The World In 2010 (a digression for the moment)

This is a heavy one. Pardon me while I digress for the moment and not discuss commercial printing/business/marketing, but instead, something that undoubtedly effects us all...

I was inspired to blog, after recently reading an article on “sustainability”. Sustainability, as most first-world societies think of it, refers to preserving our environment and natural resources so that we don’t irreversibly destroy the Earth in which we live upon. As an advocate for living an eco-sustainable life-style, I truly appreciate discussing and voicing my opinion on this topic.

Eight years ago, I introduced myself to eco-sustainability during my studies in college. I entered an introductory environmental conservation class as an elective, thinking that it would be a gravy-train to an easy “A”. Raised in a suburban, middle-class, conservative right-wing house-hold, I had never truly encountered the macro-appreciation of our planet’s resources. During this class, we had many open-discussion forums, in which the class quickly realized that I was a right-wing “wolf in sheep-skin”.

During this time, the Kyoto Protocol had become a key environmental conservation issue. The Kyoto Protocol is a treaty proposed by the United Nations that asked major economically developed countries to reduce their carbon emissions, to regulate climate change (i.e. Global Warming). As a business and marketing student, I adamantly argued to the class that although I was in favor of reducing emissions, this would cripple our economy; an argument that many U.S. political leaders still support. While my studies in this course didn’t make me an environmental-steward overnight, they left a lasting impression that has given me a unique perspective on what it truly means to me to live and hopefully encourage others to live, a conservative life.

Eight years later, I find that sustainability caries an even greater poignancy in our society. With some of the world’s largest companies at their knees, with a real-estate and mortgage industry crippled, with an auto-industry that is beyond repair, and with financial markets, currencies, and a world-economy that is nearing The Breaking Point, sustainability seems to be a valuable principle in the business world. Let’s face it, the web of domestic industries and international markets are so tightly intertwined, that if one of the “pillars” of our economy begins to crumble, the entire “roof” can cave in; as was the cause of our current economic climate: the mortgage industry.

We (society) mindlessly over-consumed. We over-sold mortgages to borrowers who couldn’t pay them back; we over-compensated executives who were required to beat performance goals, regardless of how they accomplished it; we promised share-holders to beat profits and grow our companies, regardless of the cause-and-effect; we over-produced, growing our manufacturing capacity to meet the peaks of demand (peaks that will very likely, never be met again); and now, we have over-extended our credit, writing trillion-dollar stimulus bills backed by overseas bonds and by printing currency backed by nothing, which will in turn lead to SERIOUS inflation (in 8 to 12 months, when our income remains the same, and inflation causes the market prices to grow by 20 to 40 percent, we won’t be able to purchase what we used to with our dollar).

Sustainability, as defined by Webster’s Dictionary is, “relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged”. We, economically developed societies, now have dual responsibilities: make business and personal decisions that encourage economic AND environmental sustainability. If we do not, we will eternally punish ourselves, the millions of plant and animal species who lived peacefully for millions of years prior to human-kind, and our generations to come, by irreparably destroying our most important resources: our Constitution, our values and our principles that America's forefathers founded our country upon, our free-market economy, and our entire planet’s fragile eco-system.

Marketing Execs: The Proof Is In the Numbers!

I just read a great article on the challenges marketing executives face in this recession. The article was based upon the theory that when corporations are looking at ways to downsize upper-management/C-level marketing executives, they primarily look to apportion value of an employee by the quantifiable results that they have established. For COO’s this may be something like: “I introduced lean-manufacturing techniques which resulted in a labor cost reduction of 5%”. For marketing execs, addressing how revenues are a direct correlation to their marketing efforts is a bit more difficult. And let’s face it, although radio, television, and out-of-home advertising are key components of the marketing-mix, the lack of trackability is a hindrance. Additionally, these marketing-mediums leave little room to further target a market.

Again, I’m not disparaging the other mediums; advertising experts claim that a multi-channel marketing effort, or the combination of numerous marketing mediums, is the most effective approach. However, when given the opportunity, commercial print can be a crucial way to track ROI and drive a more targeted message to your customers. Wanna’ know how?

