply take stock of assets, liabilities, income and expenses, cut spending and adjust behavior and conditions accordingly, most entities choose rather to bury their heads and plan on doing "something" about it at a later date. Reminds me of the Garfield cartoon I saw as a kid, with Garfield questioning "Why bother to do something today that I can put off 'til tomorrow?". With the USPS' recent proclamation that first class stamps here forward will be "forever" stamps, the future of the postal service is further leveraged. While my interest in the success and future viability of the Postal Service comes as a mail services provider and direct marketing specialist at Accuprint, the investor in me finds a recent article by Peter Schiff fascinating. For those not familiar with Schiff, he's a polarizing, opinionated personality on wall street. And while many still try to discredit his ideas, his logic is undeniable and simple. His take on this forever stamp, from an investor's point of view, is fascinating.

Click here to read the article.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this, as well as the future of U.S. mail delivery and the future of the USPS.

Print vs. Digital: Who's King of the Hill?

2010-12-12T09:24:00.000-05:00

Well, we've talked so much about this within the print industry: Will digital kill print and create a truly "paperless" society? The short and emphatic answer . . . NO!

A LinkedIn group I belong to recently brought this to the surface once again after a report was published by KPMG examining this very issue (read the article here). The findings were interesting, and echo what we've seen over and over regarding this ridiculous battle of either/or. It is simply neither. Yes, digital is changing the way society consumes information. Emails, texting, mobile devices, iPads, netbooks, Apple TV, Sirius radio, the web . . . It's exhausting keeping up with it sometimes. But through all these advancements, print still remains viable. There will always be those like me that prefer the tactile, immediate accessability of the printed page. Others maybe not so much. That's OK. There is simply more choice these days, and that's always a good thing. I, for one, always admire an extensive library of books in someone's home. I'd much rather see these books out on display that hidden on a microchip in a Kindle. And as a voracious information consumer, I often find myself simply grabbing a book I've already read to peruse or read small snippets over again. Yet, I have some books on my iPhone that I haven't finished, and quite frankly find it exhausting and uninspiring to read from an electronic screen.

The way I see it is this. Air travel came along and everyone said trains would become obsolete; television came along and radio was supposed to die off; cable television came along and the major networks were then a thing of the past; even within our own industry, digital printing is rumored to be slowly killing offset printing. Well, here we are in 2010, and one of the busiest Amtrak lines sits very near my home, I listen to the radio for a couple of hours per day in my car and sometimes at home, many of my favorite shows and news reports are on the major networks, and Accuprint just invested in a new offset press this summer (digitally enhanced, but still an offset printing process). Sure, each new technology has taken a bite out of the previous technology's revenue and market share, but they eventually settle down and co-exist. David Elms of KPMG is quoted in the article and states exactly this:

"Despite the increase in the use of digital media, certain activities such as outdoor events, watching television and reading books and magazines remain hugely popular. This highlights that old and new media will co-exist and evolve together over time."

Frank Romano, recognized as one of the printing industry's gurus, has often said that print and new media "play well together". And sure, as someone whose livelihood comes from print communication, I'd love to see more print. But, I also recognize the advantages of digital technologies, and quite frankly, embrace and use them everyday. Accuprint has integrated digital into our print production processes, we offer personalized URL (PURL) marketing techniques, online campaign tracking and measuring, email marketing, QR code and mobile marketing solutions, both text and dynamic image personalization, etc. Sure, these are not the wares of traditional commercial printing, but they certainly augment and enhance print communications. Using these incredible technologies to our advantage have helped us post our single largest month ever in sales volume, by far! So, do I believe print is dead? Again, no. Is it altering how we communicate? Definitely. Will it affect and change industries? Absolutely. But for those entrepreneurs and business owners keeping pace and integrating these technologies into their businesses, digital is not something to be feared, but rather embraced. It simply becomes another media to enhance our communication choices.

Post your commments and let us know what you think.

