The expanding role of print in multimedia marketing

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This entry was posted by Sumeer Chandra, Vice President for Worldwide Marketing and Strategy at HP’s Graphics Solutions Business 

In my last post I talked about book and magazine publishing, print preference, and the ways HP is addressing that market with HP Indigo Digital Presses and HP Inkjet Web Presses at the world’s largest printing trade show, drupa 2012.

In addition to the publishing industry, print has a significant presence in direct marketing, along with e-mail, mobile and social media. With all the customer relationship management data available today, direct marketers have the information they need to send consumers effective, personalized ads. In fact, it is relatively easy for a marketer to send you an e-mail with your name, touting an offer that reflects your interests. The problem is getting you to open it. In fact, direct marketing e-mail placement rates have been in decline, and direct marketing e-mail open rates remain relatively low.

When marketers take that easily personalized e-mail offer and create a personalized direct mail piece instead, open rates can increase. As a result, marketers are taking a closer look at the lists they work with, parsing data to reach people who may buy when they get a mailer but are less likely to respond to an e-mail, online or mobile message alone.

Getting back to publishing, there are even some groundbreaking campaigns applying these techniques in the magazine space. Magazine promotions using HP Indigo digital presses have won Cannes Lions advertising awards for Time Inc. and Billboard magazine. Project Match, a program developed by Hearst Magazines, HP and HP Inkjet Web Press customer Strategic Content Imaging, has developed high-response, personalized, QR Code insert and outsert advertising programs for Harper’s Bazaar and Popular Mechanics magazines.

In many cases, once PSPs’ customers see the strong advantages that come when integrating print with data, they no longer question print as a promotional medium. Instead, they often recognize print’s enduring ability to deliver a strong return on marketing investment and its unique value in creating a more personal connection with customers.