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Questions and Answers

Q: We are a very small shop. Please explain the importance (pros/cons) of having mailing services in house vs. a strategic partnership with a mailing house.  Are there particular incentives (i.e. discount/special deals, coupons, labels, etc.) that work especially well in campaigns

A: Stefan Agustsson : Having internal mail experts and capabilities is of extreme importance. If you want to use variable data in a direct mail campaign, you really need to have the mail processing capabilities in house. All the CASS, NCOA and presort are done internally. We work closely with a local letter shop when/if we need the extra capacity for finishing only.

MJ Anderson: I think the main reasons are control and speed to mail. However we do use outside help from time to time when volume and deadlines require.

Patrick Kehoe : The important thing is to have strong design, data analysis, composition, and production capabilities. In terms of incentives, any incentive that appeals to a consumer's greed will work well 

Q: "Differentiation" in the mail pieces was mentioned. Can that be elaborated on? What makes something "different"?

A: Stefan Agustsson: Differentiation of the mail piece is to help set yours out from the crowd. Size, color, paper make a difference, but the design and creative approach to using variable data really help to set your piece out from the crowd.

MJ Anderson: This is entirely dependent on a client’s business model and situation. That said, we do find that rebates work great as well as % off of purchase. The bigger the % the higher the response. We also are fans of “buy this and get this for free” or “You bought this, wouldn’t it be great to have one of these as well?” McDonalds calls that “Would you like fries with that”?

Patrick Kehoe : Differentiation is anything that causes the consumer to open the document and respond.  This could be unique sizes, color, shape, etc. 

Q: In talking about using b/w imprint over preprinted shell, it was mentioned that full color was not critical.  Did that refer to the color config of the preprinted shell, or the VD overprint?

A: Stefan Agustsson: We use black overprint of offset shells when cost becomes a concern for a client. They can still gain a small increase in response rate from personalization done in black, but most of our customers gravitate towards full color variable due to the dramatic increase in response rate.

MJ Anderson: Something that is unexpected. Like seeing someone’s name or image integrated into the four-color message. We find many people hold onto these pieces because they have their name on them. Also, creative which leverages the technology in a new way. To see an example of this go to the Adobe Web site, Search on Trekk, look for the gallery sample called West Marine. Here we are writing the customer name in sand; it is a creative hook or grabber that forces the user to stop and take notice.

Patrick Kehoe : The impact of color can be often achieved for a much lower price by using preprinted shells with full color or even spot color and printing the variable data in black.  While you could use variable data high-light color or full color on a pre-printed shell, it typically wouldn't make sense as you are not avoiding the higher cost of digital color.

Q: For Lason, what kind of equipment do you utilize for highlight color?

A: Lason is using OCE 9220 and Xerox DP1xxHC Highlight color printers.

This free event is made possible by Exstream Software, Eastman Kodak , and Printable

About Exstream

Headquartered in Lexington, KY, Exstream Software helps businesses around the world connect with their customers through higher quality, fully personalized customer communications delivered by mail, email and the Internet. Companies in the financial services, insurance, service bureau, telecommunications, utilities and other industries benefit from as much as 85 percent faster time to market, up to 80 percent reduced costs and increased revenue through improved customer retention.

For more information about Exstream Software and its market-leading Dialogue and AFP Studio technology, visit www.exstream.com, or contact Exstream at 859-296-0600 or info@exstream.com.

About Kodak

Kodak is the leader in helping people take, share, print and view images –for memories, for information, for business, and for entertainment. With sales of $13.5 billion in 2004, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on four businesses: Digital & Film Imaging Systems – providing consumers, professionals and cinematographers with digital and traditional products and services; Health – supplying the medical and dental professions with traditional and digital imaging and information systems, IT solutions and services; Graphic Communications – providing customers with a range of solutions for prepress, traditional and digital printing, and document scanning and multi-vendor IT services; and Display & Components – supplying original equipment manufacturers with imaging sensors as well as intellectual property and materials for the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) and LCD display industries. More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at www.kodak.com..

About Printable Technologies

Printable Technologies is a world leader in providing Web-to-Print and Variable Data Printing (VDP) Solutions to commercial and digital print service providers, ad agencies and direct marketing companies, and the enterprises using their services. The Printable System delivers real-time integrated business communications applications, online ordering and e-commerce, versioned and variable documents, job submission, and file transfer; and easily integrates with ERP, content management, accounting and shop floor management applications, as well as major digital production workflows. For more information, visit www.printable.com.