Creating a new dimension for mail
New technology can expand the carrying capacity of the envelope and add value to each mail piece
Introduction
One of the primary goals of mail and postal technology companies such as Megaspirea is to add value to each mail piece and thereby increase the value of the postal system for all stakeholders. Mail volumes remain reasonably healthy and stable and the time is right for innovation.
Megaspirea is introducing the concept of Dynamic Envelope CreationTM. In this method for mail finishing, the envelope is created from the same roll of paper that the documents are printed on, inline, using dynamic die-cutting, folding and gluing.
The advantages of Dynamic Envelope Creation extend deeply into the organization where, for example, operations can save about a penny per mailing simply by not ordering, storing and staging boxes of envelopes. For sensitive documents, such as financial and health insurance statements, the process is more private and secure than traditional print and inserting. But most importantly, the envelope becomes a tabula rasa, an unregulated piece of prime real estate that can more easily be used for marketing communication purposes.
Transpromo Communications
There has been a great deal of talk lately about what has become known as transpromo communication, which is the practice of leveraging transactional mailings-bills and statements-for promotional purposes. Transpromo has clear advantages for marketers: the bill holds the attention span of a recipient for about forty seconds more than a direct marketing mail piece. That time can be used to build a stronger business/customer relationship and add to the wallet share one receives from each customer.
For years now, Customer Relationship Management tools have been used for every channel but mail. Scott Nelson, VP of the CRM practice for Gartner Research, has stated that only about 15% of businesses employ CRM tools for hard copy collateral. Yet postal mail is the channel most preferred by consumers as the means of business communication. This disconnect must be closed. Transpromo communication is one initiative that serves to close that gap.
Difficult and Dangerous
The problem with transpromo communication is that it is both difficult and dangerous. Dangerous because, if the mission critical nature of a bill or statement is somehow compromised or misread on the part of the recipient, this can do more harm than good. Difficult because bills or statements have many owners within an organization-finance, accounts recievable and operations to name but a few-and there may not be a corporate will to change that document just because marketing views a benefit.
At a recent Transpromo Summit in New York City, one oft-repeated theme was particularly well-taken: that for any number of reasons it is difficult to get messaging on the statement. It is difficult to manage the space; it is difficult to coordinate personal messaging; and it is difficult to print – which becomes even more difficult once colour is added.
Furthermore, in some of the more heavily regulated verticals, such as financial services or health insurance, the statement itself is protected by governing entities and cannot be altered without a series of permissions. In some cases where the permission only extends to a single alteration on a particular mailing one may need to go through the permission process for every individual message every time one is mailed. Transpromo is not easy.
Dynamic Envelope CreationTM
Dynamic Envelope Creation gives the organization the ability to print images and copy on the face of the envelope. This creates a message platform on the most visible part of the mailpiece, the part that is most easily read. The envelope no longer hides the message but becomes a part of the message. So while the envelope has long been a vehicle for branding, carrying the logo of the company, now it becomes prime real estate for other types of messaging, including marketing.
It also expands the carrying capacity of the mailpiece by adding messages on the front and back panels. It is as if one were to say to a shipping company that they could add four feet of carrying space on every truck at no additional charge. In support of this, Megaspirea’s Mailliner 100 finishing system is able to produce highly personalized documents with throughput that easily rivals the high-end systems of traditional inserter companies.
For more information, please visit www.megaspirea.com
