Highlights record breaking results of One-to-One Marketing

• Dramatic increase in response rate of approximately 4X an average direct mail campaign
• Very quick response — majority of customers responded in just days
• 30% use of the personalized URL (PURL) to respond to the campaign
• Spawned a viral marketing campaign on the Internet due to the fun aspect of the personalized T-shirt
• Based on the success of the Hello campaign, the USPS launched a second campaign promoting “Results-driven marketing in a Down Economy” – which highlights how One-To-One marketing can drive significant response rates and sales even in a tough economic environment.
• Leverages Purl technology (Personalized URL)

Objective: To deliver a One-to-One Marketing campaign that demonstrates the benefits of Variable Data Printing to boost direct mail impact and results

Description:

• Campaign was introduced via print advertising and a direct mail campaign
• Highlights how businesses can leverage customer and prospecting databases via Variable Data Printing (VDP)
• Drive dramatic increases in awareness, response rates, trial and sales.
• The direct mail campaign provided two response mechanisms – traditional mail reply card and an instantly interactive PURL (Personal URL)
• PURL customers were directed to their own personal web page where they responded to a series of questions on how they conduct their marketing campaigns.
• Finally they responded to the fun questions to receive their own personalized T-shirt
  

The first mailing day where we can take advantage the QR code discount being offered by the USPS.  All of the details are here.

You have until August 31st to take advantage of the discount, we are here to help if you have any questions.

We also have a two part blog post with recommendations and some best practices – Part 1 and Part 2.

Part of the foundation of great printing of all types is attention to process control and as an adjunct to this, the use of color management techniques.  The objective is to provide consistent brand integrity regardless of the output whether it be a 1:1 Variable Data driven marketing piece that is printed digitally on the HP Indigo, a web offset printed magazine insert, or large format graphics for both out-of-home and visual-merchandising.  Below is our top 10 list which we use to create what we believe is the best cross-process color management platform in the country.

1. Underlying Color science: Our main emphasis or methodology is to calibrate our press or proofing system based on spectrophotometry (colorimetric data) for gray balance instead of traditional densitometric (dot gain/TVI) methods. More simply put, we make our main judgments based on the appearance of gray as opposed to mainly density and dot gain.

2. Our fundamental approach respects ISO standards, which are the foundation of both GRACoL  (North American Standard) and the ECI (European Color Initiative). This awareness is important for consistent global branding.

3. Sandy Alexander prints with as much ink as we can reliably transfer to paper rather than just hitting goal densities. This is possible because we respect a fixed highlight to midtone contrast range. This highlight to midtone contrast is specified by G7 and measured by Brunner as well.

4. We have profiled (and continue to profile) uncoated paper ­ press ­ ink combinations. We have a “library” of these profiles. These profiles allow us to simulate (with great accuracy) our press with our proofing systems.

5. These same profiles provide us with a method for cutting back the files for the job to address conditions. Therefore, we are able to adjust our files to be reproduced on uncoated paper as if it were a good-coated sheet. This is being done colorimetrically, not just with cut back curves.

6. Related to the ‘profiling’ concept, we happily work with rgb files, and convert them to cmyk, not with a standard default conversion, but rather with a conversion specific to the paper ­ ink ­ press combination. This often allows us to reproduce more of the gamut that was in the rgb original.

7. We pay much more attention to the black printer than is typical. Because we know that black strengthens the appearance of the dark colors in images, we greatly value and control gcr on a project specific basis (through profiles). We also use gcr in our concern for gray balance and maintaining neutrals. Again, this is unusual. Most printers simply use a standard conversion for most everything.

8. Screening: ­ While we did not invent the halftone screening that we use, we have spent a great deal of time optimizing the selection. One of the main reasons we have chosen the brand of prepress equipment we use is due to the quality and options of screening available. Great care is taken selecting the type of screening (Paragon, Concentric, Organic) and ruling. Most shops run the same screening for most everything they print.

9. Proofing: ­ Our prepress proofing is colorimetrically controlled (profiles, not just curves). We also show proofs (in many cases) on the actual stock using the identical screening and resolution as is on the plate (when FinalProof is used). We also offer the lower cost alternative of inkjet. Many printers today use inkjet exclusively.

