GAMA 22

MARKETING ADVISOR

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Don’t Miss the Boat

ISSUE TWENTY TWO

Ask yourself if you have...

Created sales literature that sells?

Thought about print’s role in the digital revolution?

Discovered the elegant font that came with your computer?

> Print is “real.”

Paper and ink are reassuring, especially in difficult economic times. It says your company is credible and trustworthy. You are planning to be around for the long-term and you cared enough about your message to spend time and money putting it in writing.

> Print is durable.

It simply stays around longer. Your desk might be cluttered, but you can still dig out a printed piece, use it for comparisons and share it with others. Print collateral maintains a physical connection with your customers even after they’ve powered down their computers.

> Print is focused.

Prospects can read your information when and where they choose…and without temptation to click on the next flashy message that pops up.

Sales literature stands in for you when you’re

carry your brand identity and reputation to the marketplace

not around, carrying your brand identity and

about who you are, what you are

reputation to the marketplace. Eye-catching

offering, what is in it for the reader

design grabs attention, but a provocative headline

and what action the reader should take.

and compelling text convinces the reader to

It’s tempting to overload your documents

consider what you have to say. It’s a personal

with every capability and feature you have

interaction as the prospect holds, feels, and re-reads

to offer and to address every question

your message. If you cut corners on printing or

before the reader asks, but this approach

circulate out-of-date information, your prospects

will overwhelm and disengage someone

might subconsciously conclude that you produce

who is just learning about you. As you

cheap, outdated products too.

move through the sales process you can

Tie each printed piece to a goal in your strategic

photos ©iStockphoto.com

introduce more complex printed collateral

marketing plan. Is the objective to drive new sales,

for your sophisticated, high-probability

cross-sell to existing customers or communicate better

clients, including specifications,

with your stakeholders? The appropriate format will

statistics and comparative

naturally follow—a postcard, a circular, a product

performance data. At this

data sheet, a package insert, a newsletter. The layout

stage, the content should

must work not only aesthetically, but also from the

be intriguing enough and

perspective of creating a positive perception that is

the call to action should

consistent with your company’s image. Combinations

be persuasive enough to

of different elements—paper types, colors,

inspire the reader to initiate

repetition—can produce powerful subliminal effects

a purchase.

so it is important that you work with a professional

It’s not surprising that print has held its place as the leading communications medium for centuries. Here are just a few reasons why.

Communicate at lightning speed

Successful print marketing

designer. Another consideration is portability. An

campaigns begin with a plan, a budget

oversized piece might gain attention, but what will

and an understanding that sales collateral isn’t

make someone pick up your piece and take it with

going to close the sale by itself. What it will do is

them and then pass it along to others?

provide outstanding sales support, reinforcing your message and staying behind to inform and persuade your prospect.

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Print’s Role in the Digital Revolution

Readers want to touch your message thanks to a new generatio n of papers, inks and varnis hes.

W

Technology is cool. It opens up a whole new world of marketing opportunities—email blasts, pURLs, PDA pushdowns, RSS feeds, tweets.

But what happens to your message when the BlackBerry battery is drained, or your format isn’t compatible with your prospect’s device?

hat makes electronic media

so captivating is that it presents a realtime marketing environment. Print adds a dimension to this experience that is warm, inviting and readers can’t ignore because

drive targeted prospects to a personalized

they are literally holding your message in

Web site, after which they receive a follow-

their hands. No need to boot up or power

up “thank you” card with a special offer.

down. Overlooking the role of print can

By combining print and digital, you produce

prove fatal to a marketing campaign.

an educational, engaging experience that

If your objective is to inform, teach,

speaks more directly and pertinently to your

persuade or entertain, print marketing is

target audience.

a must.

Readers are liter holding your m ally e their ha ssage in nds.

Print remains relevant in the integrated

rmat A touchable fo rance provides reassu te media y -b d n -a it b t a th can't match.

photos ©iStockphoto.com

technology, commit the time to educate

marketing communications mix for

yourself about advances in the printing

many reasons. Despite the ubiquity of

industry. You can create dazzling special

the Internet, many people just don’t go

effects that make readers want to touch

online. Certain demographics simply

and feel your message thanks to a new

prefer print collateral over digital options.

generation of papers, inks, varnishes and

Consumers use a variety of sources to

coatings. It’s a tangible dimension that

gather information about a product or

electronic media can’t impart. And throw

service, but research shows that they seek

away what you think you know about

print when it’s time to buy. Having words

direct mail. The new direct mail uses

and images in a touchable format provides

technology to deliver customized messages

reassurance that bit-and-byte media can’t

that can link to a corresponding Web

match. Web technologies provide quick

component. It’s all much less complicated

answers, but the responses are often

and less costly than you might think.

contradictory. Print shows that you found

Print adds dimension.

Just as you keep up with the latest

Companies that utilize the full spectrum

your message to be important enough to

of marketing channels realize exponential

commit it to paper and you stand behind

increases in brand identity, prospects,

what you’re saying. If you’ve abandoned

sales and ROI, but this requires an

print in favor of e-media, you’re missing

upfront investment in sound strategic

out on big sales numbers.

planning. You might replace one static

Digital marketing techniques work best

message with many targeted variations

when you introduce them in coordination

delivered through multiple channels, all

with print. You could post a banner ad

of which have to be consistent. Those

and hope those who find it among the

who successfully bridge the digital and

100 million other Web sites click through

print marketing environments deliver a

to yours. But think how much more

result that is greater than the sum of the

powerful it would be to use direct mail to

individual marketing elements.

