Brand Energy

Unless Congress or the courts intervene, a postal rate surcharge in place since January 2014 will be rolled back [http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2016/pr16_009.htm] on Sunday, April 10, giving us the first rate decline in nearly a century. Sounds like great news for direct marketers, right? And in many ways it is. But what about the Postal Service’s claim that the rollback will increase its annual net losses by $2 billion, hampering its ability to operate effectively? Will we see changes in the future as USPS struggles to deliver innovation and quality? We checked in with Truman Pope, chief of American Litho’s lettershop, for his thoughts on the rollback and what lies ahead. TRUMAN, WHAT’S THE BIGGER STORY BEHIND THE ROLLBACK? As you can see, this isn’t a true rate reduction and it’s definitely not something the Postal Service wants. The Postal Regulatory Commission, or PRC, set a very specific limit on the exigent surcharge put in place to help the Postal Service recover from plunging revenues in the wake of the Great Recession. But the Postmaster General says it didn’t begin to cover the huge drop in revenue, which spanned several years and reached $7 billion in 2009 alone. WHAT EXACTLY IS THE PRC’S ROLE IN REGULATING RATES? The PRC gained broader powers in 2006 when Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. The idea was to hold USPS fully accountable for the efficiency and quality of its operations, which would in turn keep rates down and prevent price volatility. Prior to this, rate hikes were all over the place, making it really hard for direct marketers to plan and budget effectively. Leaders in our industry pretty much feel that the PRC’s oversight has led to greater rate stability and efficiency at USPS. We’ll know more about that when the Postal Service undergoes a 10-year review in 2016 as required by the Act. SO IT’S NICE TO SEE LOWER RATES FOR THE TIME BEING, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE POSTAL SERVICE’S CLAIM THAT IT’S OPERATING ON THE EDGE? It will be interesting to see what the quality review shows. We’ve heard USPS say that, even though revenues are down drastically, they haven’t laid workers off. In fact, they have more full-time employees now than they did 2 years ago. In 2017, postal officials may head to Congress and deliver the message that, essentially, they’re performing well but suffering financially, which could block their ability to innovate. No one has a crystal ball to foresee how lawmakers will respond, but we’ll be watching closely. DO YOU EXPECT THERE TO BE A LOT OF BUZZ ABOUT RATES AT THE NATIONAL POSTAL FORUM THIS MONTH? It does feel like rates will be the pink elephant in the room. All of us look forward to hearing what Postmaster General Megan Brennan says about the Postal Service’s health going forward. Our industry obviously wants to see rates remain stable. Managing workflows and labor and materials costs are all mandates we have to follow to stay in business, so it stands to reason that USPS as our partner should do the same. IN THE MEANTIME, HOW SHOULD DIRECT MARKETERS VIEW THE 4.3% SAVINGS? It’s a great opportunity to reach more prospects and customers with the same budget dollars. Put the savings together with postal discounts for mailings that incorporate mobile engagement and multi-sensory techniques and you’ve got a total winner. Whatever your goal, we’re ready to help. Ready to get started? Contact us NOW – we’re here to help! Ask a question or share a few details about an upcoming project. BLOG CONTACT FORM * Name First Last * Company Name * Email* * Project Details * Captcha Δ Truman Pope [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Truman-Pope_150_150.jpg] [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Truman-Pope.jpg] Truman Pope is American Litho’s senior manager of lettershop services. With 25+ years in the business, he works in close partnership with USPS and our full direct marketing team to deliver efficiency and savings for clients in all industries. Reach him through our Contact Us [https://www.alitho.com/contact-us/] page. Specifics on the postal rate rollback can be found here [http://pe.usps.com/]. If you’d like to share your views on rates and related trends with USPS, use this email link:Industryfeedback@usps.gov [Industryfeedback@usps.gov] The post Perspectives on the USPS rate rollback [https://www.alitho.com/blog/perspectives-on-the-usps-rate-rollback/] appeared first on Alitho [https://www.alitho.com].

