connect: October/November 2011

published

Engaging Marketing Minds

Vol 1, Issue 3, October/November 2011

IN STEP INSIDE Marketing Insights A Clearinghouse of Research on Print Media Effectiveness The Mobility of Print Integrated Marketing and Voice-of-the-Customer The Mesh – Why the Future of Business is Sharing

ALIGNING INDIVIDUAL AND COMPANY GOALS

The Po wer of Co n g n n e i c t With Fineline’s Multi-Channel Marketing Solutions More than three-quarters of consumers use two or more media channels to browse, research, and purchase products and services. Marketers need to link those multiple experiences and create a continuous conversation to avoid gaps where the sale could be lost. They must optimize and connect channel interactions to deliver consistent brand experiences. Fineline has the technology to integrate your various print communications with the online world:

a Direct Mail

a Personal URLs (PURLS)

a Generic URLS (GURLS)

a QR Codes

a Email

a a a a a

Text Phone Web/Landing pages Online surveys/forms Real time tracking

a a a a

Email alerts Online portals Custom reporting Order fulfillment

Ask us how we can help you create a consistent and personalized conversation with your customers and increase your sales.

Commercial, Variable Data, Large Format, & On-Demand Printing • Mailing & Fulfillment • Document Management & Digital Storefronts • Cross Media • Promotional Items & Corporate Apparel

317.872.4490 (228)

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publisher’s letter

Misunderstood

3

A

s marketing minds, you are well aware that In our latest edition of connect, Fineline is proud marketing is terribly misunderstood. Over the to bring you some insight from some of the brightest past couple of decades, new products have minds we know. In In Step we discuss the challenge of been produced at a dizzying pace. We have no shortage alignment. Often times, different departments march to of computers, cars, golf clubs, or any other consumer the beat of their own drum rather than aligning with the goods. There is, however, a shortage of customers. vision of the organization. Even individuals can find it When businesses vie for the attention of fewer poten- difficult to align their goals with the purpose of the comtial clients, fierce competition ensues. pany. Our perspective demonstrates the Competitors lower prices and add giveupside of creating alignment and the With multiple aways just to attract customers. As the downside of ignoring it. choices at a battle escalates, manufacturing, finance, In our second feature article, The and other departments look to market- consumer’s disposal, Mobility of Print – Integrating Print with ing to help get rid of the inventory. Some Mobile Technology, we bring you up to it is imperative may even believe that marketing exists to date with mobile marketing, which is that the marketing support manufacturing. But, the truth one of the most talked about marketing minds of today be is that manufacturing exists to support vehicles today. Our industry has taken well educated in the the lead in mobile marketing because marketing.

True marketing occurs well before it integrates so well with print—it is ankey channels. a product is ever made, and it continues other fantastic way to interact with our long after the sales have been made. In the past, our econo- clients. Without these two tools working together, conmy was based on first building mousetraps and then look- necting with communities can become fragmented and ing for the mice. The new landscape, which is a marketer’s inconsequential. environment, calls for finding the mice, building trust with Marketing is the lifeblood to future success. Finethe mice, and then determining what flavor of cheese the line is passionate about this idea and is committed to mice might enjoy. In other words, business starts with a sharing these ideas and tools with the brightest of marmarket and not a product. keting minds. We believe that your goals are to build Consistently and constantly communicating with mutually profitable long-term relationships with your our markets is critical. In addition, the vehicles we customers and not just sell product. That is our goal too. choose to communicate with can be just as important.

With multiple choices at a consumer’s disposal, it is Warmest regards, imperative that the marketing minds of today are well educated in the key channels. Also, it follows that aligning the organization with marketing is a major cultural component to success.

Publisher Fineline Printing Group

Managing Editor Jill Wangler

Art Direction

Richard Miller, President/Owner

CONTENTS 03 Publisher’s Letter

10 The Mobility of Print

04 Marketing Insights

14 Integrated Marketing and Voice-of-the-Customer

Misunderstood

Integrating Print with Mobile Technology

Sandy Kessel

connect is published bimonthly

by Fineline Printing Group, copyright 2011. All rights reserved For more information contact 877.334.7687 FinelinePrintingGroup.com info@FinelinePrintingGroup.com

05 A Clearinghouse of Research on Print Media Effectiveness

15 The Mesh – Why the Future of Business is Sharing

06 In Step

Aligning Individual and Company Goals Fineline Printing Group – connect

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October/November 2011

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cmo council fast facts

Marketing Insights What are the best ways marketers can improve the impact and value of the marketing and sales support content?

