W?hen marketers think about 1:1 printing, they often think about four-color mailers with personalized text and graphics. While four-color
mailers can be powerful tools, they aren’t the right tool for every application or budget. If you will be generating personalized
mailers in high volumes on a regular basis, “hybrid” printing can be extremely effective.
Take the example of a large Honda dealership
in central Pennsylvania. It runs an application that generates personalized letters to customers of its service department several
weeks in advance of the recommended service. They print letters on a four-color offset shell, with dealership imagery across the top
and tear-off coupons across the bottom. Letters are personalized by imprinting in black-and-white on a digital press.
A recent mailer
read:
Dear <<Name>>:
Following the recommended maintenance schedule for your <<vehicle>> is an easy way to keep your Honda running at its best. Our records show that your mileage should now be approximately <<miles>>, so it’s time for the following service...
<<recommended service>>
Please call us at 000-000-0000 to schedule a service appointment. Thank you!
The letter continued with a three-point benefit of choosing the dealership for auto service:
• Free shuttle service
• Child’s play
area
• Early-bird and night drop-off available
The bottom of the letter contained tear-off coupons directly related to the recipient’s vehicle and the recommended maintenance.
Bigger Bang for the Buck
The dealership sends out these mailers on a triggered basis. This
means that each mailer is directly and immediately relevant to the person receiving it. This is not a “Bring your vehicle in sometime”
type of message with the hope that the customer remembers the dealership when the time comes. An immediate relevance drives results
in a way that generalized promotions do not.
Marketers should get excited about applications like these that show that 1:1 printing doesn’t have to be full-color and graphics-heavy to work. Once hybrid applications are set up, they are inexpensive to generate. They can pack a powerful punch, too.