Ever heard of the 7 P’s that are part of the preparedness strategy used by the U.S. Marines? It’s all about being ready when the big challenges come your way. Success with any print-based marketing campaign depends on having a detailed map of where you’re headed and the best tools and strategies to help you get there. With this in mind, we recently hosted the first American Litho University – our own boot camp for building your brand. Our 2-day event in Carol Stream wasn’t quite as tough as what they dish out at Parris Island or San Diego. But every participant came away with a new understanding of print planning, production, logistics and more – elements that lay the groundwork for strong performance. ALITHO U PRESENTERS FOCUSED ON SEVERAL MAJOR THEMES, INCLUDING: * Planning and teamwork for results * Defining campaign objectives * The value of accurate data * Marketing to the 5 senses We enjoyed the opportunity to show clients from all vertical markets how our services contribute to success with both print and multichannel initiatives. Open discussions created a lively exchange of questions and ideas – a forum that enriched and extended the learning for all of us. Sharon Rubar and Sam Dentino [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Sharon-Rubar-Sam-Dentino-1024x384.jpg] On Day 1, format optimization expert Sharon Rubar (above left) and Sam Dentino (above right) showed the group what can happen when we collaborate early in the game, studying and testing alternate formats [https://www.alitho.com/capabilities-printing-services/format-optimization/] that can help jobs run more efficiently for postage and print savings and faster cycle times. Dave Deschryver and Tim Gaw [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Dave-Deschryver-Tim-Gaw-1024x384.jpg] Tim Gaw (above right) gave participants a close-up view of pre-press [https://www.alitho.com/capabilities-printing-services/pre-press-2/] functions and how they deliver precise quality control and beautiful, on-time results. Dave Deschryver (above left) walked us through the in-line manufacturing process, taking us down to the production floor to demonstrate how major jobs come together. Along the way, the group made stops in 7 departments essential to our work: web [https://www.alitho.com/capabilities-printing-services/web-offset-printing-services/], sheet-fed [https://www.alitho.com/capabilities-printing-services/sheet-fed-offset-printing/] and digital [https://www.alitho.com/capabilities-printing-services/short-run-digital-printing/] production areas plus wide-format [https://www.alitho.com/capabilities-printing-services/wide-format-printing/] production, lettershop [https://www.alitho.com/capabilities-printing-services/lettershop/], pick-and-pack and fulfillment [https://www.alitho.com/capabilities-printing-services/fulfillment-pick-pack/]. [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Dwayne-Martinez-Truman-Pope-1024x384.jpg] IN THE PLANT AND IN THE CLASSROOM, PARTICIPANTS SAW LIVE EXAMPLES OF TEAMWORK THAT BEGINS LONG BEFORE DOLLARS ARE COMMITTED TO PAPER, PRESS TIME OR POSTAGE. Dwayne Martinez (above left), our merchandising and packaging guru, dug into the topic of developing clear goals that can lead to success with new technologies that integrate print, direct mail, mobile and in-store promotions. Our lettershop’s role in postage optimization and effective logistics came through in a focused tour given by Truman Pope (above right). THE ADVENT OF MULTICHANNEL MARKETING MEANS AN EVEN GREATER FOCUS ON ACCURATE DATA AS A DRIVER OF SUCCESS. Rob Glaza’s presentation on Day 2 explained the processes we use to optimize customer data [https://www.alitho.com/capabilities-printing-services/mailing-data-management/] and how these integrate with best practices in postal logistics for total mailing efficiency. [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Kodak-Sappi-1024x384.jpg] TWO GREAT GUEST SPEAKERS ALSO HELPED US SHOW THE EXCITING NEW POSSIBILITIES WITH ADVANCED PRINT TECHNOLOGIES. Rick Mazur (above left) from Kodak wowed the group with examples of 4-color, data-driven variable imaging for eye-popping, personalized offers. Dave Sullivan (above right) of Sappi introduced us to the neuroscience of touch – giving new insights into the power of texture added to postcards, catalogs, in-store collateral and more. Like Marine boot camp, we think ALitho University was a great workout for everyone. But even if you couldn’t join us, we’re ready to help you tap the full range of knowledge and resources here at ALitho to reach your brand-building objectives. Let us know [https://www.alitho.com/contact-us/] if you’d like to attend a future session. Semper Fi! Ready to get started? Contact us NOW – we’re here to help! Ask a question or share a few details about an upcoming project. BLOG CONTACT FORM * Name First Last * Company Name * Email* * Project Details * Captcha Δ larry_LI [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/larry_LI-150x150.jpg] [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/larry_LI.jpg]Larry McDermott brings more than 30 years of commercial printing experience to his role at American Litho. A master of all things sheet-fed and web, he’s a great resource for marketing leaders in all industries. The post Boot camp for brand builders [https://www.alitho.com/blog/boot-camp-brand-builders/] appeared first on Alitho [https://www.alitho.com].

