PRINTER news
Print in the Mix
The Power of Personalization: Impact of Individualized Content Delivery
In March 2008, the CMO Council surveyed top marketing executives for their insights into customized content, collateral and personalized Web interaction on marketing effectiveness, customer acquisition, retention and business outcomes. The survey population consisted of more than 700 senior executives—ranging from CEO, CMO, SVP and VP of marketing—from across technology, Internet, telecommunications, media, professional services, banking/finance, retail, consumer goods and manufacturing.
The promotional material/activity tested included personalized communications such as e-mail, personalized URLs (PURLs), digital advertising, direct mail, dimensional mailers, newsletters, transpromotional documents and more.
Top Line Results
Senior executives indicate that increasing customer retention and loyalty (39.4 percent), building ROI (37.4 percent), and improving response and close rates (36.9 percent) are the three top reasons driving personalization strategies.
Respondents rate personalization activities effectiveness as follows:
Individualized e-mails and letters — 55.2 percent
Targeted database marketing, leveraging personal profiles — 34.5 percent
Opt-in, permission-based marketing programs — 29.6 percent
Variable data printing — 21.0 percent
Print-on-demand collateral with personalized content — 17.6 percent
Personalized URLs (PURLs) — 15.9 percent
Transpromotional communications — 3.8 percent
The top three metrics that marketers report using to measure the success of personalization: conversion and close rates, e-mail opening and forwarding rates, and Website traffic and page views.
From the Study
Personalized marketing techniques are still in the early stages of being integrated into most companies’ marketing campaigns and budgets. While the need for quantifiable tools for gauging effectiveness and ROI exists, marketers are also lagging on adoption due to the lack of accurate and reliable customer data sources. However, the majority of marketers who have implemented strategic personalized marketing techniques have seen decidedly greater success over traditional mass marketing approaches.
To read the complete Print in the Mix research summary and additional print market research studies, go to www.printinthemix.rit.edu. Print in the Mix is a free and easily accessible clearinghouse of research on print media effectiveness, published by the Printing Industry Center at RIT and made possible by a grant from The Print Council (www.theprintcouncil.org).
PIA/GATF announced that William Delgado, instructor of the Graphic Imaging Technology program at Cuyahoga Valley Career Center, Brecksville, OH, has been named the educator recipient of its 2008 Education Awards of Excellence. With 31 years teaching printing and the graphic arts, Delgado was recognized for his many outstanding contributions as an educator in the industry, which includes helping found the Ohio Graphics Education and Training Initiative in 2006, wherein three of the state’s vocational programs were upgraded and printing and graphic arts courses were approved for articulated credit.
C. William “Wilbur” Schneidereith III has joined Rockville, MD-based Smith Litho as an account executive covering the Baltimore/Washington markets.
At Dallas-based Jay Kay Press, Jenny Dowdy has joined the company as a sales representative. Dowdy comes to Jay Kay Press from Crown Printing and Pacific Printing. The printer also reports that it has successfully begun operating its new UV coater that provides both flood coating and spot UV for either digital or offset printing.
To help the industry better understand the consolidation that is occurring, Compass Capital Partners has released a national survey that will help to determine the number of M&As, bankruptcies and shut-downs among smaller printing companies over the past five years. Users can visit www.comcapltd.com and respond to the survey by clicking on the “Survey” link.
The Printing Industries Association of San Diego (PIA/SD) has elected new officers. They are chairman, Chris Hamm, owner/president of Tabs Etc.; vice chairman, Greg Gould, owner/president of Eye/Comm; and secretary/treasurer, Frank Scorzelli, president of Specialist Printing & Direct Mail.
Greg Davis has rejoined the sales team at Baltimore-based Victor Graphics. He is now responsible for sales in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions.
At Smyth Companies, St. Paul, MN, Jim Lundquist has been promoted to president. Joining Smyth in 2005, Lund- quist was instrumental in selling Smyth’s Snap! (package division) to Tapemark.
Dayton, OH-based WorkflowOne has selected Kevin Kearns as the company’s new vice president of sales. He previously held positions at Huthwaite Inc. and Moore North America (now part of RR Donnelley).
Two additions have been announced at Rochester, NY-based Book One, a division of The Riverside Manufacturing Group. Fred Daubert has been tapped as president. Marc Bardeen has joined as operations manager.
At Print Art, Egg Harbor Township, NJ, Jamison McGibney has been promoted to estimating supervisor. Gregg Rolando has been hired as direct mail manager.
Inserts USA, Chicago, has named Bill Gibson vice president and general manager, responsible for operations at the company’s headquarters.
Bidisha Riccardi has joined Print Tech, Mountainside, NJ, as corporate account executive. Riccardi comes to Print Tech from Bowne Business Communications.
Jaime Capacete has joined King of Prussia, PA-based IBSDirect to head its sales team. He formerly served at National Envelope. PI
