Pat: I totally agree that there are some great examples and success stories out there regarding statement-based marketing and TransPromo. However, when I think about the bills and statements that I personally get, I don’t see a lot of this going on. For example, I get bills and statements from Citizens Bank, Bank of America, Comcast, National Grid, Nstar, and AT&T Wireless every month. Those are all fairly large companies that send bills and statements to a very large group of people. While there is some promotional messaging directly on some pieces, it’s usually not very compelling nor convincing and most promotion still comes from inserts. While it may be particularly hard in the financial services sector this year to make some of these changes, I feel that when one of these large companies starts doing full-fledged TransPromo, that will bring a much greater understanding and acceptance of the concept to other companies and recipients. Hopefully we will see this in 2009.

Roger: Good point to bring up. I don’t think we really have much information on the effectiveness of TransPromo in business-to-business transactions. This may be something that Internet-based print companies (VistaPrint, PrintingForLess, etc) already do. I’ve seen other general Internet retailers put promotional messaging/offers on the invoices or receipts they send with what I’ve ordered. Ultimately, I think it depends on what type of relationship you have with your clients. If you have a Web storefront set-up for a specific client, you’re most likely selling directly to the person who purchased their own business card or brochure. It may be effective to promote other print-related services that you offer, as well as discounts/coupon codes through storefront orders. If you do attempt something like this, let us know how it works out!

Great piece. Remember, though, that in some places Trans Met Promo some time ago – sometimes under the disguise of projects called Statement-based Marketing, and sometimes under the disguise of on-statement messaging. And, for many companies around the world (sadly more outside the US than inside the US) the use of the monthly/quarterly statement or billing advice as a fully functioning member of the marketing tool is “situation normal” and producing results.

This week PODI awards the first TransPromo Best Practices award to ING Direct, who demonstrated the clear value. They join companies like Virgin Money, DigiPlus, Juventus, Debenhams, and others around the world who have clear ROI.

Because it is transaction work, it is much harder for many of the companies that are successful to share their results. The indicator I use? Are they still doing it after the first pilot is completed. The answer is a resounding Yes! The techniques hold up and you can take baby steps!