2 PERSONALIZATION CREATE BUYER PERSONAS BY LISTENING
4 BUILDING PERSONAS SLOW AND STEADY, WITH PROGRESSIVE PROFILING
6 ONBOARD USING CONSENSUS AS A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
Hey John! Every cover of this issue of Tactics is different. Look inside to see how we did it!
VOL. 7, ISSUE 5, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017
Brought to you by Shawmut Communications Group
FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE
Dynamic Personalization with HP Mosaic Software Ever wonder how Coca-Cola® produced their “Share a Coke” campaign? Or how Bud Light® created so many variations of their bottles featuring everything from professional sports teams to abstract colors and designs? It’s all done with dynamic personalization which you can see in action on the cover for this Tactics issue. To achieve this effect we use an application called HP Mosaic which is part of SmartStream, the technology that enables variable data printing. But Mosaic takes VDP to the next level! It uses a vector PDF file as an input (a “seed file” or multiple “seed files”) and then generates a large number of variations by transforming the file— scaling, transposition, and rotation— randomly. It can even arbitrarily select from a palette of spot colors, which are converted to CMYK for digital printing. The software outputs variable image assets which are then printed on our digital press.
VECTOR SEED FILE
SPOT COLORS
EXAMPLE VARIATIONS
To the right, you can see a preview of the seed file we used. See how your cover differs from this image? If your co-worker has a copy of Tactics they’ll have their own version, too. Every single cover we produced for this issue is unique. The best part is that it’s not complicated. Shawmut can help you get started today!
READY TO TRY DYNAMIC PERSONALIZATION FOR YOURSELF? CONTACT YOUR SHAWMUT REP TODAY!
IMPERFECT Do you aim to be perfect? Most of us are wired to strive for perfection and don’t give ourselves permission to fail or be dissatisfied. This belief that it’s not okay to be inadequate sometimes dominates our culture, but it’s okay to be imperfect. Our mistakes are rarely a matter of life or death. Allowing ourselves the chance to make mistakes and be “less than” in some areas heightens opportunities in other areas of our lives. We have permission to reorient our expectations and choose what’s important and what’s not. Developing this ability leads to a level of enlightenment and allows us to be better for others. When it comes to business, if we embrace the idea that mistakes will be made and change is inescapable, we lose the fear of failure and, in a way, we become invincible. After all, the only way to overcome pain is to learn how to bear it. There is no guide to marketing greatness. If there were, everyone would read it and the competitive advantage would evaporate. When we embrace change and the struggles within business, we tend to perform better and with more meaning. We have more compassion and humility. We can listen more attentively and be better attuned to our customers and markets.
WHEN WE EMBRACE CHANGE AND THE STRUGGLES WITHIN BUSINESS, WE TEND TO PERFORM BETTER AND WITH MORE MEANING.”
Because we realize that nobody is perfect and everyone is different, our first feature, “Personalization,” gives perspective on buyer personas. We learn about our consumers when we let go of our expectations and ask the right questions. Our second story, “Onboard,” looks at how and why it’s important to have your team (and brand) unified around a plan, though it is not likely to be perfect in everyone’s view.
Ultimately, your goal is to capture interest and convert that interest into sales. That would be perfect, but remember perfection isn’t always possible and thats ok. And it certainly isn’t possible without help. So if you’re looking for ideas to reach your audience lets talk, we’re here to help. Warmest wishes,
We hope this issue reminds you to let go, focus on what matters and forget about striving for perfection.
Michael Peluso President
Inside this Issue
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PERSONALIZATION: Create buyer personas by listening
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Companies must resist the urge to make a sales pitch. Get to know customers by listening and always asking why.
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ONBOARD: Using consensus as a competitive advantage Constructive debate is a crucial component of good decision-making. Learn how to reach consensus, not 100% agreement.
PRINT CATALOGS ARE MAKING A COMEBACK When retailers stopped mailing catalogs to cut expenses, the plan backfired. See how catalogs are now trending up.