* CMO Council Fast Facts (from www.cmocouncil.org)

October/November 2011

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50%

Access to content that can be customized to my specific needs

47%

Timely delivery and access to content

44%

Fresh content that is up to date and accurate

29%

Personalized materials based on my account information

25%

Online ordering or literature request

23%

Provide online and print options for content access

18%

Unbiased peer reviews and commentary

14%

Consistent content including pricing, branding and product information

14%

Recommendations for additional products or services that are complimentary to search results or past order history

13%

Other

connect – Fineline Printing Group

publisher’s print in theletter mix

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A Clearinghouse of Research on Print Media Effectiveness B2B Attitudes Toward Channel Choices Pitney Bowes surveyed 4,000 B2B marketers—divided equally throughout the U.S., U.K., France and Germany— to uncover current B2B thinking regarding marketing channel choice and business communications in today’s complex and challenging communication environment.

An average of 50 percent of B2B companies in the U.S. and 53 percent across the U.K., France and Germany (E.U.) report it is increasingly difficult to reach and influence customers as a result of media fragmentation.

B2B marketers recognize the enhanced effectiveness of combining traditional and digital channels—58 percent of U.S. firms and 53 percent of E.U. firms feel that concentrating solely on electronic media would seriously damage their ability to generate leads.

Direct Mail ROI: Every Dollar Spent Generates $12.57 in Sales According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), in 2010 every dollar spent on direct marketing advertising resulted in $12.57 in direct marketing-driven sales, on average.

*Print in the Mix (from www.printinthemix.rit.edu)

Examining stand-alone and multichannel B2B marketing efforts for generating business:

»» Direct mail comes out as the top stand-alone channel. In the U.S., 19 percent of companies feel that stand-alone direct mail generates the most business for them. In the E.U., 12 percent of companies report this.

»» In comparison to stand-alone direct mail, 10 percent of U.S. companies favor solo e-mail campaigns (8 percent E.U.) and 7 percent rely on stand-alone search engine marketing (6 percent E.U.).

»» In contrast, more respondents favor integrated marketing as the best approach: 30 percent of U.S. firms cited a combination of mail, e-mail and web campaigns as generating the most business for them (27 percent E.U.).

ROI: Summary of DM-Driven Sales Per $1 of DM Advertising Return by Medium 2004 2008 Direct Mail $12.33 $12.55 Direct Mail (Non-Catalog) $15.59 $15.52 Direct Mail (Catalog) $7.06 $7.28 Telephone Marketing $8.49 $8.57 Internet (Non E-Mail) $25.93 $19.88 Internet Display $25.53 $19.78 Internet Search $27.60 $21.84 Social Networking NA $12.57 Internet Other $17.59 $16.62 Commercial E-Mail $58.01 $44.93 DR Newspaper $13.26 $12.77 DR TV $7.02 $6.81 DR Magazine $10.30 $10.11 DR Radio $8.66 $8.60 Insert Media $11.76 $11.60

2009 $12.53 $15.22 $7.32 $8.48 $19.83 $19.57 $21.85 $12.39 $16.48 $43.62 $12.46 $6.63 $10.27 $8.29 $11.45

2010 $12.57 $15.28 $7.34 $8.42 $19.86 $19.57 $21.90 $12.45 $16.75 $42.08 $12.26 $6.62 $10.26 $8.28 $11.43

2014 $12.61 $15.48 $7.27 $8.29 $19.77 $19.21 $21.93 $13.02 $17.03 $36.70 $11.89 $6.48 $10.06 $8.09 $11.35

* Other includes all other trackable DM delivered media including outdoor, facsimiles, podcasting, displays, and kiosks.

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In Step

IN STEP Aligning Individual and Company Goals October/November 2011

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T

he Dalai Lama says, “If you want others to be be happy, happy, practice practice compassion; compassion; and if you want andtoifbeyouhappy, want to practice be happy,compassion.” practice compassion.”