Email marketing continues to show declines in open rates

2010-08-03T19:32:00.000-04:00

MailerMailer, an email marketing services provider has posted their July report online (you can read it here). It is an interesting read for anyone who believes that email marketing as a standalone channel is the singular solution to their marketing needs. What we have been seeing with our non-profit clients, and are starting to see with our private sector corporate clients as well is that they are finally realizing that, yes, the cost per touch is much cheaper online than in print, but the conversions are far lower as well. They simply aren't actuating the same revenue with a single channel approach.

The report shows that there has been a steady decline in open rates since 2007. For those unfamiliar, if your email client is set to block images (generally for security and privacy purposes), an open occurs when you enable the images to show. We talk at length to our clients about these very issues, and there seems to be a consensus that email marketing is becoming overwhelming. As such, most recipients are simply blocking or deleting emails as they come in. The report indicates these declines are most likely due to this very image blocking, more mobile devices accessing email, and list fatigue.

We have to admit, the first thing that struck us is the honesty and disclosure by MailerMailer. Especially considering this is their bread and butter. Kudos. Secondly, this is the exact same trend that other forms of direct marketing have shown over the years. We particularly see it in direct mail with list fatigue, weak offers and calls to action, and lack of customer profiling, personalization and targeting. Which leads us to step up onto our soapbox once again . . .

NO SINGLE CHANNEL IS 100% EFFECTIVE!

The most effective direct marketing process, yielding the greatest results, is still an integrated multi-channel approach. A combination of email and direct mail, a congruent message across channels, personalized URL response mechanisms, mobile integration and polarized personalization are shown time and time again to yield the greatest results. To download case studies of how other organizations are effectively using this approach, visit Accuprint's "Case Studies" here.

What has your experience been with these direct marketing channels?

QR Codes Are All Around You

2010-06-09T06:54:00.001-04:00

Early last year we at Accuprint began evangelizing the benefits of using quick response (QR) codes in your marketing collateral. We also promised you would begin seeing them used more and more here in the U.S. Well, it's happening exactly as we predicted. And if you aren't currently using them, watch this spot that aired on CBS recently. From retailers, to manufacturing, fundraising and charities, or any business entity looking to drive consumer interaction, these codes are a great way to expand the amount of content available to your customers. We mentioned they are essentially "printed hyperlinks", and the mobile generation is quickly becoming hip to these codes and their purpose. Watch this great news segment, and then get on board! And if you are still unsure how they would apply to your business, call us. Accuprint can expand the possibilities of these codes by implementing variable codes in direct mail pieces, and allowing marketers to track where, when and on what device their codes were scanned. This is invaluable information from a marketing analytics standpoint.

Leave a comment if you've used these codes before, or let us know where you've seen them "in the wild".

Watch CBS News Videos Online

The Death of Print Is Greatly Exaggerated

2010-04-21T13:56:00.006-04:00

I was thinking of writing a blog addressing all these print naysayers who keep predicting the death of print. In the meantime, I came across this great campaign being rolled out by the executives of five of the biggest publishing houses in the world. It is a concerted effort to finally get the truth out about print (specifically magazines), and how it is being misunderstood in the digital media circles. The truth isn't always what it would seem:

Adobe Photoshop CS5 - Altering Reality

2010-04-17T18:59:00.003-04:00

With the official announcement this week of Adobe's Creative Suite 5 comes some incredible new features, particularly in Photoshop. For anybody that has had to edit photos using the healing brush, selections, adjustment layers and the like, you know how time consuming and tedious some of that work can be. Photoshop's "Content Aware Fill" is an amazing new feature which makes quick and (near) effortless work of these tasks.

As an avid digital photographer, I frequent many photo forums. And I can tell you, the raging debate over reality and unaltered images, versus photo manipulation and photo "art" has been alive and well since the introduction of digital photography. Actually, it existed before this, with Ansel Adams' lightroom techniques and the like, but it really accelerated with digital manipulation. But for us in the printing industry, whose work is more commercial than fine art, these new tools - and content aware in particular - are a blessing! Check out the video and be amazed:

There's the Rub

2010-03-19T13:08:00.004-04:00

Have you noticed when receiving direct mailpieces that there is often smudges on it? It will generally be thumbnail size, and look like an abrasion, where the ink or printed image is smeared.