10. NONE OF THE ITEMS LISTED ABOVE WORK SUFFICIENTLY WITHOUT PROCESS CONTROL. We are steadfast in our dedication to maintaining proper calibration of equipment. Consistency is only achievable with process control.

Challenge 2: Creating a great consumer experience.

The principal is simple – if you are going to ask someone to pull out their phone, launch an app, and then take a photo of a code you better give them Something Special.  The Something Special could be a cool video using a standard player that all smartphones can play… I recommend posting it on YouTube.  The Something Special could be a game or a discount/coupon or additional content that can only be accessed through the code.  If you simply send them to a product page, or you just regurgitate information on the printed sign/advertisement, all you’re doing is hurting your chance of getting them to engage again in the future via a code – whether it be a QR code / MSTag / SnapTag / TagOfTheFutureThatIJustMadeUp.  The other thing I implore my fellow marketers to do is please think about making it a great experience, otherwise, you may be ruining it for the rest of us.

I have seen QR codes that just take people to a company’s home page.  I have seen codes that ask survey questions but don’t offer anything to the user in return like a gift, discount, or interesting experience.  And I have seen QR codes where they should never be – and yes this is a usability discussion.  In Cincinnati, OH I have seen a billboard along I-71 with a QR code… I have only seen it briefly, but I have glimpsed it over and over… why have I never checked it out on my smart phone?  I have never been moving at less than 65 miles per hour as I zoomed past it.

The best marketers always know how to think like their target audience, and how to live the experience before it ever enters the marketplace.  The conception and creative phase of developing a campaign is all about thinking like the consumer to drive behavior and pique interest.  If you choose a tag format based on self-serving motivations like  better analytics or a prettier look, you’re not thinking about your consumer.  If you choose to slap a QR code on every piece of marketing without thinking about its destination or use then you’re failing your company, your consumer, and the rest of us.  Lets think carefully and focus on creating experiences for the consumer that allow us to leverage this technology in a way that is exciting, engaging, and useful for everyone.  If we don’t use them correctly and innovatively then the consumer will stop engaging with them.

Below are some links to some interesting examples of QR codes from a creative or usage standpoint.

Calvin Klein – Get Uncensored – Calvin Klein X Campaign
QR Code on a real estate listing
QR Code at Macys to extend the retail experience
Great Creative Execution  – HBO True Blood Season 3 Video Preview

QR Code

2D Barcodes – also called QR Codes, MS Tags, Snap Tags – are all visual codes that encourage a consumer to span the divide between print and the digital world.  Sounds great doesn’t it?  In the right hands, and applied correctly, they are a good supplement to a sound marketing strategy, but there are a couple of challenges.

Challenge 1:  Standards – do you have the app?  The idea of placing these codes on out-of-home marketing, labels, advertisements, and in-store marketing is to allow someone to quickly access deeper or more engaging content with a few simple taps on their phone.  The problem is that each new type of code developed requires a unique code reader. This requires consumers to add another, arguably redundant, app to their smartphone.  Eventually, with the emergence of so many types of codes the consumer is going to refuse to deal with the hassle of downloading a new one if they want to act on a marketing message.

Several years ago, when I first began discussing the applicability of these codes with clients, I remember sitting in the conference room of a major magazine publisher along with the CEO of a large American printing company and several publishing executives.  We were discussing how QR codes would change print advertising.  My first thought was Cue Cat (an unmitigated but entertaining disaster you can read about here).  My second thought was the app hurdle – if you have to download a reader then you start limiting your audience immediately.  The CEO at the meeting talked about the widespread adoption and use of these tools in Asia, especially Korea and Japan.  I did some independent research and he was right – the adoption of the 2D barcode was widespread in both advertising and commerce.  The reader apps were being preloaded onto phones and usage of it was wide spread…. Notice I say it, not them.  Everyone, consumers, marketers and phone companies, were using a single type of code—the 2D barcode developed by Toyota subsidiary Denso-wave.  It was developed in the early 90’s as an industrial standard and is free of any license.  It has been used in the US and around the world since its development for inventory control, direct mail matching, and other manufacturing usage. This standardized 2D barcode is the one we refer to as a QR code.

