GRAPHIC ADVISOR
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Heighten Your Knowledge in Three Key Areas
ISSUE TWENTY SIX
Print: The New Opportunity Pushing the Envelope The Color Black
MARKETING ADVISOR
Your logo here
Heighten Your Knowledge in Three Key Areas
ISSUE TWENTY SIX
Print: The New Opportunity Pushing the Envelope The Color Black
Five good reasons to tap into print opportunities... x Cut through the clutter. Remember
x Print makes sense. You can see and
the days when you opened your mailbox
hear electronic messages at the same time;
and catalogs, brochures, newsletters and
it’s like getting two exposures for the price
postcards tumbled out? Today there is
of one. But what about the other senses?
simply less postal mail, so your printed
Print is the clear winner in the categories
pieces get noticed. Let the competition
of touch, smell, and taste. We like to feel
fight it out in the Inbox; you will have the
special papers and finishes, and cut out
prospect’s attention as he interacts with
things of special interest and save them or
your printed collateral.
pass them along. Smell, which is handled
x Add credibility. In a time of economic uncertainty, print collateral tells the reader that your company plans to be around for the long term. Your message is so important it deserves to be preserved in a physical form rather than simply being posted on the vaporous Internet. The
Print: The New Opportunity
consumer trusts that if you put it in print you’re going to stand by your word. x Stay connected. Customer retention was the reason targeted mailings, such as custom magazines and newsletters, were developed in the first place. More and
Companies have been wooed to invest more dollars in electronic marketing
more, people are tiring of 24/7 electronic connectivity; so make sure the prospect has
by the promise of comparatively low-cost campaigns that can be tracked
your information at his fingertips when he
and measured easily, leading pundits to conclude that print is a dying
unplugs from digital devices. Print never runs out of power.
element of the marketing mix. The truth is that print remains important. We
by the same part of the brain that handles
Print versus e-marketing isn’t an
memories and emotions, has been used to
either/or choice. Much of what we
create a brand impression for years. Who
print is also available electronically.
can pass a scratch-and-sniff insert without
One isn’t wrong and the other right.
scratching and sniffing? And there is no
Some information just needs the
better way to get prospects to taste your
pace of print. Thanks to innovations
product than by mailing a sample to try at
in print technology, it has never
their leisure.
been easier or less expensive to
x You can’t hide from print. The same developers who introduced the electronic
get high-quality printed materials in the hands of your target audience.
platforms that have revolutionized the way we deliver our messages are developing technologies to empower consumers to avoid these same messages. Think TiVo and spam filters. The mail carrier, on the other hand, has to deliver your mail. High quality, creative print pieces will capture your target audience’s interest.
print all sorts of things for all sorts of reasons. It’s just that our relationship with print has changed. The marketer’s challenge is to find a way to
photos ©iStockphoto.com
leverage print to tap into a whole new world of opportunities.
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An
ill-conceived envelope
While it’s important to keep the design cohesive
marketing strategy that fails
with your other printed materials, using the
to motivate the recipient
same envelope design for multiple mailings may
to open it is like mailing money out the door.
work against you. Even a friendly prospect might
Carefully consider every element, including
assume he’s already heard the message inside.
physical dimensions, copy, layout, and design. Anything outside of the standard #10
Envelope P u shi n g the
rates, whether it’s through variable-data
envelope, either larger or smaller, will set your
messaging, using a legible script font, or actual
piece apart. Make sure the envelope is at least
handwriting. Postage stamps add another
¼” larger than your largest insert. Steer clear
personal touch but may not be practical
of window envelopes unless it’s the only way to
for larger mailings. Studies show that one-
achieve personalization. Smooth, heavier stocks
third of Standard Mail goes directly into the
show off your color designs, while textured
wastebasket. If your piece doesn’t get thrown
stocks, such as linen or laid, offer a high-
away, you’re still in the game.
end feel. Explore the myriad of options now
An envelope has the best chance of getting
available, such as vellum, glassine, and polybag-
opened if it’s delivered on Tuesday, the lightest
type envelopes.
