Direct Mail's Variable Digital Colour Print Growth

Thirty nine per cent of direct mail is using variable colour printing, which presents different campaign segments with different images and content.

Thirty nine per cent of direct mail is using variable colour printing, which presents different campaign segments with different images and content.

That figure is expected to grow to 48.2 per cent by the end of 2007, according to latest research findings from CDMS.

The Liverpool (UK) company said that growth represents an enthusiastic take-up by direct marketers of digital colour print, since it came within the reach of most mailers about two years ago.

UK companies, across various industry sectors, were asked what proportion of their direct mail currently used variable colour printing to address different groups of prospects.

Generally speaking, industries that have either a wide product range, sell aspirational products, or rely heavily on brand values, derive greatest return on investment from variable colour imagery in their direct marketing, added CDMS.

The travel industry received the top score, at 43 per cent of all direct marketing print using data driven colour creative work.

Retailers followed in second position, at just over 41 per cent, with hotels in third place (39 per cent).

CDMS commented that travel companies and hotels are under intense pressure to encourage repeat business from past customers.

It is likely, therefore, that the majority of the benefit that travel and hotel companies are seeing is accounted for by using variable creative ideas in campaigns to win repeat business from existing and past customers.

The research also found that utilities and insurers are using variable colour creative least of the sectors studied, with the telecoms sector as a whole also showing a relatively low average use of variable colour, added the company.

Martyn Viquerat, document services director at CDMS, commented: "Essentially variable creative, powered by digital print, is playing a pivotal role in ensuring that mail-shots stand out from the crowd and elicit maximum response by appealing directly to the emotions of the recipient.

However, the level of sophistication of segmented mailing is still quite varied, from some sectors with large widespread appeal who will address many different segments, to others where it could simply be a matter of providing a female recipient with different imagery compared to that provided fora male recipient." Alternatively, creative might be varied according to age group.

However sophisticated, the need for digital colour output on demand is obviously growing fast, he added.

That is because of a parallel trend towards timely, event-triggered direct mail.

Viquerat explained that it has been recognised by many marketers that timeliness and personalisation in combination provide a powerful and response-generating combination.

Anniversaries, renewal timings, house moving, new births, new financial year and many other examples are trigger points for particular purchasing behaviours.

In his opinion, that meant that to be most effective, mailings must match those event timings and could not afford to wait around for high volume batch mailings, which was the model of yesteryear.

Viquerat recommended: "However simple the segmentation being used, relatively small volumes are being processed more frequently.

The amount of marketing campaigns using data-driven digital print is increasing as marketers realise that to stand out from the crowd it is essential to deliver fine-tuned targeting and to achieve a more personalised and relevant approach.

For many, access to this new technology is already paying substantial dividends.".

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