Seeing the big picture across all channels of your marketing program is a constant challenge. That’s why we’re intrigued by a new analytical tool we recently previewed with our U.S. Postal Service representative here in Carol Stream. USPS’ new Marketing Impact Calculator [https://www.uspsdelivers.com/rom-calculator/], or MIC, is designed to help any business with $1 million or more in annual sales to measure the lift created by direct mail within a multi-channel marketing strategy. USPS developed this iPad-based tool in partnership with Universal McCann, a leader in advanced marketing analytics. It’s powered by big data reflecting the real results of Fortune 500 companies who use a mix of outbound and inbound web, social media, and traditional channels along with direct mail. MIC is now being used by USPS reps in face-to-face meetings to develop actionable insights for leading brands in virtually any industry. A MIC analysis can do two crucial things for you: * Create clear, concise projections of the sales lift you can gain from direct mail as part of your current multichannel strategy * Evaluate direct mail’s potential ROI for your specific company using multiple measures and reveal ways to make your current program even stronger > This kind of analysis sounds like it should take days, but with MIC it happens in minutes. Your USPS rep begins by entering your real or estimated spending across 11 marketing channels – everything from email campaigns to online search to print, TV and radio advertising plus direct mail. Then your rep uses information on your company’s direct mail activities, including total spend, the mailing format you most commonly use, and mailing list size plus the number of touches per year. Two levels of spending can be entered to compare two campaigns, customer groups or budgets. You can even compare zero direct mail spending to any given budget. Your rep fills in the picture with the average selling price of your product, the average times per year customers buy, expected profit margin, average response rates, and sales conversion rates. With this data entered, MIC creates fast insights based on both levels of direct mail spending. You can see the projected total annual sales you can expect, along with the annual and lifetime revenue value of a single new customer gained through the mail. The allowable spend per new customer acquired is also calculated, including printing, postage, and creative expenses. All calculations are aimed at homing in on ROI and are based not only on your company’s own experience but that of leading brands nationwide. A MIC analysis will add perspective to the hard numbers your analytics team has already developed. It’s a solid starting point in answering the biggest question that every multichannel marketing team must ask itself: what EXACTLY can direct mail do to help us grow sales and profits? > We like the fact that the entire report can be securely emailed to you for discussion with your team and updated anytime. It’s also great that you’ll be sitting across the desk from the USPS pro who can answer a huge range of questions for you. MIC is free, confidential, and offered directly through your USPS rep. We hope you’ll take advantage of it and the other multichannel programs USPS is offering now, including the 2015 Mobile Drives Mail discounts we wrote about in a recent post [https://www.alitho.com/blog/direct-marketing/leveraging-best-ideas-national-postal-forum/]. Our only job is to help you build your brand. Ready to get started? Contact us NOW – we’re here to help! Ask a question or share a few details about an upcoming project. BLOG CONTACT FORM * Name First Last * Company Name * Email* * Project Details * Captcha Δ frank-and-sam_sm [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/frank-and-sam_sm.jpg] [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/frank-and-sam_sm.jpg]Sam Dentino and Frank Arostegui are American Litho’s dynamic duo of direct marketing, bringing more than 40 years of combined experience to their roles. They work with the full ALitho team to serve clients in retail, financial services, insurance, consumer goods manufacturing, non-profit development, and many other fields. The post How hard are ALL your marketing dollars working? [https://www.alitho.com/blog/how-hard-are-all-your-marketing-dollars-working/] appeared first on Alitho [https://www.alitho.com].