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EXPERT Q&A Branding expert Martin Lindstrom discusses how consumers want brands to help them remove friction from their lives and connect to tactile experiences.
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PERSONALIZATION CREATE BUYER PERSONAS BY LISTENING
N
ow that consumers are fully tethered to social media and the Internet with their buying habits, it’s time for brands to relax with their sales megaphones. Sellers have to tone down their sales talk and become skilled listeners engaged in a two-way conversation with the consumer. The buyer personas—the fictional and generalized representations of real people—are sitting at their computers ready to share intimate information. The seller, if they listen carefully and ask questions artfully, can build a better buyer persona with the help of social media, the Internet, and direct mail.
If they are ready to listen. “It is really important that brands become listeners, rather than talkers,” says Sundar Bharadwaj, a professor of marketing in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. Then, they need to start asking questions about what is motivating or demotivating buyers. Building the buyer persona in today’s marketplace is all about personalization. Bharadwaj can’t emphasize that enough. Sure, your product has benefits. But, relax, you need to first find out if a particular consumer sees the product the same way that you do, or figure out why they do not.
THE BRAND THAT CAN DEVELOP AN ACCURATE PICTURE OF ITS BUYERS— EVEN IF IT IS ONE AT A TIME—HAS A POWERFUL TOOL BECAUSE NOW IT KNOWS WHAT IS ACTUALLY IMPORTANT TO ITS REAL CUSTOMERS.”
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BY RAY GLIER
“You can’t have the urge to pitch,” Bharadwaj says. “Building the buying persona is not your sales task. It is learning about your customer so you can communicate your offering better. Salespeople need to know that the biggest thing they can do is go back to the company and communicate to staff that “Our current offering doesn’t cut it.” Or, “People love what we are selling.” The brand has to understand why the consumer buys from them. That communication forms the platform for the buying persona.
IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT BRANDS BECOME LISTENERS, RATHER THAN TALKERS. THEN, THEY NEED THE ABILITY TO FOLLOW THROUGH AND KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS THAT START WITH ‘WHY’.” – SUNDAR BHARADWAJ PROFESSOR, TERRY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
WHERE TO START So, you want to create an accurate buyer persona? Here are some suggestions from Hubspot’s acclaimed inbound marketing blog.
GET BASIC, GET PERSONAL.
LEARN ABOUT HIS OR HER COMPANY.
Collect demographic information, such as (but not limited to) annual household income, where they live, age, if they have children and educational background.
What is the size of your persona’s company? What is their role inside the company?
LOOK FOR CAREER PATH DETAILS.
What do they like to do for fun? What kind of car would they like to drive? What TV shows do they watch? The key is to get personal with these questions.
How did they end up where they are? Did they switch from another industry? FIND OUT ABOUT THEIR WORK DAY.
How is your persona evaluated day to day? Do they have to hit certain numbers? If your persona had to write a job description what would it be? And, what tools do they use on the job? What is the persona’s biggest challenge at work? What is their primary goal at work? Knowing these things will help you learn what you can do to help your persona achieve their goals.
INVESTIGATE A DAY-IN-THE-LIFE OF YOUR PERSONA.
EXPLORE HOW THEY GET NEW INFORMATION.
Which associations or trade groups does your persona belong to? What do they read? What social media do they use? Do they use the Internet to research vendors? How do they search? NEXT: DIG DEEPER WITHOUT SCARING AWAY YOUR BUYERS USING PROGRESSIVE PROFILING
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BUILDING PERSONAS social media, the brand can mine that conversation for clues, as well. That’s why we must look for content that’s strong enough to create consumer involvement. “Once we do that and we find out the consumer likes the brands, they are willing to talk about it,” Cohen says. “We get the endorsement and we also get the reach, which is the multiplier effect.”
