From June to November Xplor hosted 10 XDU On the Road meetings and the topic of Transpromo and multi-media marketing encompassed the discussions.

At a couple meetings we had comments from people that “they were tired of hearing the word Transpromo”. When challenged to come up with a better word, the banter was interesting and fun but the conclusion was “Transpromo” was the best description.
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Whether you’ve been testing multi-channel marketing or are onto your 50th project, you always want to generate the highest responses you can get. If you’re considering including outbound tele-marketing to confirm data accuracy prior to mailing a printed control, then sampling the data also gives you an opportunity to collect additional data both on the company and the prospect. All new data captured during this phase should be considered as part of the creative criteria when developing segmented mail drops and other contact points.

Another tactic is to parse your data for gender specific mailing drops. This requires manipulating the data for universal count breakdown to determine value of prospects by gender. The creative development portion should include variations of the print (and all derivatives) to include theme, color, illustrations and if possible, physical shape.

Here’s why.
Everybody responds to images that are familiar and it’s easier to imbed your message when the prospect likes what they see and have opened up paths to their frontal cortexes to you. I know, that really sounds insidious, but essentially, if your message does not get there, then you’re not getting the R.O.I. you deserve.
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Last week WhatTheyThink presented a Webinar with MindFireInc titled Does personalization really work? Statistically sound research and live use cases tell the story (Streaming Archive). The Webinar provided an overview of a study conducted by Marnie Brow, Ph.D. on response rates personalized cross-media marketing campaigns.

The study compared response rates of more than 650 real-life personalized cross-media campaigns, with data from DMA and PODi to statistically demonstrate the uplift that can be gained from relevant, personalized communications.

You can download the study free of charge from MindFireInc.

The PODi AppForum is this week (January 25th-27th). WhatTheyThink is there shooting interviews:

PODi President Rab Govil on the AppForum Conference in Las Vegas

Dave Erlandson of Caslon on Day 1 of PODi

Canon’s $1.1 billion bid for Oce NV may be in jeopardy after Hermes Focus Asset Management Ltd said in an open letter to to the Boards of Canon and Océ (PDF) that it’s “concerned that the offer terms do not represent a fair sharing of value between the shareholders of Canon and those of Océ” and they “won’t tender their shares.”

Bloomberg reports investors feel the Canon’s offer is too low:

Orbis Funds, with about 10 percent of Oce, in November rejected Canon’s bid. Investor group VEB, which represented 211 shareholders with about 0.003 percent of Oce at its last shareholders meeting, judged the bid too low.

Canon announced its plan to buy Oce in November for about $1.1 billion in cash. A premium of 70% over the closing share price of Friday 13 November 2009.

The Espresso Book Machine which we have written about on Digital Nirvana made news this week when Xerox announced a joint sales and marketing agreement with On Demand Books:

Yesterday, Xerox announced a joint sales and marketing agreement with On Demand Books wherein the Xerox 4112 Copier/Printer will be integrated with the Espresso Book Machine – a fully integrated solution that prints, binds and trims books with full color covers on demand in retail locations and libraries. The Espresso Book Machine can produce paperbacks in variable combinations of trim sizes between 4.5″ x 5.0″ and 8.25″ x 10.5″ for a production cost less than one cent per page and can produce a 300 page book in about 4 minutes.

If you watch this video released last September by Google you will notice the EBM has the Xerox 4112 print engine.

While the Espresso Book Machine has the potential to be a game changer, one Australian bookstore has taken the machine off its store floor to make room for traditional book merchandise. Print21 reports the EBM at Angus & Robertson in Melbourne, Australia failed to engage customers:

Patrick Gaskin, business development director at RedGroup Retail said that the decision to take the machine out of the store was due to logistics. “Space is at a premium in that store so the EBM was removed to make room for Christmas trade,” he said.

Staff from the Bourke Street store said that the machine had been moved to a warehouse. Currently, there is no option for anyone wanting to purchase or print any of the 100-plus books previously offered by Angus & Robertson.

Print21 cites low print and finishing quality of a sample they had printed at the Angus & Robertson:

The quality of the books printed, however, was disappointing. After paying $30 for one title, Print21 received a book with a chipped spine, off-centre titles and text that was almost too faint to read. A problem with the EBM also meant that the book had to be printed twice.

