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February 17, 2009
Print Optimization. A Silk Purse May Come From This Sow's Ear.
I have been in a several client meetings over the past weeks where the demand to rationalize print spending has been front-and-center. In every case, the result is still baby steps, but the reality of print optimization is taking hold.
Print optimization is one of those vague concepts that is typically short-shrifted in most marketing programs. It just never makes it to the top of the heap in priority. But now, the recession has created a prime motivator...everyone needs to cut spending and print seems like the place to start. But, the rationale to optimize print production costs should not be motivated solely by the need to reduce expenses. Taking that tack can lead to diminished marketing results...print remains a vital element in the world of marketing.
So what is the alternative? A more wholistic view of print spending that identifies opportunities to optimize programs based on:
- client migration to online media
- excess print quantities that result in waste due to content obsolescence
- untargeted direct mail spending
- or...a host of other valid considerations!
For some time, industry experts have noted that the peripheral costs associated with print production (design, distribution, warehousing, waste from obsolescence, etc.) outway the costs of printing by 6:1 or 7:1. Process REALLY matters. Plus, sourcing from the best resource on a national scale can reduce absolute print costs by targeting the job to the press. We are currently engaged in a project like this for a large retailer and the savings potential is enormous.
At the same time, a true print optimization program will evaluate places where production should shift from mass-marketing, one-size-fits-all processes to more personalized digital print techniques. Digital print has made enormous strides in price-competitiveness and is applicable to far more applications than most people presume.
The point? While the need to reduce costs in today's down market is undeniable, you should turn the need for savings into opportunity by focusing energy on how to "optimize" the integration of printed materials in your marketing mix rather than focusing exclusively on reducing/eliminating printed materials.
Posted by jcioban at February 17, 2009 11:24 AM
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