ANA Data & Analytics Virtual Conference (jschmid.com)

We spend a good deal of our marketing efforts incenting customers to be loyal to us; to be our brand advocates. But doesn’t loyalty go both ways? Don’t we, in turn, need to demonstrate our commitment to our customers? It’s a two-way street, after all—a dialogue. One way to display your commitment—or loyalty—to your customers is to show them you know them: who they are, where they are, what they buy, and what they want. We all experience this kind of dialogue daily online: ads served up to us reflect our searches from 5 minutes ago; recommender engines tell us what else we’d like based on what is in our baskets. These days, it’s expected. Ubiquitous, almost. But what about in print? I’d posit that sending a targeted, relevant print mail piece audience conveys a more authentic investment to your customer. The real impact comes from using data and understanding your customers’ behavior. Variable data printing allows us to create powerful, relevant direct mail that speaks to individuals on a truly 1:1 basis. Personalization allows us to move beyond mass mailings and “spray-and-pray” direct mail. Instead, we can create messages and offers based on customers’ demographics, preferences, and histories… and show them we know them. Let’s revisit a few ways to consider showing your customers you know them in print. I’ve written about them before: they are the Three Ps. read more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/show-them-you-know-them/

Digital media is significantly expanding the opportunities for printed direct mail campaigns. NAPCO Research has launched a comprehensive report, Direct Mail and Digital Media: A Winning Omnichannel Marketing Combination, which explores the key drivers behind the increased effectiveness of direct mail, the methods through which digital media enhances its performance, and the fresh opportunities accessible to those in the direct mail printing industry. Evolution on many fronts has heightened the value of direct mail and strengthened opportunities for direct mail printers. Over 89% of direct mail users participating in a NAPCO Research survey currently integrate or plan to integrate digital media and direct mail. A top factor driving direct mail demand is the ability to boost its performance with digital media to create omnichannel campaigns.

Two Sides has written to the German retail group REWE about making misleading statements concerning the environmental impact of print communications. Two Sides, the global organisation dedicated to promotion of the sustainability of print, paper and paper packaging, has written to REWE following the German retail group’s published decision to cease production of its weekly promotional paper flyers from 1st July 2023. In a press release published in July 2022, REWE stated that: “This will have a huge impact on the environment, climate, and the sustainable use of resources, saving more than 73,000 tonnes of paper, 70,000 tonnes of CO2, 1.1 million tonnes of water, and 380 million kWh of energy per year.” Two Sides believes that these statements are sensational and misleading in terms of their environmental claims and the statistics used.