Do some elements of your brand-building plan belong in a museum? Probably not. But just think: marketers who are still relying heavily on conventional direct mail are following a strategy that showed up before the Civil War. Product coupons? First seen in 1886. TV spots? Prompting us to change channels for 74 years now. Even BOGO offers have been in our toolkit for a quarter-century. It’s not their age, it’s the old-school thinking behind these tactics that can create problems.  And for brands focused on the emerging Millennial market, living in the past just isn’t an option. DON’T PUSH ME As marketers shift their attention to Millennials, they’re learning quickly that these consumers want more from the brands they choose. The 2015 Moosylvania Millennial Study lines out the new reality. These customers won’t answer your call to action, but they will take a call from a friend. Top brands move into the friend zone by helping Millennials look good, feel good and enjoy themselves, the study shows. Millennials also prefer brands that reflect their values [http://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2015/02/25/the-6-values-held-by-millennial-customers-how-well-does-your-company-stack-up/], giving strong preferences to those with a clear social conscience. In this context, the “push” messages of the past begin to look like loud, boring, one-sided conversations. Not the best way to make friends. WHAT DOES YOUR BRAND KNOW ABOUT EACH CUSTOMER? If deeper engagement is the road to success, especially with Millennials, then strategies that don’t help us learn about each individual we reach are also not good enough. (How can you get close to someone you really don’t know?) At American Litho, we’re introducing new promotional strategies that are more in  line with new realities. These approaches gather multiple data points about new customers, one interaction at a time. The goal is to develop a 3D picture of the people engaging with your brand, capturing preferences you can use to share highly relevant messages with them over time. Here’s an example that begins with an offer delivered via packaging or direct mail. * Targeted prospects are given the code for a series of free music downloads featuring artists that closely reflect your brand’s personality and known preferences among the target demographic. * Those who respond are asked to give a new piece of data with each download. * As they take advantage of multiple downloads, they in essence build a personal profile that might include age, gender, zip code, mobile phone number or email. Music’s intrinsic value in building a positive memory structure around your brand has great value in itself. But what we love about this strategy is its efficiency. Product promotions move beyond the old linear model, looking more like ongoing conversations where we learn more with every offer made. With each engagement, new channels open and new facts are shared that help your brand return to its emerging friend base with offers that follow known preferences. Measuring ROI is straightforward. Responses tell us which individuals and groups engaged with the music offerings, which tracks were preferred by which prospects and which product offers resonated most. Responses add to the growing profile of what we know about each individual and also what we know about larger segments of the total customer base. MUSIC AS INSPIRATION Because there’s so much to know about reaching Millennials, I thought I’d pass along even more findings via this infographic [http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/attention-brands-how-you-get-millennials-you-160575]. I found the recommendations coming from a study conducted by Yahoo, DigitasLBi, Razorfish and Tumblr especially helpful. In engaging young customers, researchers found that brands should set the mood, offer inspiration and use powerful references from popular culture. I can’t think of a better case for testing the effectiveness of music downloads for your brand. If you’re ready to try this strategy out, we can help you create a multichannel program that will deliver maximum impact for your brand. We have the data analytics [https://www.alitho.com/capabilities-printing-services/data-analytics/], format design [https://www.alitho.com/capabilities-printing-services/format-optimization/], testing [https://www.alitho.com/capabilities-printing-services/direct-mail-testing/] and production resources [https://www.alitho.com/capabilities-printing-services/] needed to take you from concept to successful launch and beyond. Let me know how what questions I can answer for you. Ready to get started? Contact us NOW – we’re here to help! Ask a question or share a few details about an upcoming project. BLOG CONTACT FORM * Name First Last * Company Name * Email* * Project Details * Captcha Δ Dwayne Martinez, Packaging and Merchandising [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/dwayne-martinez-150x150.jpg] [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/dwayne-martinez.jpg]Dwayne Martinez is American Litho’s packaging and merchandising guru, offering insights and expertise gained through 30+ years in the business. Dwayne works hand-in-hand with the full ALitho team to create exciting, cost-effective packaging and merchandising solutions for both leading and emerging brands. The post Adopting a 3D customer acquisition strategy [https://www.alitho.com/blog/adopting-a-3d-customer-acquisition-strategy/] appeared first on Alitho [https://www.alitho.com].

