Drupa 2012 Trends: American Manufacturing Returns

Posted May 14, 2012 by wilengroup
Categories: drupa
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After decades of watching American industries move to China to take advantage of cheaper production, the tide may finally be turning —at least when it comes to printing.

The latest innovations in printing, including data and 4-color variable, are helping to bring manufacturing back to our shores. The U.S. market is a leader in this new technology and we’ve been able to grab the lion’s share of this short to medium print market.

Think Shutterfly and small bookmakers.

Think fast turnaround and great customer service.

Think better data handling and more powerful software.

It’s new. It’s exciting. And the American markets are leading it all! This is one of the trends that we see here at drupa 2012.

Stay tuned for more!

 

- Darrin Wilen

President, Wilen Media

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One World — One Drupa

Posted May 8, 2012 by wilengroup
Categories: drupa
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Have you ever noticed that really great things tend to happen in four-year increments? For example:

  • The Olympics
  • The beginning and end of high school/college
  • Many sporting World Cups
  • Leap year (OK, technically not “great,” but it fits the model)
  • And my favorite…drupa

This two-week event is held every four years in Düsseldorf, Germany. As the largest print media trade fair in the world, drupa brings together industry professionals from all over the globe. They converge on Düsseldorf (or the drupacity) to network with peers, present new technologies and explore the latest applications in prepress, pre-media, printing, bookbinding, print finishing and more.

You can’t go to drupa and not experience something amazing! At the heart of the event is the global impact of sharing ideas, making connections and getting up-close-and-personal with the visionary solutions that will drive the future of the industry. Oh, and there’s a theme song, too!

I’ve attended drupa twice since 2004. Each time I discovered something that took Wilen to the next level of print innovation.

2004 — After visiting drupa, we decided to invest in data services. This allowed Wilen to expand in-house direct mail production. To date, Wilen has produced over a billion pieces of direct mail.

2008 — In 2008, we went to drupa and saw personalization and laser imaging and our future in direct marketing. Now, Wilen has invested in the latest in 4-color variable data printing capabilities.

Today, as I prepare to travel to drupa 2012, I’m excited about the possibilities and innovations that will catapult our business to the next level! What exciting trends will be showcased?  What late-breaking technologies in the digital and mobile realm will help us continue to be at the forefront of the industry?

I’ll be arriving at drupa with an open mind, an eagerness to learn and a very comfortable pair of shoes. With over one million square feet of exhibit space to cover, 17 massive exhibition halls and the attractions of the drupacity itself, quality footwear may just be the most important item in my suitcase.

What is the next investment for Wilen to make? Stay tuned!

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Pushing the Envelope with Full-Color Variable

Posted April 25, 2012 by wilengroup
Categories: Full-Color Variable Printing
Tags: , , ,

Studies have shown that consumers are 69% more likely to open envelopes with color graphics on the front. Add to that the lift that response rates see from including personalization—up to 20%, in some cases—and you’ve got one powerful combination. Wilen Direct brings this combination to life by printing high-def four-color inkjet on a fully personalized envelope. By incorporating new digital capabilities, we blend high-quality offset printing with 100% variable data and add it inline, without the need for additional offline laser printing. Merging multiple press runs into one saves on press setups as well as postage, and increases productivity.

 Not to mention the speed at which you can do all this. Our four-color VDP capabilities run at speeds up to 1,000 feet per minute and operate up to 80,000 mail pieces per hour, so four-color customized jobs can be turned around quickly and efficiently. This is big news for mass marketers. Such efficiency allows unlimited testing with content and segments. What you’re getting is serious profit potential and a distinct advantage in the marketplace.

 The envelope has just one mission—to get itself opened. Thanks to high-speed four-color VDP, that mission is easier than ever before.

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USPS 2012 QR Code Promotions!

Posted March 27, 2012 by wilengroup
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Following in the footsteps of last years success the U.S. Post Office is offering another promotion for those who choose to use a QR code on their business mailing.

We have laid out the full details on this for you below, just click the link. It’s definitely a deal worth being aware of!

Wilen_2012-USPS-Mobile-Barcode-Promo

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What EXACTLY did we learn from MPA:Digital Swipe 2012?