N
orty Cohen’s forthcoming book, “The Participation Game: How The Top 100 Brands Build Loyalty In A Skeptical World,” is full of in-depth research on buying personas and building a loyal customer base. “You can figure out the buying persona because there is so much interaction,” Cohen says. “And once you figure out who your audience is, you can start talking to them. “Friends and family and online and word-of-mouth dominate and have 21/2 times greater impact than Facebook ads, TV ads and YouTube ads combined.” If one buyer talks to another buyer on
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What happens is that once a brand gets a consumer talking about them, it builds an audience. There is authentication of the brand, and it creates a groundswell. Now the brand can start eavesdropping and studying buying habits, asking the right questions and following the buying journey. “You have to get to the target’s target in order to get that word of mouth going,” Cohen says. “You need that for the context of people recommending. You want to do what your friends are doing. Are you willing to pass along branded content? Will you put the brand logo on your laptop? Will you wear the brand’s shirt? The value is in consumers pushing the message through for you. Once you have people saying it for you, then you’ve achieved it.” Cohen’s conclusion is that wordof-mouth—consumers talking
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SLOW AND STEADY, WITH PROGRESSIVE PROFILING to consumers—is vital to the success of a brand. The oneway conversation—brands to consumers—is disingenuous. “They can fast forward through it,” he says. “Consumers are DVRing their way through TV and only a third of TV is watched live.” Cohen conducted five years of research for his book, which was all about asking questions and personalizing the buyer’s journey. “We wanted to find out how and why consumers adopt brands,” he says. “So we decided that we were going to talk to 1,000 consumers and ask them what their favorite brands are and how they became their favorite brands and how they connect.” Cohen, the founder and CEO of Moosylvania (a digital and experiential marketing agency) is constantly asking, “How and why did you get there?” The creed of the company is to “build one believer at a time.” The brand that can develop an accurate picture of its buyers— even if it is one at a time—has a powerful tool because now it knows what is actually important to its real customers. Then, it can find other customers, just like those who are loyal.
How do you figure out what customers value? Use a the steady stream of questions toward the consumer rather than features of the product. Then, armed with information, you can create relevant content that shows how your product benefits them and their specific issues. Some questions to ask include: • What keeps them up at night? • What are some challenges they face on a daily basis? • How are they motivated? • What are the daily drivers in their life? But how can you gather all this information to build out your buyer personas without making it feel intrusive? We’ve all encountered
a web form that is too long and probably thought twice about completing it. According to a Formstack report, contact forms should include no more than four fields per form. Adding additional fields may cause customers to exit your landing page because they feel it will take too much of their time or the offer isn’t valuable enough to give away a lot of their personal info. One way you can combat this is through progressive profiling. This feature—available through marketing automation services for Shawmut clients—enables you to build out your buyer personas bit by bit. Progressive fields will only display if the information for the specific field is unknown. If you already have information for the
lead, the field will be replaced with a field you have yet to collect. For example, let’s say you have a basic web form that captures name, company and email and it’s used for multiple content offerings on your site. Once a customer fills out the form more than once you can display new fields and ask new questions to help complete their profile. So next time, rather than displaying name, company and email, the form could ask their title, company revenue, and the biggest challenge they face. Progressive profiling allows you to create an accurate buyer persona without asking for too much information at once and sending the customer running from your offer.
READY TO TRY PROGRESSIVE PROFILING? CONTACT SHAWMUT TO GET STARTED.
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ONBOA USING CONSENSUS AS A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE BY MICHAEL J. PALLERINO
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ARD
AMANDA SETILI REMEMBERS IT AS A TEACHING MOMENT. AFTER A STRING OF STRONG REVENUE GROWTH INEXPLICABLY BEGAN TO PLATEAU, HER COMPANY’S SALES AND MARKETING TEAMS WERE WORKING AMID A DEADLOCKED, AWKWARD SILENCE. NOTHING EITHER TEAM DID SEEMED TO BE ABLE TO REVIVE THE ONCE ROBUST NUMBERS. With the pressure on, the blame game was in full stride. Ask sales to define the problem, and it said marketing wasn’t doing its fair share. Good leads, strong marketing materials and demos result in more closed deals—period. Ask marketing and the story was flipped. You cannot close deals using antiquated sales techniques.