It’s an elegant solution. A non-licensed, standard QR/2D barcode that can be read by many, many free or inexpensive apps, some of which come pre-loaded on new phones. Different readers perform differently—the NeoReader, for example, reads the alphanumeric information and tries to immediately launch a browser and drive the user to a web page; the more sophisticated quiQR can identify the information as a contact, a url, an ics calendar file, etc.—but they all read the standard QR/2D code.

MS Tag

So wonderful … we have a standard that everyone should use right?  Well we did, but today we also have other formats in the marketplace, and many more being introduced that are somewhat proprietary.  MS Tags are a Microsoft product that requires the use of Microsoft’s Tag reader App to read these codes.  The code is based upon their development of the High Capacity Color Barcode (HCCB), a proprietary 2D Barcode that is like using a tinyURL to redirect the phone’s browser and provide better analytics than QR codes…(thank you Wikipedia).  Wait a minute…  did I just write that MS Tags provide better analytics, but all they do is send you to a web page?  Maybe I am misunderstanding this, but it sounds like the decision to use an MS tag instead of a QR code (a more widely accepted standard) is for the good of the marketer’s analytics not to create a better experience for the consumer.  Let me get on my soapbox for a second…  if the choice is between widespread effectiveness and consumer usability (because they have the app) and better analytics… I choose the former.

Louis Vuitton QR Code

The other argument I’ve heard when discussing this with a client using MS Tags was “they are prettier”.  You got that right folks – they are better looking and the creative group wants them.  I proceeded to show them this QR code from the lovely folks at Louis Vuitton Japan and you could here a pin drop.  Nothing like trumping a creative group’s ‘prettier’ objection with something that actually IS pretty (not just prettier).

Facebook Snap Tag

Another type of tag out there (also proprietary and requiring a separate reader) is the SnapTag by Spyderlynk .  The SnapTag has a lot of things going for it.  It not only looks great and allows you to incorporate your logo into the tag (which is something you can do with a QR Code – ie Louis Vuitton) but they have also developed a way that you can use it to “Like” something on Facebook. This “Like” functionality is great because it connects your print advertisement/signage with your social media strategy.  I love this concept, but again the hurdle is yet another app and no standard.  This puts a greater burden on the consumer.  If you are going to put a greater burden on the consumer by asking the consumer to voluntarily take an action at the moment they encounter a marketing message then it better be easy, it better be quick, and it better deliver an incredible experience.

Using a standardized 2D barcode, like the QR code that is widely accepted and already has apps living on countless phones, delivers on the requirement of easy and quick.  Imagine standing around on the street waiting for the app to download, so you can then hunt it down on your phone (which is already crowded with useful apps like Angry Birds), and then (finally) taking a picture of the code?   Imagine this experience.  You’re reading a magazine and you see instructions on downloading the app, and then start seeing the codes show up on the subsequent advertisements.  Are you going to put down your magazine, go to your computer, download the app, sync your phone, go back to the magazine and then start snapping away at the codes?  Maybe. But if you’re going to ask someone to do this the result has to be a great experience that makes the extra effort worth it.

Which leads us to challenge number 2…creating a great consumer experience. 

(to be continued…)

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THESE TERMS?
1-to-1, Variable Data Printing, Personalized URL, multi-channel marketing, personalized landing page, touchpoints, ROI, VDP, Purl, 1:1, convergence marketing, relevance based marketing….. Yes there are many more terms being thrown around in the industry these days, and both the terminology and the variety of terms can be mindblowing at first. In order to make sense of it all I think there are two terms that form the foundation of effective ROI focused marketing – convergent marketing and relevance based marketing. All of the terminology is in reference to the tools and mechanisms that we use to make this type of marketing work.

“Convergence Marketing” is a reference, a holistic approach to marketing that balances direct response “hard sell” tactics with long term brand identity, value and integrity. It
is driven by a coordinated approach that leverages both the broad brand based messaging in billboards, on television, as well as magazines and trade journals with the direct  response call to action models traditionally seen in direct mail. Richard Rosen has written a terrific book about the balance between these two worlds called Convergence Marketing. While Mr. Rosen focuses on creative and messaging, we take this concept further and use the term to include managing the multi-channel experience based upon timing and relevance. I will get to how relevance based marketing fits with convergence, but we need to define relevance based marketing first.

Relevance based marketing leverages all of the data you have about an individual to optimally target an offer that they care about at just the right time – in other words give people what they want when they want it. If you appeal to a consumer’s stated personal desires at the right time then you have given the recipient something of value and the term “junk mail” or “spam” evaporates.