That is a product of the U.S. postal system's automated routing equipment. If you've never seen the actual postal facility process automated mail, it's nothing short of amazing! But with this hands-off, high-speed automation comes the twist and turns which route the mailpieces through the facility. As the pieces turn these corners, rubber rollers and belts often burn the surface. This intense friction causes these marks.

I received a nice oversize postcard in the mail today. And what immediately struck me was that whoever designed this piece had knowledge of the postal process and the abrasion points. It was creatively designed to have negative space (creatives' way of saying "white") at the exact spot the abrasion occurs. If you look at the diagram, this is the point of highest impact. On the side opposite the address panel, in the lower left corner, follow these dimensions and you'll know where to avoid critical information. And while there is supposed to be a standardized calibration for postal equipment across the country, some centers create greater wear and abrasion than others. I've seen studies showing this to be the case.

Why does it matter? Aesthetics for one. I don't believe anybody thinks something will work its way through the mailstream unscathed. But if you know ahead of time, why not design around it? Lighter colors, less coverage, white area - these all work. Another measure of prevention is UV coating your direct mailpiece. This can not only make your colors more vibrant, it protects against surface wear and damage.

A hidden blog post

2010-03-16T20:22:00.002-04:00

The Nose Knows

2010-02-28T21:34:00.003-05:00

Almost exactly two years ago, my grandmother passed away. Just a few days after her service, while at work, I came out of my office into the main lobby area of our shop and was met with an incredible rush of euphoria and happiness. The reason? A woman's perfume. It wasn't just any perfume, but the exact perfume my grandmother wore for years - a rose scented floral perfume. It seems a woman had just been in and left her mark. I was flooded with emotions and memories, all pleasant and warm. And I found myself throughout the rest of the day walking back out to that same area, taking a deep inhalation, trying to savor the fading remnants of that scent and the memories of my grandmother.

As marketers, we tend to brand predominantly with two of the five senses; sight and sound. But ignoring the power of incorporating additional sensory touches can be a big mistake. These additional senses create powerful emotional ties, and can solidify branding experiences, connecting that brand to transient emotional states. Which leads me to this post.

Yesterday in the mail, my wife received a mailpiece that got our attention (pictured above). The outer envelope was plain, simply a return address, and the postage was paid with an actual first class stamp - not a bulk mail indicia. The stock was a ribbed, cream finish, looking more like a personal notecard than a direct mail piece. The only missing element that could have sealed the deal would have been a handwritten address (though the sheer volume Ford sent out would have instigated a carpel tunnel pandemic if they had been hand addressed). She was curious and opened it (first and second win for Ford). The piece inside resembled a notecard, and when opened, had an insert promoting special automotive pricing. But the thing that really jumped out when we got that envelope opened was the new car smell that wafted from within. It was engaging. For me, almost intoxicating. For anyone who has ever had that "new car" experience, it connected to an impulsiveness at a much deeper, less cognitive level. Like my grandmother's perfume, I reopened that piece to revisit that new car smell. Since 2000, Ford has utilized a proprietary formula for infusing their own new car smell into their vehicles. Studies have shown conclusively that buyers prefer and identify Ford's scent over competitors such as Toyota.

Think about your past, and how scent has played a role in deepening the emotional impact of certain key life events, both good and bad. For me, one was as a child, opening a fresh pack of Topps baseball cards, and smelling the cardboard liner that seperated the cards from the flat, pink gumstick. The scent of the gum remained in the oils embedded in the cardboard, and I would continually sniff it until the scent degraded. Another was a scratch and sniff book I owned. I have a nut allergy, and peanuts were off limits to me as a child, but oooh, did I love that smell! Well, this book had a peanut scratch scent, and I scratched my way clear through the page. And of course there was my grandfather's tackle box that he passed down to me when I took an interest in fishing, with it's fish oil, silicone and shop oil odors. Or the empowerment (and ignorance) of my youth, captured in the quintessential `80s cologne, "Drakkar". Or the foul, stomach wrenching effect I still feel to this day simply whiffing Dewar's White Label Whisky (I won't elaborate on that story).