Posted March 23, 2012 by wilengroup
Categories: Digital Publishing

Perfectly timed just days after the official launch of the “NEW” iPad®, the MPA Digital:Swipe conference (#MPADIGITAL) offered the perfect opportunity for tablet publishers to gather, gripe and compare notes. 

It is truly an exciting time in media, and anyone who denies it or refuses to adapt…well, take a look at how the music industry handled the launch of the iPod®. Publishers from around the world are wrestling with the new medium and all it has to offer. The shift of content from static to interactive and portable is staggering and we continue to learn more about the platform every day. In the words of Dr. Mario Garcia (not in attendance), “Respect the uniqueness of the platform, to treat it with respect as opposed to dumping everything from one platform to the next.”1

These are very exciting days for those of us immersed in the world of tablet app development and publishing. New mediums and paradigm shifts rarely present themselves and we are in the infancy of both. With 41.9 million iPad® users projected for 2012 alone,2 there is no denying the tablet is a platform that has serious business implications for everyone.

And so, what EXACTLY did we learn? Well, we are not in this alone, so here are our Top 10 Take-Aways from #MPADigital #Swipe:

  1. Different platform users have distinct mentalities and interact with their brands differently: 
    a.  Android users are heavy readers but do not make many purchases
    b. Tablet users are just as engaged as print readers 
    c. Mobile and computer users are more high-level, focused on tasks such as research
  2. 70% of digital magazine users shop through ads and features to make direct purchases
  3. 75% of digital magazine adopters have never had a print relationship with the magazine
  4. Digital magazines can help retailers turn their ads into a shop-able feature
  5. The Tablet Experience: 
    a. Instant action
    b. Capture the moment through a purchase, a video view or an engaged interaction with a feature
  6. 12% of tablet users make one purchase per day, and 52% make one per week
  7. Facebook® is everyone’s top competitor in digital spaces for consumers’ time
  8. Companies should not take the Swiss Army Knife approach:
    a. Don’t do too much
    b. Keep your digital publishing features and navigation intuitive
  9. Develop to enhance your digital publication, never to create:
    a. Enhance your story with additional features
    b. Do not create a video to reiterate what the accompanying article already says
  10. We are all standing at the forefront of this new wave of technology

 1http://www.garciamedia.com/blog/articles/you_asked_i_answer
2SOURCE: eMarketer Nov. 2011

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Tablets: From Primitive Writing to New-Age Innovation

Posted March 22, 2012 by wilengroup
Categories: Digital Publishing
Tags: , , , , ,

Here at Wilen, we know tablets are no doubt shaping the future. In fact, according to a recent Forrester study, there will be a total of 82.1 million tablet users in the U.S. alone by 2015! Publishers and marketers now have the opportunity to make cutting-edge products that go beyond the limits of traditional print products. Two digital marketing conferences in March are discussing the importance of taking your brand from paper to the ever-evolving electronic world.

Adobe’s Digital Marketing Summit (March 20-23, 2012) is focusing on keeping ahead of the curve in digital advertising. One important notion being discussed at the Summit is how to target more “high-value” consumers. Optimizing a campaign can give immense return on audiences you never thought you could reach. That’s why digital marketing can increase the chances of delivering a product to a broader range of consumers.

Also on March 20th , the “MPA Digital: Swipe” conference informed publishers and editors of the revolutionary qualities of using tablets. It covered all aspects of the digital magazine world, including how to make an ad look more aesthetically pleasing within the tablet platform, what app is right for your brand and what that app should feature. Having the right look and feel to your app says a lot about your brand and that produces better results. What more could you ask for?

Digital magazines have now acquired 54% of the market for adults who read magazine content. Wilen has been at the forefront of this growing market and knows how to create digital works for all types of businesses—we’ve published a number of apps for the iPad that have increased our clients’readership and successfully moved their businesses forward. Isn’t it time you refresh your brand? Put your trust in the Wilen team, and we’ll deliver beyond your expectations!

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Why are Consumers Breaking Up with Brands?

Posted March 19, 2012 by wilengroup
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Click on the image below to view full size and let us know what you think!

 

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Data: The key to strategic marketing – Mind your data

Posted March 8, 2012 by wilengroup
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For today’s B-to-B and B-to-C marketers, data is one of the most valuable intellectual properties. Why? Because the data can be mined to effectively conduct targeted marketing, market segmentation and the most powerful marketing of all – strategic data marketing.