By Lorrie Bryan

Leo Tolstoy Tolstoysaid,said, “If you “Ifwant you to bewant happy,tobe.” be happy, Andbe.” at FOCUS Brands Inc. they simply say, “Make Andpeople at FOCUS happy.”Brands In fact Inc. the stated they simply purposesay, at this multimillion “Make people happy.” dollar In international fact the stated restaurant purpose franat chisormultimillion this and operator dollar is to make international people happy. restaurant In this case peopleand franchisor refers operator to everyone is to associated make people withhappy. the comIn pany:case this its people owners, refers franchise to everyone partners, associated consumers, with the local compacommunities, ny: its owners, the associates franchiseworking partners, at the consumers, corporatelocal headquarters communities, and the associates front-line working employees at at themore corporate than headquarters, 3,300 bakeries,and cafes, the ice front-line cream shoppes and employees at restaurants more than worldwide.

3,300 bakeries, cafes, ice cream shoppes, and restaurants According worldwide. to FOCUS Brands CEO Russ Umphenour, this emphasis According on happiness to FOCUS contributes Brands CEO significantly Russ Umphenour, to the overall this emphasuccess of FOCUS sis on happiness Brands. contributes “Our jobsignificantly as leaders is to the create overall an environment success of FOCUS where people motivate Brands.

“Our jobthemselves as leaders to is to achieve createmutually an environment beneficial where goals. people In other mowords,themselves tivate we have toto help achieve themutually companybeneficial reach its goals. goals In and other likewise words, help we have each individual to help the reach company his or reach herits goals. goalsThat’s and likewise a very important help each individual part of what reach we his strive or to do.” her goals. That’s a very important part of what we strive to do.”

As simple as the idea sounds, aligning individual and company goals is a complicated concept, concept, primarily primarily because becauseemployee employeeculture cultureis isimportant importantto to thethe tasktask of aligning of aligning goals, goals, but but developing developingthe theculture cultureisissosoambiguous. ambiguous.Three Three factors factors that can contribute to developing a successful employee culture are establishing core values, demonstrating core values and readily communicating core values.

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In Step Establishing Core Values “I’d really never thought about a company having a set of beliefs or values until I read a book in 1973 written by Thomas Watson of IBM called “A Business and its Beliefs.”

In this book, he stressed that every business needs a set of beliefs or values. And I have found that to be essential for keeping everyone on the same page,” says Umphenour, a 40-year veteran of restaurant management. “Our guiding values form the basis of everything we do at FOCUS Brands. And adherence to these values ensures our long-term success—that we continually attain our purpose of making people happy. It’s the responsibility of our associates to live these values every day, so we strive to hire people who share our values and personally believe in and live these values.”

in what they were doing, trying to accomplish, and, in a sense, who they were.”

At FOCUS Brands, the values aren’t complex or lofty; they could easily be the same values that guide and inspire a kindergarten class or scout troop. However, these are the values that the leaders at FOCUS Brands keep in the forefront and weigh enormous decisions against at every level: 1. Aim high.

2. Be the best.

3. Get results.

4. Do what’s right.

5. Go green.

6. Have fun.

7. Give back.

“You can have everything you want out of life, if you help enough other people get what they want out of life.”

– Zig Ziglar, American author, salesman and motivational speaker

Dr. Terry Loe, director of the Center for Professional Selling, at Kennesaw State University Coles College of Business, concurs. “ If you take a look at the most successful companies—and I use some of the examples from research by Jim Collins (“Good to Great”)— Abbot, Circuit City, Philip Morris, Walgreens, Wells Fargo, each have (or had) cultures that were unique and strong. The cultures were strong in the sense that they had a common belief

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Demonstrating Core Values So how are these values applied at the frontlines of the 3,300 eateries that FOCUS Brands operates? Welcome to Moes! The happiness starts when you walk in the door and are greeted enthusiastically by the staff at Moe’s, one of the five different restaurant brands that FOCUS operates. A pop-culture inspired menu, great music, and engaging festive atmosphere make it fun. And the food is the best—always made fresh from quality ingredients, contain no animal fat or MSG, and no microwaves or freezers are used. With more than 400 locations, Moe’s Southwest Grill was named a Top Ten Growth Chain by Restaurant Hospitality in 2007, a Gold Award winner of the 2008 Consumer’s Choice in Chains Awards and the next “It” brand by AOL Business in 2009.

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“Communication of and belief in the marketing strategy by management is key, but in the sales and marketing area there is often a disconnect.”

– Dr. Terry Loe, director of the Center for Professional Selling, at Kennesaw State University Coles College of Business

And at Moe’s they don’t just dream green. They adhere to sustainability best practices and have assembled a team to lead and inspire sustainable initiatives for Moe’s future and for the future of its employees and guests.