At Accuprint, we recently ran an integrated marketing campaign based around a chocolate theme, and did some testing of chocolate scents emebedded in varnish on the printed pieces. Much like Thomas Edison said he never had a failure, we simply learned more ways that didn't work. But our trials and experience have convinced us that we will be incorporating scent in future marketing campaigns.

What are some scents that impacted you on an emotional level in your life?

Revenue? What's 'revenue'?

2010-01-13T14:33:00.002-05:00

A spoof on the Apple ads, this continues to ask the question we all seem to wonder about.

New Year resolution? Stop making excuses.

2010-01-10T04:21:00.005-05:00

I came across this spot by Nike and thought it definitely worth sharing, in light of all the new 'resolutions' flying around this time of year. Nothing to do with printing or marketing (though it is a powerful marketing piece). Not only do I think we will all see ourselves in this message one time or another, I love the deeper context of this ad.

Cross-Media Marketing In Patagonia

2009-12-12T19:20:00.002-05:00

I love the outdoors. One of my most memorable experiences was a weeklong trip I took a few years back with my brother to Washington’s Olympic National Park. The pure, intoxicating mountain air, the ground cover crackling under foot, the cool nights in a tent, the moonlight dancing on the fading Pacific tide of Ruby Beach. Unplugged and tuning out. Solitude. So my curiosity was piqued upon reading an article in the latest Patagonia retailer catalog about a project some gentlemen are working on called 180 Degrees South, recounting an expedition deep into Chilean Patagonia. One of the members of this expedition was a musician/writer by the name of Mason Jennings. Some of you may know of him, but I do not. The article is his recount of the trip, its purpose and the experience. He writes:

“I feel so relaxed: I realize that back at home, I have been spending so many of my days driving or on the phone or on my computer or on my Blackberry . . .”

The article goes on to quote lyrics from his latest single, “Black”:

Ice age, information age
Distracted living life on the phone
We try to live in the present now
But the future won’t leave us alone
It keeps coming

I am absorbed by his writing. I get it! I feel you, man! The rat race . . . who needs it?! As I wrap up the article, convinced that I need to once again get away from it all, I’m hit with the wrap:

“A free download of Black is available at masonjennings.com/Patagonia.”

(sound of slamming breaks and screeching tires)

Whaaaa?? What just happened?

I laughed openly to myself at that point. The beauty of it. I literally forgot for a short while that I was being marketed to. Here I am so absorbed by the content (compelling copywriting) that I was eager to log on (call to action). To begin an opt-in marketing process, where, in exchange for my email and permission to market to me further, I receive a song. One which espouses backing away from the internet and technology. If that isn't ironic enough, it’s a song I would listen to on my iPhone.

Again – Mason Jennings - don’t know who he is, and I’m certainly not finding fault or criticizing. Quite the opposite, in fact. I’m going to check out the song. But I am a realist and just recognizing the truth and the genius behind this campaign. For that element of society that fits Patagonia’s desired demographic, that article would entrance and draw you in. As you became further engaged by logging on to receive the download, you give more information to the retailer about yourself, and other channels such as email for them to market to you further. This is the heart of personalization people! And this is a perfect example of a well-executed cross-media campaign. They know you’ve looked over their catalog, and they know you are interested. And you can bet this personal information they've acquired will be used to further develop keen, relevant marketing dialog to these prospects, yielding greater return on investment (ROI) for Patagonia.

Well played.

Google puts its weight behind QR codes

2009-12-08T19:15:00.004-05:00

The adoption rate of QR (quick response) codes has been accelerating as of late. And now, Google has announced it will be joining the fray. Yesterday, Google announced they will be sending out 100,000 window decals to retailers across the country who have received higher rates of searches using Google.com and Google maps. These decals will have a unique QR code imprinted on them and identify the establishment as a Google "Favorite Place". The codes will allow prospective customers to retrieve the mobile version of Google's 'local' business search, with reviews and further in-depth information about the establishment.

Google also announced they will foot the bill for the first 40,000 downloads of QuickMark, the code reader. This was announced yesterday, so the ability to get in on this deal may have passed, but it's worth a shot anyway. I quickly downloaded it onto my wife's iPhone, and I believe it's one of the best readers for the iPhone. You can learn more about the applications of these codes for your marketing, where to get readers and more at http://accuprint.com/resources/qrcode.html.