Facebook’s IPO is predicted to be so hugely successful largely because of its profile information database and opportunities for licensing some of its parts to other marketers. Of course, this introduces a whole host of privacy issues that, no doubt, will lead to new privacy regulations.

In the meantime, marketers, who capture data through cross-channel marketing, can apply data analytics, predictive and behavioral modeling to advanced variable data marketing that can be used to personalize both print and digital tactics to effectively market to both existing and prospective customers.

Predictive and behavioral analytics and modeling help marketers develop products and/or offerings that are more meaningful to the recipient. Rather than a calculated guess, predictive and behavioral analytics allows marketers to rely on real data that presents consumer preferences, online behavior, previous purchases, how much is spent, where they shop, etc. This information helps further define market segmentation. Marketing professionals can use this kind of detailed segmentation information to deliver personalized and unique messages to their customers regardless of channel.

At the core of the strongest customer relationship management (CRM), loyalty programs and outbound marketing initiatives is data marketing that incorporates predictive analytics. If you are not minding and mining your data, you’re limiting the success of your marketing and CRM

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Email Marketing and the Science of Yes

Posted March 6, 2012 by wilengroup
Categories: Uncategorized
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Every day we get overwhelmed with emails from companies promoting products, specials, new websites, new movies, music, almost anything imaginable. Out of all of the great things that were discussed at the 2012 MECLABS Marketing Sherpa Email Summit in Las Vegas, the “Science of Yes” concept stuck with me. Being marketers, we understand the importance of email campaigns and the importance of connecting with the consumer in the right way.

The Science of Yes breaks this down in a way where you can structure your emails to be successful in a few small ways that will lead to overall success. The many “Micro Yeses” along the way are the things that will lead to the “Macro Yes.”

There are 5 major areas where you want to get a micro yes; the subject line, headline, 1st paragraph, body and call to action. As a consumer is reading your email, you want them to first identify with and agree with the subject line to draw them in initially. You want to follow up with statements in the headline that will give you another micro yes, keeping them interested and moving onto the body. These small yeses will eventually lead them to your call to action, which will prompt them to follow through with your call to action, be it a purchase, a phone call, a sign-up etc…

At Wilen Media we have found that not only does this concept lift response rates for emails, but we can also apply this directly to our VDP and Personalized Direct Mail business and get similar results. The Science of Yes can be applied across multiple channels, with the key message being – keep your consumer engaged and wanting to follow through.

 

- Darrin Wilen

President, Wilen Media

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The past is for learning from- Nostalgia in marketing

Posted February 29, 2012 by wilengroup
Categories: Uncategorized
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Are we experiencing a return to simpler times?

 The Artist is the first silent film in 83 years to win a best picture Oscar at the ACADEMY AWARDS®. Old favorites Meryl Streep and George Clooney swept up nominations this year, 1950s-set My Week with Marilyn didn’t do too bad, and old-timer Nick Nolte, who was last nominated for an ACADEMY AWARD® in the ’90s, claimed a nomination too. Is history repeating itself, or is there something more to this nod to yesteryear?

A recurring theme in the marketplace is stirring up feelings of nostalgia among consumers. Nostalgia makes us feel good and can give meaning to our lives, allowing us to maintain our identities in the face of major life transitions. Offering products that remind people of days gone by has a level of effectiveness that we’ve seen not only in the motion- picture realm, but across all categories. If history has shown us anything, it’s that reviving and relaunching old products will, time and time again, lead to a successful marketing campaign.

Clothing, cars and entertainment are great examples of nostalgic themes in action. In the mid-1990s, Nike reintroduced its Air Force 1 sneaker originally launched in 1982. It became a far better seller than when it was first introduced, eventually reaching the status of top seller in the history of athletic footwear. Automakers also jumped on the nostalgia bandwagon by recreating past automobiles using current technology. In the 1990s, the new Volkswagen Beetle enjoyed a 59% increase in worldwide sales through a marketing campaign that evoked elements of its widely successfully original campaign for the Bug of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Ford Mustang Mach #1, BMW Mini Cooper, Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro were among other automobiles effectively revamped and brought back to the marketplace.

Whether marketers are inspiring or responding to consumer demand, one thing is for sure: the nostalgia trend is here to stay.

 

 

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