Also, “giving back” applies to more than pocket change. They continually work with local non-profits by catering affordable fundraiser events in addition to sponsoring larger projects. Last year, 10 Washington, D.C.-area Moe’s raised $43,000 for juvenile diabetes.

According to Stan Slap, author of New York Times best-seller “Bury My Heart at Conference Room B,” all of this contributes significantly to getting the employee culture to embrace those values and keeping everyone on the same page. “It’s important for leadership to declare what you stand for first—what will never change— and then, do something significant to prove you mean it. The employee culture will pick that up as a proof point that you can be trusted.”

As Slap explains, the company goals have to align with the goals of your employee culture, and the employee culture is obsessed with two concerns—survival and emotional prosperity. “You can’t bluff, bribe, or bully an employee culture. You can’t tell it what to believe or stop it from existing. But you can recognize its power to make or break any of your little strategies. A culture is a rational organism, and it is objective and agnostic.

It simply wants to know how everything affects the two things it considers most important. If the culture wants something to happen, it will. If it doesn’t, it won’t. Neither business logic, nor management authority, nor any compelling competitive urgency will convince an employee culture to adopt a corporate cause as if it were its own.”

Umphenour, who began his distinguished career as a part-time counter person at Arby’s, agrees. “Motivate is not an action verb. Motivation comes from within when someone is in the right place at the right time for them.”

Communicating Core Values with Branding Aligning sales people or front-line employees with the marketing department and the overall strategy of the company is sometimes a challenge.

While there is no greater method of increasing revenue and protecting market share than becoming properly branded, successful branding also fosters alignment within a company.

“You don’t have to align a sales organization’s goals with a real brand strategy; it’s already aligned,” Slap explains. “A brand is not about communicating your intent to the world. It’s about why the world should care.

Attach any marketing message to the noble purpose of your company—not what you do but why you do it. This gives the employee culture a reason to believe. The culture will take its sense of self from the quality it represents and from how the company makes the world a better place.”

Slap says that a company can only be branded for something that it can control—how it sells. “You’ll never have a unique sustained lock on a highdemand product. So you must be branded for how you sell, not just what you sell. This means that the relationship between company and customer is the essence of the brand, and that relationship is in the hands of the sales organization. Sales teams aren’t motivated by money; they’re motivated by recognition.

They use money to buy meaning, so skip the middleman and give them the meaning directly. Protecting the company’s brand promise is the stuff of legacy impact. Recognize them for that potential.”

“Communication of and belief in the marketing strategy by management is key, but in the sales and marketing area there is often a disconnect. “Too often the sales and marketing areas have built “silos” around their distinct areas of responsibility,” Loe explains. “This can only be overcome by communication during the development of the marketing strategy. Development of an effective strategy is dependent upon an accurate and thorough understanding of the market as well as the organization’s capabilities and competencies. Salespeople must be willing to communicate the needs, characteristics, and potential of the company’s target market(s) to the marketing department, and those developing the strategies must listen.”

Success, again, depends upon how well each party understands the other and how the implementation of the strategy will ultimately help all achieve their own goals. “At the end of the day, marketing is what drives a business, it’s all pervasive,” Umphenour says. “It’s important for us to get feedback and support from the front lines. So it’s a constant learning process for everyone.”

Essentially, establishing and making shared values a cornerstone of the company fosters a culture in which the individuals feel like they are part of something—a mission that is worthwhile and bigger than themselves.

“The rewards and incentives are paramount, but the leadership in the company must help everyone understand the importance of their individual roles in accomplishing the mission of the organization,” Loe adds. “Almost all people want to be a part of something worthwhile and meaningful, and when these types of cultures exist, most employees become at least a bit more selfless and motivated.”

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THE MOBILITY OF

PRINT Integrating Print with Mobile Technology

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M

ost months, I just pay my cell phone bill via my cell phone’s mobile app without ever looking at my family’s usage. But this month I decided a casual perusal was in order. I discovered that my 20-year-old college student logged a whopping 4,300 text messages. A lot, but as she explained,

she receives ESPN scores, sorority calendar reminders, campus security alerts, and discount coupons via text messaging. And she is immersed in a culture that carries on constant dialogues via text. What surprised me the most about my bill was that I had become the second highest user in the family—1,200 text messages in one month. OMG—me? That’s 40 messages a day, but apparently I and my middle-aged-mom cohorts represent one of the fastest growing segments on the texting dance floor.