After watching this video, a few thoughts spring to mind:

1) Do you think with Google's weight behind it, QR code use will become more ubiquitous?

2) Is that an iPhone being used in the video? I wonder if Apple uses Android OS devices in their commercials?

Bridging Print and New Media

2009-11-24T13:05:00.004-05:00

The drumbeat is getting louder! As we've discussed in previous posts about QR Codes and their use in marketing circles to augment and bridge the print and digital worlds, Esquire magazine has taken it in a new direction. Rather than snapping a picture (scan) with your mobile device, you now hold the magazine up to your web camera for virtual interaction on your desktop or laptop computer. While similar to the QR Codes as it appears to be a 2D matrix code, the symbology structure appears different. But the same premise nonetheless. And once again, the "dialog" begins with print.

(Brief commercial intro)

Smartphones . . . The Next Marketing Frontier

2009-11-14T12:21:00.005-05:00

We see it around us every day. People walking around in catatonic states, staring at their mobile devices, their fingers and thumbs in a blurred fury of communication. Whether the mobile web, chat, text messaging, phone, tweets, links and facebooks, smartphones are the utilitarian "must-have" nowadays. And as contracts with cell providers expire, and competition heats up among the major market players dropping price points, mobile users are trading up to these all-purpose devices.

I love my iPhone. It's with me all the time now. I feel like McGyver must've felt with his bubble gum wrapper, hair clip and rubber band . . . able to do anything. And one of my daily web visits is to the iPhoneBlog. As they recently reported, smartphone sales are accelerating. You can read it here. As you'll see, with 41 million units sold in the third quarter, this is a marketing channel that needs to be accessed.

Coordinated campaigns with personalized direct mail, email and now SMS text messaging produce dramatically higher response rates. While you don't have to rely on your customers having smart phones to send text messages, their live link and mobile browser capabilities allow marketers to take advantage of Personalized URLs (PURLS) to provide a seamless web experience for response channel integration. And with creative use of QR code technology, opt-in campaigns allow marketers to develop stronger databases with cell numbers for future touches. Is your organization taking advantage of these emerging channels? If not, it's time to rethink your marketing strategy. A recent study by MindFire Inc. of multi-channel campaigns conducted by its licensees indicates response rates to be 1.4 to 3 times those of static, single channel mass marketing campaigns! Let that sink in for a moment. Now grab a calculator and do some quick multiplication to see what that would mean to your sales, membership, lead generation, closed sales and more.

Print Communications First Choice Among Alumni

2009-10-08T05:18:00.003-04:00

I had an interesting conversation a few days ago wtih my accountant about the merits and preferences for mail vs. online marketing. He indicated a strong preference for print over electronic media saying he sometimes feels "bothered" by email and just gang deletes the messages. He also indicated he feels somewhat intruded upon by email marketing, and that with direct mail he felt that a greater and more personal effort was made to contact him with an offer. While I strongly agree, some would say I have an inherent bias. But study after study still bears out the fact that not only is print generally more preferred, in most cases it produces greater ROI than email or social media marketing. Email may be the inexpensive marketing choice, but it still does not create direct sales numbers like direct mail marketing.

In a recent survey commissioned by Pitney Bowes, Inc., (as reported by WhatTheyThink) 1,100 college graduates and post-grads were surveyed about their preferences for being contacted by their colleges and universities. Whether for alumni financial solicitations or simply general news and correspondence, they consistently preferred direct mail. Some of the findings:

• Choice for alumni donation requests:

Direct Mail - 54%
Email - 23%
Phone - 5%
Social Networking Sites - 1%

• General News and Correspondence:

Direct Mail - 57%
Email - 31%
Social Networking - 3%

Responses also showed they were less likely to ignore print. These findings support what I hear from others in conversation. It seems to be the dirty little secret that permeates beneath the surface of marketing scuttle-butt. While print is an older technology, and less "sexy" than online media, it still produces greater results and appears to be the choice of prospects. Print is dead, long live print!