postal delivery day, or on Wednesday, the
Technology has advanced to the point that
second lightest day. Stay away from Mondays,
you can place dynamic messaging on the front,
the heaviest delivery day. Six weeks is a good
back, and even inside of the envelope. It’s a
interval between mailings—you want to stay
money-saver because envelope messaging
fresh in your prospect’s mind without becoming
minimizes postal weight by reducing the insert
a nuisance.
count. Your copy should provoke curiosity, but
The abundance of creative options makes
not give everything away. The goal is to pique
envelopes a versatile vehicle for presenting your
interest so the recipient looks inside, but there
message. Put these precious communication-
should be somethingmore—new information, a
carriers at the top of the list as you plan your
special offer— as a reward for opening it.
next direct mail campaign.
The envelope should be clean and welldesigned, but that means different things to different marketers. Some, concerned that documents with too much visual flair will be dismissed as “junk mail,” choose plain white envelopes imprinted with the corporate logo to lend credibility and seriousness. The other extreme is the marketer who uses starbursts and call-outs that shout, “Open now!” The best strategy is somewhere in between—a mix of bright colors, interesting textures, vivid imagery photos ©iStockphoto.com
he elop t v e d y ut htfull g u ge. B o a h k t c s a eter call mail p e t l c Mark b e a r r i u ad meas ts of a n d e n n ines its a m f mpo r e o e n c t e e e b d insid l that s and e o r o u t t y e fea the k with s i e t e e l p o er, rep envel t t e e l h t T es d. the b er rea v e n ssed. s ’ o t t i r f i o ss pened orthle o w s t s e i ion, mail g t c e to act r i rd r you e h t e wh
Personalization increases response
and bold messaging to grab attention quickly.
4
T
here are two basic categories of black: plain black and rich black.
hand, the color swatch called “Black” is
Plain black is created solely using
actually a plain black (C=0, M=0, Y=0,
black ink. If you create a color swatch in
Using rich black rather than plain black
slider to 100%, you’ll get plain black. (See
can cause aesthetic or even physical prob-
Figure 1.)
lems during the printing process. Since
required, you run the risk of oversaturating
there is no such “color” as black; it’s what
the paper (and even if you do want a rich
you get when you combine the three
black, you should never make anything
colorants—cyan, magenta, and yellow—at
C=100, M=100, Y=100, K=100). Using
full saturation. If you create a color swatch
rich black and plain black interchangeably
with the C, M, and Y sliders all at 100%
can give your document an inconsistent
(keeping K at 0%), you’ll see that you get
look, especially where typography is con-
black. This is rich black. But if you look
cerned. If you are setting black type and
at Figure 2, you’ll see that it doesn’t look
use a rich black instead of a plain black,
entirely black; it’s more of a very dark gray.
you run the risk of even minor registration
In fact, it’s tonally different than plain black
errors ghosting and blurring your type.
black-and-white, and being unaware of the “shades of black” can lead to printing problems.
black in certain instances. A rich black—
CMY mix.
also called a “warm black”—does have a
also vary in the levels of the constituent
using. Different applications use different
colorants—more cyan and/or magenta
types of black. Here’s an example: drag
tends to boost the “warmness,” while
out a square marquee in Photoshop and
more pure black tends to “cool” it down.
fill it with black by selecting Edit>Fill, and
Aesthetically, you may desire a warmer or
choosing “Black.” If you check the Info
cooler black.
Figure 3. Rich black (left) can be tonally different than plain black (right).
Figure 4. By default, “Black” in Photoshop is a rich black.
So, just as we would never think of the
in Photoshop is actually C=75, M=68,
color “red” or “blue” without some kind
Y=67, K=90 (see Figure 4).
of qualification, so, too, should we never
More importantly, if you type some text
Figure 2. A rich black is created using come combination of cyan, magenta, and yellow.
warmer feel than plain black. Rich blacks
attention to which type of black you are
palette, you’ll see that by default “Black”
photos ©iStockphoto.com
That said, you may want to use a rich
is used, some black ink is added to the
There are practical reasons for paying
Figure 1. A plain black is created using only black ink.
a rich black uses more ink than is really
bination of process colors. In color theory,
(see Figure 3). In practice, when rich black
In the graphic arts, the color “black” isn’t quite so
K=100).