To move forward with the speed needed to succeed today, you simply need to reach a point at which a few stakeholders define the best course of action and their colleagues can live with the decision.” – AMANDA SETILI PRESIDENT, SETILI & ASSOCIATES
Once these beliefs had calcified in the minds of the teams, they were hard to dislodge. They had allowed themselves to succumb to their own perception of reality and ignored the facts that supported the other side of the issue. As Setili recalls, the heads of sales and marketing called their respective teams together and demanded that they find a resolution. Their goal was to come up with a joint plan for sales growth in just four of the 25 sales districts. “By forcing the teams to develop a plan, and limiting the scope to a controllable subset of prospects and customers, the problem became much more manageable,” says Setili, who now runs the strategy consulting firm Setili & Associates. The prospects in each district were split into two groups, giving sales and marketing two different approaches to test. The discoveries from the pilot revealed quite a few surprises on both sides of the argument.
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Reach Consensus, Not Complete Agreement
“The act of building consensus is the investment that keeps on giving. When you involve people, you can count on their commitment, and that commitment builds and creates momentum.”
“The intent to reach consensus can be either an ally or a roadblock in the team environment,” Setili says. “When the stakes are high and leaders need to make a fast decision on which course of action is best, it’s tempting to allow different factions and functions to act autonomously.” Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos calls the strategy “disagree and commit.” Bezos believes that constructive debate is a crucial component of good decisionmaking and that it’s actually a bad sign if everyone is in agreement. Gaining input from across your company—from different geographic regions, functions, levels and perspectives—is critical when entering uncharted territory. “You want to have a diverse team made up of some who are especially creative, some who are very analytical, some who know the nuts and bolts of how things work, and some who are good at building buy-in to the decision reached,” Setili says. Having diversity of thoughts, perspectives, propensities and experience enables you to build a more robust and practical plan and to anticipate and prepare for roadblocks. And here’s the thing— Setili says you need to add a few skeptics and naysayers into the mix. These are the kinds of conversations that Setili has with her clients today, which include brands like Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, The Home Depot, UPS and Wal-Mart. The crux of her message is that in today’s fast-paced world, there is great uncertainty surrounding almost every decision
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– BRIAN BRAUDIS, AUTHOR OF “HIGH-IMPACT LEADERSHIP: 10 ACTION STRATEGIES FOR YOUR ASCENT”
you make. And, when you have uncertainty, you’re going to have many different opinions about the best path forward. “Reaching consensus is important because we need all functions and players in our organization to be aligned, moving in the same direction,” she says. “Organizations can get stuck at a crossroads, unable to pick a path forward, when they place too much emphasis on getting everyone on board with a controversial decision. To move forward with the speed needed to succeed today, you need to reach a point at which a few stakeholders define the best course of action and their colleagues can live with the decision.”
Building Bridges Can you imagine a rowing team that didn’t have a consensus? Think about that for a minute. A rower who could not agree on the direction would cause everyone else to overcorrect and work harder than necessary to maintain direction. Brian Braudis says the same thing is true for the direction of an organization. If divisions or branches within your company don’t buy into your vision or mission, your energy and effort is wasted. Each day should build on the momentum from the day before. If your team lacks
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consensus in its message, it can be a huge vulnerability. “The act of building consensus is the investment that keeps on giving,” says Braudis, a highly sought-after human potential expert, certified coach and author of High-Impact Leadership: 10 Action Strategies for Your Ascent. “It fosters employee engagement. When you involve people, you can count on their commitment, and that commitment builds and creates momentum.” Build, cultivate and instill consensus. Those are the keys to creating an environment that can compete in today’s highly competitive landscape. But even then, Braudis says you must approach consensus with your eyes wide open. “Remember, consensus does not mean complete agreement, but rather seeking a way forward where everyone is reasonably comfortable,” he says. “Diversity of thought and varying backgrounds of individuals is important. Different approaches to looking at problems and problem solving give you a wide variety of ideas and opinions for getting to yes. When everyone is aligned around your vision, mission and values, you’re pulling in the same winning direction. That’s a lot of power and a competitive advantage that’s not easily duplicated.”