Growing Mobile

2009-09-22T04:54:00.005-04:00

The mobile market continues to grow at a blistering pace, and smart marketing organizations are scrambling to find ways to access its potential. And once again, QR codes are being used in more and more creative ways to help marketing organizations connect the print and display advertising world with the convenience of mobile online content.

Dick's Sporting Goods ran a successful QR code campaign on the Jumbotron of the new, much ballyhooed Cowboys Stadium a few weeks ago. I was actually able to scan the code from the image in the article, and then click the link on my phone to download the coupon. At that point, I can simply bring my phone in to Dick's and have them scan my coupon right off my phone. How cool is that?!

Another fantastic application of QR codes can be found in a small town outside of Austin, TX. Dustin Haisler, the CIO, City Secretary and more of this small town has successfully implemented a QR code campaign throughout the municipality, labeling government buildings, parks, POI's (Points of Interest) and more. Visitors can now simply scan the code and view timely, updated information about that particular location.

Even the music world has adopted this exciting technology. While the Pet Shop Boys have now matured, they are still young in mind and spirit. Check out how they have woven QR codes into their video for "Integral" (which is a great song by the way!). Using QuickMark reader, I was able to scan some of the codes as they popped up on screen, but by using my mouse to control the frame sequences, I could actually stop on a particular code of choice. You will notice how the codes bring you to web content that supports the message of this song.

Adoption of this technology has certainly accelerated since I first wrote about it back in the spring. At Accuprint, we have begun to incorporate these codes into direct mail pieces and marketing materials, and constantly have those "AHA!" moments with new and clever uses. Simply being more aware of this technology, you will start to see it used more and more in marketing the products you buy every day.

The Math of ROI

2009-07-24T16:27:00.009-04:00

One of the very first questions we usually hear when meeting with a client to discuss cross-media marketing is “how much does it cost?”. Our response is usually along the lines of “how much does a house cost?”. Not to be flip, but to make a simple and understandable point. A house could be an inner city handy-man special at auction, or it could be a ten bedroom, forty acre country estate, and every possibility in between. And so it is with integrated direct marketing. Will it be a simple direct mail postcard campaign with minimal personalization and the client doing the design and data work? Or will it be a full-blown turn-key campaign, with heavy graphics customization and conditional versioning, with a flash web component and variable response pages, text messaging and extensive data mining.

The issue really isn’t with the question of price itself. Think about it. We’ve been conditioned to think in terms of absolutes. I pay you this, and you give me that. Usually our minds think in terms of a tangible product, something you can see and feel. You know what you are getting – exactly. Integrated Direct Marketing falls more under “value” pricing. While you are paying directly for services – hourly development and creative, web hosting, design work, printing, bindery, mailing services, etc., you are really paying for much more than the final mailpiece itself. You are paying for what your payment can yield. You are paying for "return".

If I said to you “write me a check for $100 and we’ll produce an entire marketing campaign for you”, would you do it? Sounds like an incredible offer to me! But if you only made a total return of $50 from the campaign, do you still think it’s worth it? The fact that it was inexpensive to begin with (cheap isn’t a P.C. term) means nothing. You lost money. So what if I told you we could do a campaign for $30,000? Would that sound great to you? A lot of folks would say “wow, sounds a bit steep”. But if this $30,000 could produce a return of $110,000, of course it would have been a wise investment.

The bottom line of all this is that the real question is not how much this costs. It is how much it can return. What is the return on investment (ROI)? This can then be broken down even further to how much is your cost per conversion (sale), cost per lead, etc. The following example illustrates my point:

Take some time to review this example. Although this is for illustrative purposes, the numbers are fairly accurate in keeping with research findings. Immediately look at the total investment amounts. Thinking back to the opening conversation, which would you rather pay, $3,300 or $8,800? Before answering, immediately look down at the gross profit amounts. Now answer. Now look down at the total ROI. Pretty amazing, isn't it? Reviewing the other data shows what is typical with a well executed personalized cross-media campaign:

1) Greater number of responses. Remember, the average direct mail campaign generally yields about 1.5% response. It is not unreasonable to see 8%-10% responses (and more!) with cross-media.

