MARKETING BRIEF VOLUME 2, ISSUE ONE • JANUARY 2012
Looking for new ways to improve your business communications? Leave it to us!
Is Print Really Old School? Tap Into the Power of Color Digital Printing Opportunities
! l o o h c S d l O o S s ' t I ? t Prin
S
o you think print is passĂŠ? Maybe even dead? Not. Sure, print is old school, but it's still a very effective part of the communications mix. And guess what? Print is more affordable now than ever before.
Earlier in 2011, when the Gateway Macon Initiative kicked off their campaign to promote our historic city, the
Music, and regularly print programs for lots
in this issue) and from
of "happenings" in Middle Georgia.
competitive pressures in
What does all of this prove?
determination was made that print would
the industry. Color printing is extremely affordable and
be a key component in the media mix.
Print is a very viable means of touching
Since then, Alphagraphics has produced
your audience. Not only that, but it may
high, especially when it's combined with
print components that have included
also be the way that most people prefer to
other channels in an integrated marketing
some very cool business cards, posters,
receive information. According to Epsilon
campaign.
flyers, even life-sized retractable banners
Targeting's 2011 Channel Preference Study:
to promote Macon Shorts, Gateway's short . . . despite direct mail's reputation for being
film competition.
the ROI from direct mail
remains
Don't throw the baby out with the bath water!
Direct mail is a key component
"old school" or expensive, it is the top choice of
Print may be "old school," but it hasn't
of two of our o
U.S. and Canadian consumers for the receipt
lost it's value. In many instances, print is
community's
of brand communications in almost every
the best way to reach an audience. For
t h e a t r e
category, ranging from health to household
consumers, print remains a preferred way
products, to household services, insurance and
to receive information.
financial services, including credit card offers.
print is still a very valuable part of the
companies. Theatre
Both Macon
and Macon Little
-- source: www.epsilon.com
communications mix. Is
Theatre regularly send
For marketers,
organization's
a
component marketing
of
budget
your for
oversized postcards to
Interestingly, the conclusion above
their membership lists to
applies to younger (18 - 24 yr. olds) as well as
2012? We're obviously biased, but at
announce and promote
older demographics. The study shows that
Alphagraphics we think that integrating
the popularity of social media channels as
print with other communications channels
Can you really have an event without
a source of information continues to grow,
makes lots of sense for most Middle
invitations? Print isn't only the best way to
but that they are the least trusted of all of
Georgia companies. Need help? We'll
get the word out about an upcoming event,
the available channels. Respondents also
be happy to meet with you to talk about
but also to formally invite people to come.
agreed that they receive too much email,
print and how we can help you implement
Sav-A-Life Ministries and Covenant Care
with 75% of U.S. consumers stating that
cross-channel marketing campaigns for
Ministries are two life-affirming Christian
they receive more email than they can
your businesss or organiz organization.
organizations that hold annual banquets
possibly read.
for their supporters. Alphagraphics has
Affordability
each upcoming show.
been honored to help with design and mailing of the print invitations to these events for many years. And then there are the programs. We recently produced a beautiful Christmas event program for the Townsend School of
While print is perceived as expensive, the price of printing has actually declined substantially in the past few years. This is both due to advances in technology (see The Digital Printing Double Feature later
3
TAP INTO THE POWER OF COLOR There are a few black-and-white aficionados out there, but most people agree that color creates a stronger impact, especially on marketing collateral and other pieces designed to encourage people to buy. It’s why marketers fiercely protect their brand colors and the retail shelves look like kaleidoscopic explosions.
T
hinking through color issues and designing in great color schemes takes time; so how can you be sure that the additional investment is worth it? Used correctly, color has a long track record of increasing the effectiveness of print.
For example, CCI COLOR (Color Communications, Inc.) has found that consumers make a subconscious judgment about people, their environment, or products within 90 seconds of initially viewing them and that between 62% and 90% of their decision-making is based on color alone. In addition, a University of Loyola, Maryland study found that color increases brand recognition by up
R
to 80%. How can color be so powerful? According to the American Psychological Association, by hanging an extra "tag" of data on visual scenes, color helps people to process and store images more efficiently than black-and-white. As a result, people tend to remember color scenes better.
Color Taps into Emotions As an example, consider the current trend toward “retro” packaging. Savvy consumer products manufacturers are using retro looks to tap into consumers’ emotions. Major brands from Cheerios to Skippy, Doritos, and Tide are throwing back to the 70’s, 60’s, and even the 40’s with styles and colors deeply familiar to consumers. By tapping into happy
childhood memories, they are creating positive associations that help to sell products. The power of color to influence purchases also can be seen in the recent addition of green ketchup to the Heinz brand. According to Junk Food News,
So, what can you do to tap into the power of color?
more than 10 million bottles of Heinz EZ Squirt Blastin' Green ketchup were
sold in the first seven months following
thought into the power and meaning of
its introduction last year. Heinz factories
color. Make great choices in using color to
worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week
draw out the desired emotion from your
to keep up with demand. The result?
target audience.