We came home from last month’s National Postal Forum in Anaheim with fresh knowledge and ideas that we’re rapidly putting to work for you. Here’s how we’re working with Truman Pope and the American Litho postal logistics team [https://www.alitho.com/capabilities-printing-services/postal-logistics/] to help you take advantage of the best opportunities. [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/eInduction1-300x148.jpg] [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/eInduction1.jpg]When he wasn’t immersed in courses leading to his new Mail Design Professional designation with USPS, Truman was going deep on eInduction, the option that streamlines acceptance of drop shipments to give you greater speed and control over your mailings. With eInduction, USPS uses surface visibility (SV) scanners to scan container barcodes at acceptance facilities. The process totally eliminates PS Forms 8125 and 8017, saving time on both ends. We can now prepare your shipment in-house, validate through our Detached Mail Unit and send it via cost-effective trucking options, knowing USPS will confirm the minute it arrives and take advantage of peaks and valleys in mailing volumes to handle your mailpieces with maximum efficiency. Truman-Pope_Sr.-Dir-Lettershop_American-Litho [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Truman-Pope_Sr.-Dir-Lettershop_American-Litho1.jpg] [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Truman-Pope_Sr.-Dir-Lettershop_American-Litho1.jpg]Truman Pope (Center) with members of the ALitho lettershop team Truman adds that eInduction helps Standard Mail perform better than ever, letting direct marketers choose a specific in-home date or a range of dates for strongest relevancy. It’s a reflection of USPS’s total commitment to high-tech solutions that will not only boost efficiency but also deliver true end-to-end visibility, giving you rich data to improve planning and results over time. Though eInduction has been around since November 2013, the Postal Service reports that only half of all drop shipments are using it right now. We can’t figure out why that rate isn’t higher! If you’re ready to take full advantage of this option with 100% of your container mailings, ask us how. Another great opportunity we came across is the 2015 Mail Drives Mobile Engagement Program, which will give you an upfront 2% postage discount on Standard Mail letters and flats bearing a mobile barcode or other print-to-mobile technology leading the recipient to a mobile-optimized website where they can complete a transaction. Mobile Engagement [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Mobile-Engagement-300x251.jpg] [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Mobile-Engagement.jpg]Highlights of how it works: * Mailpiece recipients must be able to purchase an advertised product from the website. * The mailpiece must include text next to the barcode or image, explaining how consumers can scan or access the site and what they will find on the landing page. * Mailers can register now through December 31, 2015 and earn discounts on mailings sent from July 1 through December 31. * All Standard Mail letters and flats and Nonprofit Standard Mail letters and flats are eligible. Mobile engagement has been high on our agenda for some time now – and we’re pleased to show you this cool demo. Just text ALITHO to 847-00 and you’ll see how we’ve made 3 favorite print engagement devices fresh and relevant for today. How can our integrated direct marketing team help you get more from every mailing [https://www.alitho.com/solutions/direct-marketing/]? Contact us NOW – we’re here to help! Ask a question or share a few details about an upcoming project. BLOG CONTACT FORM * Name First Last * Company Name * Email* * Project Details * Captcha Δ frank-and-sam_sm [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/frank-and-sam_sm.jpg] [https://www.alitho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/frank-and-sam_sm.jpg]Frank Arostegui and Sam Dentino are American Litho’s dynamic duo of direct marketing, bringing more than 40 years of experience to their roles. They work closely with Truman Pope, our senior director of lettershop operations, to serve clients in retail, financial services, insurance, consumer goods manufacturing, non-profit development and many other fields. The post Leveraging the Best Ideas from the National Postal Forum [https://www.alitho.com/blog/leveraging-best-ideas-national-postal-forum/] appeared first on Alitho [https://www.alitho.com].