2) A far greater number of those leads convert to sales. While a certain amount of abandonment is typical with respondants, using relevant personalization has been proven to lessen these numbers.

3) The average dollar amount spent per order is larger.

4) Cost per lead, while similar in this example, is generally lower with cross-media. But look at the cost per conversion!

If you take a bit more time studying this, and read some of our case studies from PODi on our website, you will start to better understand the power of integrated direct marketing campaigns. More importantly, you will move beyond thinking of cost in terms of a single dollar figure. I'll leave you to think on this; lost opportunity is a cost as well. Can you really afford it in this economy?

It's Not All Work at Accuprint

2009-07-15T08:47:00.002-04:00

Sometimes we'll post because we're just so moved by something we see or hear. Kudos to the agency who develops these campaigns. I especially love the kid throwing off 'tude at 42 seconds - awesome! And for you "older" folks like me who remember the Sugar Hill Gang, this is an extra treat. Definitely worth watching if you haven't seen this:

Social Media

2009-07-01T10:20:00.004-04:00

So much is being written and discussed lately about the power of social media, and it is coming at us so fast and strong it can sometimes feel like a second job keeping up with it.

But lately, as you read the news headlines and see what is happening around the world, this new social media (which to me is just a subset of digital communications itself) is really making the world so much smaller. The recent election in Iran brought this to light so dramatically. With the opposition to Ahmadi-Nejad igniting the digital airwaves with blog posts, tweets, Facebook posts, text messaging, emails, etc., the government found it necessary to shut down five of the six major state-owned web conduits. The final "pipe" left open that ran through Turkey became so congested that it caused massive communications failure. This not only prevented the media from getting photos and video out of the country, but smothered communications internally, in an effort to stifle the dissention. Remember the summer olympics last year in China? Any of this sound familiar?

As the opposition in Iran planned meetings and demonstrations via this electronic communications, information was also being exchanged with sources outside the country, giving Iranian citizens a circular view of the process as it unfolded. Also witness the video, "Death of Neda", which shows a young 27 year old philosophy student as she lay dying in the street from a gunshot wound to the chest. The video immediately went viral, and become the rallying cry of the nation. It is simply fascinating to watch this communications literally changing the world one tweet at a time. And if you look back throughout history, from Hitler's Germany to today's North Korea, controlling information has enabled governments to isolate, influence and suppress its citizens. As each of these events unfolds, and more and more of the global society becomes aware, it is increasingly difficult for these governments to keep the lid on the fly jar.

Another example of the power of social media is the fact that the news of Michael Jackson's death broke on the likes of Twitter, BEFORE the major news outlets got the story out (read more here). While the news outlets must verify their sources before the story breaks, and social media isn't bound in the same manner, it is amazing nonetheless to watch the speed of communications travel the globe these days.

The more things change the more they stay the same. Or, as Rush so poetically put it (the Canadian rock band, not Limbaugh), "changes aren't permanent, but change is". Happy Fourth of July to everyone!

Can't we all just get along?

2009-05-20T17:52:00.003-04:00

Although through experience you know something to be true, it's always nice to actually hear it vindicated through some external, experienced source. For example, I purchased a new car a little over a year ago. A day or two later, my electric seat adjustment must've thought I should be a little closer to the steering wheel, so mid-drive I found myself slowly being compressed between the seat back and steering wheel. Just when panic set in (my legs were pinned at the knees against the dashboard), the seat would spring to life in reverse, but so far back that I had to sit on the forward edge to now reach the pedals. Sounds funny, and if you could've seen my highway neighbors enjoying the show - forward, back, forward, back. Except it wasn't funny. It took some significant wrangling and several trips back to the dealership to convince them the problem was real. Then just a few weeks ago I receive a recall notice from the manufacturer (I won't say which, but it rhymes with Pazda) for this exact problem. I already knew it was true, but it sure felt good to see it recognized anyway. Vindication.