FIVE STEPS TO ACHIEVING CONSENSUS
Identify and enlist stakeholders – Represent all the most-impacted groups, 1 but don’t go overboard on inviting everyone into the conversation. A group of 5-12 people will be much more effective in settling differences and devising compromises than a larger group would be. Define objectives – This may require more thought than you think. Detail 2 the strengths and weaknesses of each alternative. Define criteria for evaluating alternatives – List both the quantitative and 3 qualitative criteria that the consensus-based answer must meet. Criteria may include caps on the amount the chosen solution can cost, how long the solution can take to implement or how much risk is acceptable. Be clear about which criteria the solution must solve, and which criteria are merely “nice to have.” Develop alternative courses of action – Creative thinking comes in at this 4 point. What are all the different ways that you can solve your problem? Evaluate and select a course of action – Here’s where it’s most important to 5 consider the facts from all angles, and make a choice that best accomplishes
SOURCE: AMANDA SETILI, PRESIDENT, SETILI & ASSOCIATES
the objective, meets at least the “must” criteria, and on which most of the stakeholders can agree. Remember, not everyone has to be crazy about the action plan, but no one should be saying, “I absolutely cannot live with this.”
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insights
PRINT CATALOGS ARE MAKING A COMEBACK According to the DMA and USPS, in 2016 there were nearly 10 billion catalogs mailed in the U.S., and they arrived in all shapes and sizes. However, one trait all print and direct mail catalogs share is their ability to drive consumers to make a purchase.
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Download our Catalog Fact Sheet for some of the most common sizes and mailing specs. shawmutdelivers.com/ resources/learn
Printing and Mailing Catalogs Although catalog sizes vary in trim size and page count, they can be designed to deliver the same total square inches. Below is an overview of some standard sizes and how they compare: FORMAT
TRIM SIZE (IN)
PAGES
SQ IN/PAGE
Full Size
8.25 × 10.5
16
86.625
1386
Slim Jim
5.5 × 10.5
24
57.75
1386
5.25 × 8.25
32
43.3125
1386
Digest
TOTAL SQ IN
The key to choosing the right size is knowing how much information the catalog should contain. If you intend to showcase hundreds of images and descriptions, choose a larger size to avoid page congestion. Smaller size catalogs are also best for shorter runs, typically less than 10,000. No matter the size, printing in even signature page quantities, such as 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, etc., will be the most economical to produce.
FULL SIZED CATALOGS
SLIM JIMS, MINI SLIMS AND DIGEST
Full size catalogs are typically mailed as a flat and in order to qualify for that rate they must:
These smaller format catalogs are typically mailed at the letter rate. To qualify for automated machinable letter rates, they must:
•
Have one dimension greater than 6.125" high OR 11.5" long OR 0.25" thick.
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Have 3 tab closures or glue to seal on all 4 sides.
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Be no more than 12" high × 15" long × 0.75" thick.
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Have outer paper stock of at least 50 lbs.
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Shape: rectangular, with four square corners, or with finished corners that do not exceed a radius of 0.125" (1/8").
•
Have the address running parallel to the longest side.
•
Must pass USPS flexibility test.
•
Height: no more than 6.125" or less than 3.5" high.
•
Uniform thickness: the contents must be uniformly thick so that any bumps, protrusions, or irregularities do not cause more than 0.25" variance in thickness.
•
Length: no more than 11.5" or less than 5" long.
•
Thickness: no more than 0.25" or less than 0.009" thick.
•
Weight: no more than 3 ounces.
MIN.*
MIN.
MAX.