Illustrator or InDesign and set the K (black)
Rich black is created using some com-
The Color Black Can be a Gray Area
In InDesign and Illustrator, on the other
assume that all black is created equal. As
in Photoshop, then select black from the
always, though, it’s worth checking with
extreme corners of the color picker, you’ll
us to see if we have any advice or cautions
get a rich black (see Figure 5).
regarding the use of rich vs. plain black.
Figure 5. In Photoshop’s color picker, even what you might think would be plain black is actually rich.
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QR CODE FPO Need a QR code? Call Great Reach Communications at 978-332-5555
About Us
About This Issue
One or two small paragraphs about
Programs used: InDesign CS Illustrator CS Photoshop CS
you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company.
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T
Type of Offer
Prefer Mail
Prefer Online
hink you’re being more
Personal care
effective by switching from
Food products
traditional to digital media?
Over-the-counter medication
62% 66% 53%
22% 23% 21%
43% 44% 34%
21% 19% 42%
Especially in the 18–34-year-
old demographic? Think again! Two recent
Insurance services
studies suggest that 1:1 printing may be far
Financial services
more effective, even among this coveted
Travel
age group.
Source: “Finding the Right Channel Combination: What Drives Channel Choice,” ICOM (2010)
A recent study titled “Finding the
Think E-Media Beats 1:1 Print?
Right Channel Combination: What Drives
bought Natural Remedies for Headaches
this reason, it earns their trust and respect
Channel Choice” conducted by ICOM, a
also bought Dancing with the Stars Cardio
more than e-media. Consumers appreciate
division of Epsilon Targeting, surveyed over
Workout!”). The result is a high level of
this type of purposeful investment in the
2500 U.S. and 2200 Canadian households.
mistrust and annoyance.
marketer’s relationship with them. It creates
It found that consumers overwhelmingly
By contrast, the intentional, highly
preferred to learn about marketing offers
targeted use of personalization in print is
via print media than online sources.
non-intrusive and the relevance is clear.
Ready, Set, Capitalize!
While we might expect this from
1:1 print also tends to be geared more,
So while you may want to expand your
older consumers, this survey targeted
not to the short-term sale, but to
marketing to include a multichannel
18–34-year-olds. In every category
relationship-building.
approach, don’t make the mistake of replacing print with alternative media.
surveyed, with the exception of travel,
Think Again! (Consumers Love Getting Mail.)
these younger, more tech-savvy consumers
1:1 Print Is More Relevant
overwhelmingly preferred print over online
Could this be in part why traditional
media for marketing communications.
advertising (both print and other media)
perception of print to differentiate yourself
is seen as more relevant than online
as a company that cares about your
1:1 Print Builds Trust
media? In a separate survey of more
customers in a way that consumers often
Why? One reason is trust. According to the
than 1,200 people conducted for ad:tech
perceive online advertisers don’t. Then
survey, 36% of U.S. respondents across all
London by Zussi Research, 69% percent
build on that perception with relevant,
age groups trust the mail more than email.
of respondents saw traditional advertising
personalized communications they’ll
This is up from 29% in 2008. While only
as relevant to them, compared with 45%
remember and respect!
19% said online information “can’t be
for online. Respondents also described
trusted” in 2008, that percentage increased
online marketing as chaotic. This creates a
to 25% this year.
high level of annoyance, even when online
Even personalization cannot overcome this mistrust. While email and online can
photos ©iStockphoto.com
a sense that they are valued.
Instead, personalize it! Capitalize on consumers’ positive
media is targeted. Compare this to
be personalized, consumers often complain
print, which consumers
that online advertising is ubiquitous and
perceive as requiring
inescapable. The use of cookies to track
a greater
their behavior can also result in highly
investment by
irrelevant suggestions (“Other people who
the marketer. For
1:1 printing may be far more effective than digital media, even among the coveted 18-34 age group.
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