Industry experts estimate that 11 trillion text messages will be sent in the United States this year, and texting is just the beginning…

Game Changer

while PC manufacturers shipped 92.1 million units worldWe love our handy-dandy smartphones. More than once, wide. Market experts predict that the smartphone will become I have lingered with a group of friends after dinner finishing the primary tool for accessing the Internet in the near future. off a good bottle of wine, sharing a decadent dessert, and pass“Once someone has one, they continue to rely on it for eving along the latest must-have apps. These days, we routinely erything. Companies must find a way to reach this audience,” By use them to perform tasks that we formerly did on our PCs: Foley affirms. shop, pay bills, e-mail, Facebook, play games, map destinaLorrie Bryan tions, get news, check weather, etc. The first time someone The Bridge to Mobile showed me a QR (Quick Response) code, I felt enlightened How do you get your marketing message in the pockets and and eagerly sought out the 2D barcodes to interact with—on bills, billboards, purses of your targeted audience? Creative mobile marketing builds an business cards, business signage, and increasingly in print magazines. It was instant and meaningful bridge to interactivity and facilitates the leap from with great joy that I recently discovered a QR code in Taste of Home maga- the page to the hand. Many of today’s most creative and successful marketzine that accompanied a recipe for Rice Krispies Treat eggs. With a single ing campaigns start with old-fashioned print—direct mail postcards, magabutton click I was immediately watching a video on my phone that showed zine and newspaper ads, signs—that has been enhanced with an interactive how to make the gooey Easter treats. element such as a mobile 2D barcode or SMS (Short Message Service) call Without a doubt, the smartphone has changed the game. Accord- to action. Mobile marketing is not a departure from Internet marketing; ing to John Foley, CEO at interlinkONE—a multi-channel marketing soft- it’s the next evolutionary step. As part of a multimedia marketing camware company and industry leader in mobile marketing—by the end of this paign, print projects almost always include a Web address where addiyear, nearly every estimate indicates that more than half of the population tional information and special incentives can be found and downloaded. in the United States will be carrying around a smartphone. Smartphone But mobile marketing enhances this experience by making interaction easier, manufacturers shipped 100.9 million devices in the fourth quarter of 2010, more immediate, and more rewarding.

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The Mobility of Print

Creating interactivity within the print medium extends shelf-life as well as value by offering readers layers of experience beyond the printed page. “People still need to be touched by multiple channels. First, people see and are engaged by the printed piece, and then they make the easy jump to more content using their phones,” Foley explains. “QR Codes can absolutely help make the bridge between print and mobile! They are easy and inexpensive to create, and you can download the reader app in seconds for free. Because they are openstandard, it means that more and more companies are using them, and thus people across the mainstream are starting to understand what they are and how they can be used.”

A Snapshot of Barcodes Mobile barcodes (QR, 2D, and data matrix), popular in Japan and Europe for more than a decade, are increasingly showing up in the print world of mainstream America on signs, business cards, packaging, bills, and advertisements. The May issue of “O, The Oprah Magazine” (circulation 2.6 million) included five advertisements sporting the trendy codes. And if past trending patterns are any indica-

coupons is significantly higher than for traditional print or online coupons.

Mobile coupons are sent directly to customer’s cell phones, so no searching is required nor time wasted. An added advantage of mobile marketing with a SMS call-to-action is the ability to track responses and build a data base for future marketing endeavors.

Bessonny cites the results of a recent marketing campaign Text Ripple created for a pizza chain. “The goal was to drive sales at a five-store pizza chain. The medium was a direct mail piece with a mobile call to action.

We invited people to text in to receive an instant coupon sent directly to their cell phones. Direct mail connected them, mobile engaged them, and the results were powerful. The response rate was overwhelming—more than 12,000 people texted in—and we were able to build a data base of customers to target for future promotions. This gives the pizza chain immediate access to patrons we know are already interested in their business.”

Similarly, many businesses are now promoting VIP text club memberships by offering opt-in customers discount coupons, a chance to win a big prize and other incentives not otherwise available.

An added advantage of mobile marketing with a SMS call-to-action is the ability to track responses and build a data base for future marketing endeavors. tion, where Oprah goes, millions follow. Today’s media-savvy reader has an expectation for mobile interactivity, and in the near future, most of America will share that expectation.

“Mobile marketing will become the new standard,” Foley says.