The EBM was originally configured with a lower end machine from Kyocera when it first came on the market.

Courier Corporation, a leading book manufacturer and specialty publisher announced that it has acquired Highcrest Media, a provider of software and solutions that streamline the production of customized textbooks for use in colleges, universities and businesses.

“College professors around the country are flocking to this new technology,” said Courier Chairman and Chief Executive Officer James F. Conway III. “Using Highcrest’s software, they can create a textbook that contains only the information they want to teach from–eliminating waste and reducing costs. By bringing Highcrest Media to Courier, we are placing ourselves at the forefront of this trend as a strategic resource for a key customer base. Highcrest’s expertise fits perfectly into our vision and portfolio.”

In an article at WhatTheyThink Andy Tribute writes that the world of publishing has hardly been impacted by developments in digital printing. Almost all the developments have been aimed at short-run commercial printing, variable data printing, and web to print operations. It would appear that this year will see the start of a change as book publishers look to digital printing to change their business models to reduce their capital tied up in inventory. In the article Tribute asks “Is 2010 the Year for Digital Printing for Publishers?”

The biggest impact digital printing has brought to publishing is the ability to support mass customization of printed products. A lack of workflow applications has hindered the ability of print providers to offer mass customization to publishing clients. The Courier acquisition is a perfect example of a need to provide workflow to drive mass customization and digital printing applications.

Learn how to wield data
The days of static messages being mass mailed to untested lists are rapidly coming to a close. The mass communications theories of the 60’s are being replaced with the personalization technology of the 21st Century. Savvy marketers are enjoying the benefits of parsing data to version messages and illustrative materials for these segmented prospects. This clever tactic insures that the right person now gets the best pitch with the right offers, in a specific time whether in print or on-line. It requires that data is collected, cleaned, massaged and deployed.
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EDSF volunteer Dan Adler, president and founder of DA Digital, has been a leader in the global digital printing and direct marketing industry for over 20 years. He is an entrepreneur who has built profitable service businesses based on the intersection of digital hardware and laser technology, software (many generations and applications), direct marketing response requirements and the increased use of versioning and personalized communication in all media.

Twenty years ago, he implemented the first PC-based high-speed laser printing production application with variable data. At that time, he designed and created direct mail laser printing campaigns for several real estate giants including Coldwell Banker, Century 21 and ERA. These campaigns became replicable international industry standards. In the late 80s, Adler delivered comprehensive hardware and software testing on next generation digital printing devices for Xerox Corporation.
In 1991, Adlerco-founded Lexinet, a direct mail production company specializing in unique and profitable digital print production utilizing Web ordering and online design. He created one of the first true 4-color variable print direct mail applications. He also implemented advanced web applications supporting digital color printing and continues to push the limits of technology to deliver effective, profitable results.
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If you had to answer the question, “What are the best practices in 1:1 printing?” what would you say? I have to answer this question every three or four months when I update “1:1 (Personalized) Printing: Boosting Profits Through Relevance,” a primer and educational tool for printers and their sales teams.

This time around (December 2009 update), I made some significant additions and expansions.

QR codes: I added QR codes into the list of channels and media strategies that should be incorporated into 1:1 campaigns. Not that every campaign should have one, of course. It depends on the target audience. Especially for clients targeting 15- to 35-year-olds and the mobile professional culture, QR codes should absolutely be in the mix.

Expanded focus on multiple media: Increasingly, successful 1:1 campaigns do not work alone. They are working in tight integration with other media, using the same branding, messaging, and business rules. A campaign might use email to promote an upcoming print offer, for example. Then it might use email or SMS text messaging to nudge non-responders or confirm registrations, orders, or other actions the respondent might have taken.

Use of multiple response mechanisms: Too often, marketers provide only a single response mechanism for their offers. Yet, case studies increasingly prove out that having a mix of response mechanisms (print, general URL, phone, personalized URL) can increase response. You have to allow people to respond using the media with which they are the most comfortable.

If you look carefully at the recent case studies, you’ll see what I’m talking about. It’s neat when you see this stuff actually being implemented — and it works!