To illustrate the antithesis of relevance based marketing I personally had a retailer who consistently would send me emails about specials on women’s clothes. I have purchased a lot of men’s casual clothing over the years in store and online, and I may have purchased a women’s sweater once as a holiday gift. Based upon that one purchase they kept sending me emails with offers and information about women’s clothing. Eventually I started to receive the emails on a daily basis. Finally the deluge of email I received was so great that I
unsubscribed. I felt annoyed because they disrespected to my time and inbox. This brand from whom I loyally purchased many items forced me to label their emails as junk.

Presently, I still receive men’s only catalogs but their entire digital strategy is not based upon relevance or customer needs it is based upon volume of emails and hopes for click-throughs. They devalued their brand and lost a communication channel by not being relevant – by not leveraging the data to offer me something of value. If the communication lacks relevance then it becomes junk regardless of the communication channel. Their email strategy was trying to use a sledgehammer to sculpt a masterpiece – their catalog strategy was a little better more like using a hammer, but relevance marketing is like a master sculptor with his chisels and rasps. The appropriate approach would have been to send only men’s emails and catalogs. I would even have welcomed the occasional women’s gift guide or suggestion via these channels but not on a daily basis.

So how do we bring together convergence and relevance marketing? Leverage data on hand and incent people to tell us what they want and when they want it using a variety of communication tools that support the brand identity and lead to direct action.

Here is an example of how it might be applied – Joan has been on three cruises with Starlight Luxury Cruises and has participated in a number of on board and shore excursions. Each of her cruises has occurred in April when the school where she teaches is on spring break.

The QR : The high density bar code : a Quick Response Code.
The PURL : JoePublic.SandyImagine.com : a Personalized URL.

Pictured on the front cover are two multichannel marketing tools: a QR and a PURL.

Both items are interactive multi-channel marketing tools that can dramatically increase the impact of your marketing campaign.

Multi-channel marketing is about reaching your customers at different times via different ways through a variety of  different media including: a retail store, website, direct mail catalog, TV, radio, One-to-One letter, e-mail, or SMS. “By 2012, 50% of customers will be using multiple channels for shopping and buying. ….businesses that effectively manage multi-channel marketing will gain customers who are 25-50% more profitable than single channel customers.” (Managing Multi-Channel marketing to Increase Customer Acquisition by Wade Sisson, PartnerCentric).

It is important to develop a multi-channel strategy based on your customer’s demographics and media usage. Developing and implementing a multichannels strategy will provide significant synergies and cross-channel benefits driving an increase in awareness, trial and sales. Further, research suggests that soon the majority of consumers in certain segments will be multi-channel shoppers (McKinsey Multi-channel Marketing).

At Sandy Alexander, we have the knowledge and capability to help you develop and implement a multi-channel campaign including, One-to-One direct mail, a BRC, text messaging, e-mail campaigns, QRs and PURLs among others. Additionally, we can coordinate the multi-channel timing and efforts so they converge on the consumer at the same time which further drives a call to action and ultimately a sale and a substantially higher ROI.

As stated by Wade Sisson, “Personalization is the key…. The effectiveness of messaging today is absolutely dependent on the level of personalization. The more personalized a
message, the more effective it will be in attracting and retaining the customers’
attention. By a ratio of 3:1, today’s customers prefer messages that are personalized
in this modern impersonalized world.” At Sandy Alexander, we have seen response rates of up to 40% on One-to-One Direct mail marketing campaigns.

MULTI-CHANNEL MARKETING TOOLS

There are a variety of multi-channels marketing tools, including One-to-One Variable data printing for customizing direct mail, where you can customize a multitude of imagery and information. This can be combined with other tools highlighted in this issue including: a QR, a PURL or combined with a BRC.

WHAT IS A QR (Quick Response) CODE?

joepublic.SandyImagine.com is a Personalized URL.

• High density bar-code
• Readable by cell phones and simple PC cams
• Consumers can quickly interact with the QR enabled document they see by pointing their camera at the QR symbol
• Recipient will be instantly connected to a QR-coded Web page without having to remember any information or type in any promotional codes
• Web page can be a coupon, a sales video, or a product promotion encoded with the specific recipient’s demographic profile