LENGTH
11 1/2" 15"
LENGTH
5"
11 1/2"
HEIGHT
6 1/8"
12"
HEIGHT
3 1/2" 6 1/8"
THICKNESS
1/4"
3/4"
THICKNESS
.007"** 1/4"
*
MAX.
Flats exceed at least one of these dimensions.
HEIGHT
But catalogs aren’t just coming back in their traditional 8.5"×11" format, they are becoming works of art. Thanks to a 23% increase in response rates to printed catalogs according to the DMA’s 2017 Statistical Fact Book, retailers like Bonobos and Tommy Bahama are starting to roll out high-end catalogs that become a showpiece for the brand.
What type of catalog is right for your brand?
HEIGHT
A study conducted by the USPS and comScore Networks reported that 60% of customers visited a company’s website because of a catalog they received. Even better news for retailers is that people who receive printed catalogs purchase 28% more on average than those that don’t.
LENGTH
**
Thickness must be .009" or more if more than 6" long, 4 1/4" high, or both.
LENGTH
Who’s using these catalog sizes?
Source: Media Finder data published on April 19, 2013
SMALL CATALOGS (8–9.5" L, 6–7.25" H)
SLIM JIMS (10.5" L, 6" H)
DIGEST CATALOGS (8–8.5" L, 5–5.5" H)
Crate & Barrel
American Cancer Society
Aerosoles
Dillard’s
Duluth Trading Co.
French Connection
Frye’s Industries, Inc.
Godiva-Christmas Catalog
KB Footwear
Temple University Press
The Vitamin Shoppe
Neiman Marcus Home
Shawmut Communications Group 978.762.7500 | www.shawmutdelivers.com
09/2017
PRINT RULES The data is gathered from the 2016 Graphic Design USA (GDUSA)—the organization’s 53rd annual print design survey sponsored by Verso. The survey was sent to a random selection of 12,000 GDUSA print magazine and e-subscribers and generated 1,089 responses. The results show a clear message that print remains essential in the digital age.
SURVEY SHOWS THE PASSION FOR PRINT REMAINS IN THE DIGITAL AGE THE TOP 12 TYPES OF PRINT PROJECTS designers spent their time on last year:
1
BROCHURES/COLLATERAL
2
ANNOUNCEMENTS/INVITES/CARDS
3
DIRECT MAIL/POSTCARDS
4
LETTERHEADS/BUSINESS CARDS
5
PRINT ADVERTISING
6
POSTERS
7
SALES/SELF PROMOTION
8
POP/PACKAGING
9
PUBLICATIONS/MAGAZINES/ CATALOGS
10
ANNUAL/CORPORATE/CSR REPORTS
11
BOOKS
12
CALENDARS
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CONTENT TRADITIONAL S MARKETING V ADVERTISING
AND THE WINNER IS... The power of content continues to make its presence felt. According to Time Inc.’s “How Custom Content Inspires Consumers” study, two in three consumers have greater trust in custom content than traditional advertising. In addition to trust, the study (which queried more than 17,000 Millennials, Gen Z and Gen Xers) shows that custom content is perceived as thoughtful and provides value.