“QR codes bring static print to life, creating a dialogue with the consumer that frequently turns the consumer into a customer,” affirms Val DiGiacinto, VP of Sales for The Ace Group. “It can be used on any collateral and only requires a small amount of space. Since the landing page is virtual, information can be updated regularly. That is a great way to continue to bring the consumer back. It is also a great way to stay current with information that does change.”

An added benefit of QR code utilization for marketing is the ability to track responses. Using software now readily available, you can analyze the number of people accessing your QR code, and how and when they are accessing it. You can gather additional data by creating a landing page where you offer an incentive to people (i.e.: entry in a sweepstake) in exchange for personal data.

Text Message Strategies According to Steve Bessonny, COO of Text Ripple—a leading mobile marketing solutions provider—adding a mobile component to your print media frequently increases the response rate by 50 percent with little additional cost. For example, a print ad may simply say “Text COUPON to 55432 right now from your mobile phone to receive an instant coupon.” They are simple to create and so easy to access and use that the redemption rate for text-based

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Marketing Must-do As smartphones replace PCs as the primary access tool for the Internet, businesses need to format their landing pages so that they are suited for viewing on mobile devices. “One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is not creating a mobile-optimized website,” affirms Foley.

“With minimal time and effort businesses can greatly improve the experience that people have when they interact with their brand on their mobile phones, and deliver compelling content that fits beautifully on a smartphone screen.”

As Foley notes, technology is always evolving, and businesses should already be paying attention to emerging technologies such as Near Field Communications (NFC). NFC isn’t really new...or cutting edge. In fact, it’s basically a variation of other short-range wireless technologies already used throughout the world—especially in Japan and Europe. With NFC, you can quickly swap information between devices when they’re touched together. You can exchange things like text, images, URLs or other data simply by holding your phone up to various “smart tags.”

“That will be huge in regards to how people pay for things with their smartphone. I’m not saying it will replace QR Codes, but there will absolutely be technologies that seek to make the experience even better, and that integrate with whatever channels come next,” Foley predicts.

For the foreseeable future, smart phones are going to keep getting smarter, and marketers are going to find smarter ways to utilize this evolving technology.

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THE ABC’S OF MOBILE MARKETING

Mobile marketing is meant to describe marketing on or with a cell phone (or other mobile device).

CSC (Common Short Code) is a short numeric sequence (4-6 digits) to which text messages can be sent from a mobile phone. Subscribers send text messages to CSC’s with relevant keywords to access mobile content or act upon a call-to-action.

SMS (Short Message Service) is used as a synonym for all types of short text messaging, as well as the user activity itself, in many parts of the world.

SMS text messaging is the most widely used data application on the planet, with 2.4 billion active users.

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) is a standard way to send messages that include multimedia content to and from mobile phones. It extends the core SMS capability which only allowed exchange of text messages up to 160 characters in length. The most popular use is to send photographs from camera-equipped handsets, although it is also popular as a method of delivering news and entertainment content including videos, pictures, text pages and ringtones.

MO, MOM (Mobile Originated Message) is an SMS/MMS message received by a mobile device.

B: C:

A:

NFC (Near Field Communication) is a new and upcoming data transfer protocol. It uses close proximity to transmit data between two NFC type devices (one a client and one a reader/writer/broadcaster module).

Basically NFC lets you tap your device on a reader to then instantly transfer and exchange data.

QR Code (Quick Response Code) is a matrix barcode or two dimensional code readable by a QR scanner, mobile phones with a camera, and smartphones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. The information encoded can be text, URL, or other data. The reader application is included on some smartphones or it can be downloaded for free.

WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) is an open international standard for the presentation and delivery of wireless information and telephone services on mobile devices. The most common use of WAP is accessing the Web from a mobile phone or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).

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guest feature

Integrated Marketing and Voice-of-the-Customer

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By Daniel Dejan

arketing communications” was much easier in the 90s and early conundrum. According to a Peppers and Rogers white paper, Re2000s because the only choices to launch a sales and marketing lationship Marketing 3.0, their 2009 survey indicated that tapping strategy were television, radio, out-of-door, and print in its many into and implementing the voice-of-the-customer is singularly the forms (collateral, direct mail, magazine and newspaper advertising, catalog). most profound process to consummate both relevancy and timA few alternatives, which fell under the heading of other, were not recognized ing—two of the most imperative and vital attributes to any curyet as conventional marketing communication, but rather as beta technol- rent campaign. Using print, primarily in the form of direct mail, ogy for the digital revolution. Making the right strategic media decisions in tandem with social networks to invite and engage customers required lots of market research and often employed focus groups (if you in the forging of a sales and marketing campaign can guarancould afford them) to determine which media to utilize, to what extent, tee the success of most branding, brand loyalty, and customer and which messages would resonate with target markets. Measurements relations management efforts. and return-on-investment formulas became the ground rule, and green flag, for all future endeavors.