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�alligraphy, defined as “the art of

David Siegel, a recent Stanford graduate,

kallos—“beauty”—and graphein—“to

who had an interest in creating a typeface

write”), is nearly as old as writing itself,

based on Zapf’s own calligraphy. So

but it was only after the advent of printing

Zapf and Siegel—using sketches of

that elaborate script lettering, distinct from

alphabets Zapf had made in 1944—began

everyday handwriting, began to appear.

developing the software to create such

The word calligraphy itself didn’t enter the

a typeface. Alas, before they had made

English language until 1613. But while

much progress, Siegel’s girlfriend left him,

calligraphy was revered as an art, in general

leaving him listless and despondent, and

use, it began to decline as writing became

he quit the project.

increasingly mechanical and typewritten.

�n the late 19th century, calligraphy

courage to present it to Linotype, who

against the mechanization of writing.

were enthusiastic, and helped Zapf

English author and artist William Morris

complete it. The result was four alphabets

was one of the chief influences on the

complemented by various ornaments,

renewed interest in calligraphy, and soon

flourishes and dingbats. Linotype released

he had legions of followers, such as

Zapfino in 1998.

in OS X to showcase the Mac’s advanced

calligraphy—who examined the structure

typographic capabilities. The Apple version

and beauty of letters—became designers

of Zapfino comprises 1,400 individual

of typefaces, revolutionizing type design,

glyphs, and features larger letters than the

which had until then been predominantly

commercial Linotype version. Zapfino has

the purview of engineers and technicians.

continued to evolve, with new versions—

�ne of these calligraphic artists and

If you’re like most professional graphic designers, you’re hesitant to use any font (or, more correctly, typeface) that comes preinstalled on

� hether it’s the OS X version or

any of Linotype’s packages (http://www.

Optima. Zapf was a typographic pioneer

linotype.com/1175/zapfino-family.html),

and an early proponent of computerized

Zapfino is an elegant script—and creative

typography. He had been interested in

experimentation can add a touch of class

a calligraphic typeface since the 1940s,

to any design project.

swashes. But with digital typography, it might be possible.

all, it has been literally decades in the making.

years since.

famous typefaces, such as Palatino and

delicate reproduction of fine strokes and

elegant calligraphic font, there’s one that’s worth a second look. After

such as Zapfino Extra—appearing in the

1918). Zapf designed some of the most

but hot-metal type was ill suited to the

your computer. However, if you use Mac OS X and are looking for an

� pple includes a version of Zapfino

and Frederic Goudy. These students of

type designers was Hermann Zapf (b.

Courtesy of Digital Technology

�he calligraphy project thus

languished until Zapf mustered up the

saw a revival, primarily as a reaction

Stanley Morison, William Addison Dwiggins

An Elegan t Script Fon t

�n the early 1980s, Zapf worked with

beautiful handwriting” (from the Greek

Open up your glyphs palette to find unique characters like these in Zapfino.

� s always, be sure to supply exact

copies of the fonts you use—whether it’s Zapfino or any other font—to us. Subtle differences can reflow text and cause

photos ©iStockphoto.com

layout errors. Consult with us if you have any questions about font usage.

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MARKETING ADVISOR

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About This Issue

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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. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company.

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Coating used: What kind of coating did you use to print this issue?

Computers used: iMac G5 Press used: What kind of press did you use to print this issue?

Bindery used: What kind of bindery did you use to print this issue?

How could you use such information to tweak your message?

............................ Want Better Results?

If you sell insurance, for example, the natural inclination might be to assume older adults are more

Try psychographics

concerned about their ability to pay for medical care or maintain financial security when, in fact, you might have better success by focusing on giving them the financial flexibility to travel or

According to the research, older adults are less likely to report concerns about such things as age-related medical and financial challenges as younger adults.

re-engineer careers later in life.

If you are a financial planning

W

e can illustrate the power of psychographics by using data reported in a recent article

from Media Post. The report describes key differences in life attitudes between younger and older generations.

Want better results from your direct mail campaigns?

Try adding psychographics.

According to the research, older adults are less likely to report concerns about such things as age-related medical and financial challenges as younger adults. At the same time, older adults report experiencing fewer

What are psychographics? Just as

of the benefits of aging that younger adults

demographics describe what your

expect to enjoy some day, such as spending

customers look like (age, gender,

more time with family or having more leisure time. They also tend to be positive

ethnicity, income), psychographics

about their lives, with the plurality (45%)

describe how your customers think and

believing that life has turned out “better

behave. This gives you another way

than expected.”

to segment or personalize your direct mail to make it more relevant.

firm, you might target younger adults with the message “plan for the future,” while targeting older adults (especially those in higher income brackets) with the message, “you’ve done a great job planning your life so far, let us help you continue to make great decisions!”

Of course, there will be variation within every demographic group, and there are nearly infinite attitudes, preferences and behaviors from which you can choose.

How do you know which psychographic characteristics to use?

This is where testing comes in.

Break your lists into multiple segments, or use control groups to test one message against the other. Test multiple

Psychographics are a powerful

messages to emphasize different

way to add another layer of

psychographic characteristics. See which

relevance to any demographic

aspects are the most likely to gain the

or other targeting you might

biggest response from your list, in your

already be doing. Top this off

marketplace, with your product. Test

with name or other person-

and refine your results over time.

alization, and you will speak even more powerfully—and effectively—to each person in your database.

photos ©iStockphoto.com

Media Post Research Brief, “Generation Gap in Expectations and Morality,” July 8, 2009.

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