And so it is with this year's CMO Council report "Marketing Outlook 2009". For anyone who has ever dealt with database marketing, you know how incredibly frustrating it can be trying to get the marketing department and IT department to work together harmoniously within a client organization. If I had to oversimplify, the two are generally staffed by dynamically opposed psycho-social personalities. Neither of them right or wrong, just different. And it can take a deft and skillful executive to oversee, guide, assuage and maneuver through these "sticky" personality conflicts to pull together the end result. From the report:

"Despite marketer's general confidence, their . . . lack of spend in more comprehensive operational and data management systems, suggest a critical disconnect in how they hope to achieve executive goals. Also, disconcerting is a limited interest in forging deeper relationships with the IT function. Only 9 percent say they are looking to work more closely with the CIO and IT department."

I had to chuckle when I read this. As someone who has been caught in the departmental crossfire, it was a sort of dark humor. But like my ghost-seat, it's not funny. Marketer's must wake up to the new data-driven, personalized paradigm. It will be incumbent upon them to reach across the aisle and embrace the IT function in their organization, and vice versa. The common organizational goals require it, and market forces will demand it.

Whether in print or new media, greater ROI is the new marketing battle cry. And the driving force behind this is data, data, data. And who holds the organization's data? The binary folks in the back room. So be nice, people. Play nice. You need each other to make your future marketing work.

Nano-blogging?

2009-04-26T13:04:00.004-04:00

In the continuing quest for yet faster online communication . . .

R U QRious?

2009-04-25T03:05:00.019-04:00

Have you ever seen a code like this and wondered what it was? It is called a QR code, and it's only a matter of time before you'll start using it. And marketers would be wise to start understanding its potential uses. Developed in Japan in the mid 90`s for tracking auto parts in a factory environment, Quick Response Codes are a 2D code resembling a square pattern of jigsaw puzzle pieces. The power comes in their ability to store up to 2 KB of data under current ISO standards. When scanned with a cell phone's camera lens they can automatically download content such as songs or ringtones, load a mobile web page, automatically play a video, launch a blog, comment on someone’s post, compare pricing, download discount coupons, etc. The advantage of QR codes is two-fold: 1) Free scanners are available for download for most phones, particularly the iPhone (although a few dollars will get you a much better software product), and 2) Just about every adult in this country, and most of the younger "tech" demographic, have a cell phone. This form of "mobile tagging" is just about the most convenient way to bridge the tactile and virtual worlds. This is fairly ubiquitous in Japan already, with cell phones being pre-loaded with scanning software. Though this video is in Japanese, it gets the point across, with a visual demonstration of the process:

Now . . . let's talk about what this really means. MARKETING! The creative marketing application for this is endless. Consider these scenarios:

Vineyards have begun putting codes on their wine bottle labels, which brings up either their homepage or favorable wine reviews online.

An Indie music site places barcodes next to an artist's bio, where it can be scanned directly off the computer screen for a free music download from that artist.

Placed on a business card, the code can contain all of your contact information, directly or as a vcard (.vcf file). Some scanning applications will automatically indentify the data as contact information and load it into your contacts.

Movie posters can be scanned to get an instant movie trailer video on your phone.

A restaurant recently began putting codes on their plates each day containing a photo and description of the daily specials.

A real estate sign has a code that, when scanned, brings up a virtual tour of the property or directs the browser to the MLS listing.

T-shirts are now being made with custom codes linking to a person's Facebook site. Simply walk up, grab a scan, and you've got a new 'friend'.

You're travelling in a foreign country and don't speak the language. On a billboard or display are codes which will bring up the same display in your native language.

Accuprint has developed the means to mass create unique QR codes for variable data direct mail applications. Coupled with a personalized URL (i.e., JoeSmith.XYZCompany.com) we could also print a unique barcode as well. When the respondant, Joe Smith, gets the direct mail piece, they simply scan the code with their phone and would immediately jump to their own unique landing page in their mobile browser to continue the integrated campaign process. Another powerful "touch" in a multi-channel marketing campaign to boost results and increase ROI.

I have to admit that once something like this seeps into my brain, it swirls and swirls around in there igniting a firestorm of thoughts and ideas on application. It truly is only limited by creativity. Think on it a bit and you'll start to uncover the marketing power of this little code for your own social or business objectives.