When we send out marketing, we have a specific goal in mind. We want customers to stay customers and non-customers to convert. We want recipients to recognize our brand.
Sometime before the holidays, I received two boxes in the mail. One was from a vendor whose goal was to form a business relationship, the other from a company with which we are already doing business. Both types of communications are equally important—nurturing prospects to turn them into customers, and keeping current customers as loyal customers.
Here’s something to consider when designing your marketing mailings: Put yourself in the place of your recipients. If you received your own package or mailer, how do you think you would react to it? Read More »
I have to say, this is a clever idea. As a campaign to promote the ad agency Rapp, and their new name/image, Rapp sent out this interesting piece which consisted of a “box” which contained a button. That button, once you pushed it down, rubber stamped the recipient’s name onto the top of the letter. Oh, wait, I didn’t tell you… The “box” unfolds into a letter, which expresses their desire for their clients to be “personally involved” with the image. The reason that I am writing a blog post about this, is that it’s clever, but I think it could have been more clever in the right context. This campaign made no mention of the topic of personalization and variable data… but it should have.
Imagine how effective this campaign would have been if the goal was to explain the idea of personalization (and variable data) and how “it doesn’t have to be this hard”. It probably cost a bundle per piece especially with creating rubber stamps with all the recipients’ names on them, but could get across the notion that if a company is not tailoring their letters, direct mail, or any one -to-one printed collateral – as well as emails – that they really haven’t opened their eyes as to how easy it is to implement this type of communication. Looking at QuantumDigital’s platform, we make basic “address field” personalization available to all customers as part of our normal cost of doing business, but more advanced technology (right now you have to call in to request this) would create a personalized mailing which recognizes a recipients’ lifestyle, ethnic group – or maybe just their name in different places on the piece – has been setup for clients in the past.
So in essence, this is a great piece and concept, but has it’s limits because of the high cost per piece and the limited novelty factor. But if you’re in love with rubber stamps with every mailing, I’m not going to stop you
I have to say, this is a clever idea. As a campaign to promote the ad agency Rapp, and their new name/image, Rapp sent out this interesting piece which consisted of a “box” which contained a button. That button, once you pushed it down, rubber stamped the recipient’s name onto the top of the letter. Oh, wait, I didn’t tell you… The “box” unfolds into a letter, which expresses their desire for their clients to be “personally involved” with the image. The reason that I am writing a blog post about this, is that it’s clever, but I think it could have been more clever in the right context. This campaign made no mention of the topic of personalization and variable data… but it should have.
Imagine how effective this campaign would have been if the goal was to explain the idea of personalization (and variable data) and how “it doesn’t have to be this hard”. It probably cost a bundle per piece especially with creating rubber stamps with all the recipients’ names on them, but could get across the notion that if a company is not tailoring their letters, direct mail, or any one -to-one printed collateral – as well as emails – that they really haven’t opened their eyes as to how easy it is to implement this type of communication. Looking at QuantumDigital’s platform, we make basic “address field” personalization available to all customers as part of our normal cost of doing business, but more advanced technology (right now you have to call in to request this) would create a personalized mailing which recognizes a recipients’ lifestyle, ethnic group – or maybe just their name in different places on the piece – has been setup for clients in the past.
So in essence, this is a great piece and concept, but has it’s limits because of the high cost per piece and the limited novelty factor. But if you’re in love with rubber stamps with every mailing, I’m not going to stop you
The cards, at their best, can deliver maximum impact for minimum dollars. Don’t let high concept and high design get in the way of a big, timely, and competitive offer complemented by an even bigger call to action. The latest carpet-bombing from Comcast, however, wanders from the proven formula.
It would be one thing if the postcards were well executed—each design element carefully sized and positioned to complement the “widescreen” aspect ratio of the medium (proper use of white space… think billboard advertising, like the once-hilarious-but-now-passé Chick-fil-A cows; you know, the ones whut can’t speel gud)—but, sadly the Comcast postcard falls short in that area:
Unfortunately, one side of the postcard is littered with small, random stock images of people watching TV. While blurry cooking shows (so much for HD) and gigantic kittens seem to be captivating entertainment for some customers, another Comcast couple is content to sit and watch nothing at all. A rhyming headline and some weak, convoluted copy try to make sense of all the imagery.
If you’re inclined to try out the panoramic postcard format for your next mailing, we can get you set up right away. But remember this: once you grab people’s attention, you’d better have something relevant, timely and compelling to say and/or show. And finally, for pixel’s sake, always use high-resolution images!
(I’m back on ROCKSTAR Juiced today. It’s just so darn tasty!)