Here are a few ways…

Campaign Type: Version direct-mail to broad demographics
Definition: Gang-run versions of your direct-mail to communicate messages that are relevant to broad demographics (e.g. geography, gender, age-generation, etc).
For Example: Consumers in the northeast make purchase-decisions far differently than those in the southwest, at a bare-minimum, is your direct-mail message relevant to that need?
How To Do It: Sort your target mail list by broad demographic. Print different versions on the same sheet or if necessary, make plate changes.
Trackability: Can track response rates of particular demographics.

Campaign Type: Version direct-mail with project-specific call-to-action response mediums
Definition: Utilize project-specific phone-numbers, URLs, promo codes, etc., to track specific direct-mail pieces.
For Example: You’re excited about a direct-mail concept that your team developed, that you feel is going to drive a 12% response rate. Track it with a phone-number or URL specific to this direct-mailer. Or track various versions of a direct-mail piece with a handful of different phone-numbers.
How To Do It: Create specific mediums that you want to drive responses to. For a variety of mediums (e.g. phone-numbers), utilize black plate changes to maintain low cost.
Trackability: Can track specific direct-mail pieces / designs / versions / etc.

Campaign Type: Targeted inserts
Definition: Magazine or newspaper inserts that are versioned specific to the demographics of the particular newspaper or magazine.
For Example: You’re a women’s bath and body retailer and you’d like to pursue your broad target demographic, which is: women ages 30 – 55. This market is then further divided into smaller key demos: 1.) Women who are stay-at-home moms, 2.) Women who are “white-collar” employees, 3.) Women who are “blue-collar” employees. You version your inserts specific to publications that key to these demographics.
How To Do It: Choose publications that fulfill your key markets. Apportion your versioning requirements to circulation volumes. Use this ratio to gang-run on the same sheet.
Trackability: Can track specific demographics, based upon publications’ proven demographics.

Campaign Type: 1-to-1, four-color versioning (catalogs)
Definition: Utilize consumer-specific information to drive higher response-rates through individualized call-to action. 1-to-1 variable 4-color has shown to create 10 times a higher response than normal response rates!
For Example: You’re a odd-gifts cataloger and you know that Joe Schmoe frequently buys products in “Category G” which is sports memorabilia. On the cover of the catalog, in full-color, it says, “HEY JOE SCHMOE, WE JUST ADDED NEW SPORTS MEMORABILIA ON PAGE 22”.
How To Do It: Work the data in your mail-list to include variables that can be used to call each customer to action and groom the mail list extensively. With some experience pre-press work, the cover is printed via 4-color digital and married to offset printed text. This combination produces most efficient print-cost.
Trackability: Can track increase in ROI and repeat purchases.

Would you like more ideas or specifics on how to accomplish similar concepts? Ask me to consult with you during the concept stages of your next marketing campaign! In this day in age, a good print-partner combines an expertise in marketing and branding and how to excute marketing concepts with an extensive knowledge in print technology and print-production.

Driving the Most ROI, Value, and Shelf-Life Out of Your Marketing

If you’re like me, you watch Fox News every morning with the same anticipation as preparing for the "big scare" in an M Night Shyamalan film. With multi-national corporations’ stock prices at all-time lows, there’s no question that everyone has been affected by this economy in some way. For consumers and businesses alike, the ultimate goal has been to drive the most value out of their budget. For businesses, that means driving the most ROI from their marketing spend. And while I am an advocate for a multi-channel approach to marketing, there can't be enough said for the ROI (and stability) of print. Here are some DMA study results from www.PrintInTheMix.rit.edu, that will help address your concerns.

-Close to 40% of consumers surveyed have tried a new business for the first time because of information received via direct mail.

-Nearly 70% report renewing a relationship with a business after a period of time because they received a direct mailing or promotional item.

-Here are average ROI figures; for every $1 spent, the dollars in ROI are.
Direct Mail (Non-Catalog)
2003 - $15.50
2007 - $15.58
2008 - $15.55
2009 (projected) - $15.50
2013 (projected) - $15.66

Direct Mail (Catalog)
2003 - $7.12
2007 - $7.23
2008 - $7.28
2009 (projected) - $7.25
2013 (projected) - $7.29