HERE’S A LOOK AT SOME OF THE STUDY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
93% like brands sharing interesting things they may not have otherwise seen
92% believe brands have expertise on topics and add value to content
57% feel brands put more thought into being creative and interesting
56% like that brands are not just trying to sell, but are sharing something cool or teaching them
56% appreciate brands that partner with sources they trust
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Trending with... What strategies are reaching the masses today? It all comes down to empowerment. When brands empower prospects to make smarter purchases, and empower customers to get more value out of the products they purchase, it naturally creates meaningful conversations. People don’t simply want to be interruptive with slick ad campaigns. They want brands to help them remove friction and solve problems. That’s what leads to engagement and conversations. These conversations frequently happen online, but it’s important to remember the power of impassioned offline conversations as well. Great brands are built, not bought. They need to build great experiences. Once they do that successfully, they can invest in traditional marketing to build awareness and traffic. Who’s doing it the right way? One of the best examples is Patagonia. They fight friction by defending the environment. It builds immersive experiences—website, documentaries, retail events—that educate the audience about how they can take small actions that will make a big difference. Yeti is also amazing. It has built a series of amazing videos that are truly inspiration. Each one is about eight minutes long, which is incredible given the typical digital ad exposure is only about 1.6 seconds. Successful companies provide the critical emotional and rational information that prospects need at each step of the journey. The brand story grows and is optimized for each channel. It’s not the same message repeated over and over. As consumers interact with each touch point, they produce behavioral data that enables the brand to optimize their sales
Noted brand sleuth Martin Lindstrom on the search for the next big thing
M
artin Lindstrom has seen human tendencies close up and devoted countless hours to studying them. What he has discovered is that our desires manifest themselves in hundreds of ways each day, from the computer passwords we choose, to where we place refrigerator magnets, and the way in which we take selfies or use emojis. In his book, “Small Data: The Tiny Clues That Uncover Huge Trends,” the bestselling author and noted branding expert reveals how these intricate pieces of information can decipher what reams of big data cannot— how unmet human desires can unlock the next brand breakthrough. The man who Time Magazine once listed as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in the World” has been called a modern day Sherlock Holmes. We sat down with him to get his take what today’s consumers are really looking for.
and marketing efforts. It helps them understand the psychographic profile of each prospect and identifying their unmet needs. It’s all about providing value. Successful brands empower prospects at every step of the journey.
they are building content and tools that empower the audience. Personal interaction is everything. It enables us to pick up emotional data—”the chemistry,” “the aspirations,” the “desires,” and the “out of balances.” Each of these factors form the foundation for successful brands.
Do buyers have all the control today? Yes. It’s because brands are completely transparent. Thanks to the infinite amount of information available through search, social and mobile technology, buyers can see through exaggerated brand messages and can ignore clever jingles. Brands keep investing in interruptions and the audience keeps running away. Consumers want immersive content and tools that fight friction. They have the power to ignore traditional messages. How can brands flip the switch? Successful brands are simply taking a portion of their paid media budget and applying it to owned and earned media. That means rather than buying ads,
What are today’s consumers really looking for? One of the things I point out in my book is how the community is dying. The reality is that we’ve migrated our social interactions online, and we rarely meet people in our day-today life. This is increasingly creating an out of balance in our lives—and thus a gap for a new brand or need. Most consumers are still not aware of this. They just somehow feel they’re missing something, that tactile interaction, the smells and sounds— the camaraderie, the kids playing on the street, the unlocked door. That trend—more than anything—will turn into something major very soon.
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John Q. Sample 33 Cherry Hill Drive Danvers, MA 01923
61% of U.S. consumers feel more positive about a brand when marketing messages are personalized.*
GET PERSONAL WITH SHAWMUT’S VARIABLE DATA PRINTING SOLUTIONS
Shawmut’s variable data capabilities include: • V ariable text and images to segment campaigns and increase relevancy • I n-line addressing and barcoding to lower costs and improve delivery speed • P ersonalized URLs (PURLs) for custom landing pages that increase response rates • C ustom integrations with 3rd party applications to improve customer workflow and efficiency
Dear Jo
hn,
Our var iable da ta print image p solution ersonal s—inclu ization you to d shown di o far m o n the co ng dynamic ore tha With th n v er—allo insert y e right w our rec data, yo to an in ipient’s u can t dividua arget co name. l ’s inter donatio mmuni ests, lat ns, and c a t e i st purc other d hases, p ons emogra Contac r e p v h ious ics or b t me to ehavior get star a l trends. ted! Mark P anicali markp@ shawm utdeliv 978.304 ers.com .4059
* SOURCE: “TODAY’S DIRECT MAIL” PRESENTATION FROM MARKETING SCIENCE 2016. SEE IT AT SHAWMUTDELIVERS.COM/RESOURCES/LEARN
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