Ask the customer: Today the process is more challenging with multiple media choic• How do you like to be communicated to? es and numerous touch points that can be added to traditional chan• Which media outlets do you prefer to be contacted through? nels. An up-to-date and dynamic website has become a must, as it can • How can companies cut through the clutter? be coordinated with a direct mail and/or a print ad campaign to not • What would capture your attention? only drive traffic and the target market to the website but also to en• How often would you like to be contacted? gage them in a dialogue. Social networking such as Facebook, LinkedIn, • Which media are you most likely to use to communicate with Foursquare, and Twitter is de rigueur, but demands continuous monifriends, family, and colleagues? toring, engagement, and soft-push branding with a call-to-action by the host website for the audiences to make the purchase—the marketer’s Your customers will let you know exactly what they want from ultimate objective and reward. your company; whether your sales and marketing efforts are penetrating How can e-mail be effectively used in a sales and/or marketing and successful, how they feel about your latest product(s) or service(s), campaign? How will tablets and eReaders impact marketing communi- and if it does indeed fulfill a need or satisfy a want they have. After all, cations? And how will they be used in assertive marketing campaigns? isn’t it the prospective customer we are trying to engage and convert Will a blog increase brand awareness? What about the use of podcasting, into an actual customer? mobile media marketing, telemarketing, viral marketing, product placeBy fulfilling the sales and marketing promise, we can establish, mainment, pre-movie and DVD ads, YouTube videos, and tain, and grow a loyal customer base that helps us in more? Which marketing tools will help your comthe quest towards brand loyalty and growth in sales. pany achieve the ultimate goal of winning the battle The customer may not always be right, but they hold A renowned graphic for top-of-mind recognition and brand loyalty among valuable insights into what motivates them to make arts educator, author and your target customer base? a purchase and become loyal. Integrating the voiceconsultant, Daniel Dejan Confusing and challenging, isn’t it? There of-the-customer may be one of the most important is the print and creative manager for Sappi Fine is an elegant and efficacious solution: ASK elements of the success formula.

Paper/North America. the target market how they would solve the Just ask.

October/November 2011 • connect Fineline Printing Group May 2011 • connect – Fineline Printing– Group

book recommendation

The Mesh –

Why the Future of Business is Sharing

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— Author, Lisa Gansky

T

he recession and the distrust of old-model companies seem to be fueling a new mindset. People are now more willing to consider alternative business models, brands, and lifestyles. As Po Bronson once stated, “Crisis can actually take people from thinking about what’s next to what is first.”

In “The Mesh,” Lisa Gansky offers a compelling look at an emerging model that takes advantage of our renewed values and at how business will be conducted in the new landscape.

True knowledge is not contained in one person or entity. Wisdom comes from sharing, and the Mesh is the new way to leverage that wisdom and create prosperity. Mesh businesses leverage data and social networks to enable people to share goods and services efficiently and conveniently— to gain superior access to what they need

In “The Mesh,” Gansky gives us some perspective on the wonderful new world we are entering.

This is a world that will find more people utilizing the Web, social networking, and mobile technologies more efficiently. The author shares case histories from many organizations, including some of her own, and their success with the Mesh.

The Mesh has emerged as the best new creative engine for getting more of what we want, exactly when we want it, at less cost to ourselves and the planet. without the burdens or expense of ownership.

As Gansky points out, there are already thousands of these businesses—in transportation, fashion, food, real estate, travel, finance, entertainment, and many other categories—with more starting every day. The Mesh has emerged as the best new creative engine for getting more of what we want, exactly when we want it, at less cost to ourselves and the planet.

“The Mesh” is all about sharing. Specifically, it is focused on the sharing of information through the Web, mobile technology, and social networking. The Mesh allows for the sharing of products, services, and information between groups of people in provocative new ways. “The Mesh” is a thought provoking book that should be read by everyone from the serial entrepreneur to the big-business marketer. Once read, pass it along… because the future of business is sharing.

Fineline Printing Group – connect

•

October/November 2011

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