Make color a priority. Really put
$23 million in sales attributable to the new green ketchup, which is the highest
sales increase in the brand's history. Now
vector graphics and high resolution photos.
the company is working on a new color,
It’s worth spending a little extra money on
Funky Purple, to be introduced this fall.
artwork, photographs, and design to really
No internet downloads. Use good
make your color pop.
Manage your color carefully. Work
with Alphagraphics to manage your color all the way through the process. This starts with submitting images in the right color space and optimizing the capabilities of the print process that's best for your project.
These basic steps will go a long way toward taking your color from ho, hum to Wow! Use color to maximize your brand image
photos ©dreamstime.com
and selling power.
GA 55
THE DIGITAL PRINTING “DOUBLE FEATURE”
M
any marketers don't consider the opportunities afforded by digital printing. In fact, they may not even be conscious of how their direct mail project or marketing collateral is produced. The distinction between digital printing and conventional offset is an important one, both in terms of managing costs and benefiting from opportunities. For most small and mid-sized companies,
production, and unit costs and prices
like to be sure that your mail campaign is
the days of mass mailings and high volume
have come down dramatically. It is quite
effective.. Now, it's possible to test and
runs of marketing collateral are long gone.
feasible and cost effective to print 100,
measure response from several messages
To be effective, marketing collateral must
1000 or 2500 brochures on a digital press.
sent to short mailing lists.
be timely and targeted. Digital printing has
Competitive pressures among printers
Alternately, you can code your list and
enabled "right sizing" of print volumes, but
have resulted in lower prices on offset
send different messages to each coded
marketers tend to see this only in terms
production as well, essentally eliminating
segment, all in one mailing. Do you want
of shorter runs and less print inventory,
the need for higher volume print runs.
to mail to the top 10%? Perhaps to your
missing the opportunities afforded from
What this means for most marketers is
highest volume customers? By targeting
that it's no longer necessary to produce
the mailing by customer profile or
Marketers who are thinking of digital
10000 brochures for a tradeshow when
demographic, you can both control costs
print only in terms of production are
1500 will suffice. Better still, there's no
and perhaps even get a better response
missing tremendous opportunities to use
need to worry about leftover inventory
than you would have from mailing to your
this technology from a strategic marketing
that takes up space and quickly becomes
entire list.
perspective, as well.
outdated.
digital production.
Let's look at digital printing from a couple of different perspectives:
Production cost, quality and logistics: First, let's look at some easily measurable benefits.
Five years ago, making the
decision to produce a project using digital presses meant a sacrifice in quality and high unit costs. This limited the utility of digital printing to low quantity runs where accurate color wasn't really an issue. That's all changed. Now, it's difficult even for printers to
photos Šdreamstime.com
distinguish between digital and offset
Finally,
Strategic marketing opportunities:
digital
printing
enables
personalization. This could take the form of a specific coupon for an individual
The cost savings are self-evident, but
customer or an internet response site
many marketers completely miss a second
(PURL) where they can claim their offer or
advantage of digital printing.
make a reservation.
Digital
printing affords capabilities and flexibility
It's a double feature. Digital printing has
that simply isn't possible using older (offset)
made small quantity runs more affordable,
technology. The difference is simple: Offset
but has also opened the doors to new
printing is static. Digital printing isn't.
opportunities for creative marketers.
What are the implications? For the
Interested?
One of our Alphagraphics
tradeshow brochures, not only can you
representatives would be happy to
customize a brochure for each tradeshow
schedule a meeting to discuss the benefits
you attend, but also by product category
and how digital printing might work for
or event potentially by attendee (if you
your next campaign.
have the attendance list ahead of time). As another example, let’s assume that you are running on a tight budget and you'd
Marketers who are thinking of digital printing only in terms of production are missing tremendous opportunities.
7
MARKETING BRIEF
STANDARD PRESORT US POSTAGE
PAID ALPHAGRAPHICS MACON, GA
AlphaGraphics Macon 566 Poplar Street Macon, GA 31201 www.agmacon.com
About Us AlphaGraphics Macon is a locally owned business specializing in print, graphic design, and marketing services for small businesses and organizations. We provide a broad range of products including conventional business printing, banners and displays, and digital and offset color printing. Our services include graphic design, direct mail and mailshop services, self-publishing , website design for small businesses, and marketing campaign implementation.
AG Marketing Brief is a quarterly publication that features articles about current marketing trends and practices. The focus is on smart ways to combine print with new media applications to create a dialogue with clients, customers and prospects. This issue was printed on 100 lb. Unisource Gloss text using AlphaGraphics' MGI DP60 digital press. This quarter's online version is published on issuu.com and can be read online at www.agmacon.com.