Mass marketing is out – and grazing is in! That’s the verdict of Tony Kemp (pictured), who tells how regular, varied and personal ‘snack’ comms are taking over from the costly ‘spray and pray’ campaigns of old.
Leading edge technology is about to revolutionise the world of direct, one-to-one marketing.
Where once it was deemed that two or three ‘killer campaigns’ each year were enough to ensure companies maintained their share of voice, increasingly sophisticated communication tools, along with the fragmentation of media channels, mean we are seeing a whole new approach to direct mailings.
It’s one that can be likened to the way we now consume food: formal family mealtimes are giving way to on-the-go grazing, allowing family members to consume what they want and where and when they want it. Mass catering is out and one-to-one food preparation is in as people tailor their daily diet to suit their own needs and preferences.
It’s an approach being reflected in the new mood of ‘snack shot’ marketing where perpetual grazing is proving a more effective messaging tool, replacing mass mailings with personally engaging one-to-one campaigns.
The emergence of one-to-one ‘dynamic’ marketing is primarily being fuelled by advances in digital print technology which now allows companies to communicate with a precise and tailored audience in an individualised way. Personalised mailings are no longer powerful enough – we are entering an era of dynamic or smart direct mail.
It is now possible, for instance, to change pictures and text in flight, effectively delivering multiple campaigns through a single mailing. By using ‘enriched’ data it is possible to alternate text, pictures and even font size to suit the age, gender, geographical location, occupation and income etc. of the recipient.
Not only is this a more targeted method of marcoms, it is significantly more cost effective: so much so that even small companies can now devise highly professional mailing campaigns at low, low costs.
So where once it was only the bigger corporates that had the budgets and know-how to deliver slick marketing material, today the local florist, hairdresser, solicitor, dentist or car showroom can communicate in an engaging and relevant way. The insight is all in the data.
Supported by clean and up-to-date data, companies can now acknowledge their customers at personal ‘touchpoints’ throughout the year – perhaps on their birthday or an anniversary or to remind them of an appointment or review meeting. It’s all about little and often – a disciplined diet of smart send-outs versus junk mail overkill.
Today’s technology allows everyone from multi-nationals to sole traders to talk to people in a regular, varied and personal way. The days of ‘spray and pray’communications no longer apply and the sheer flexibility and speed with which businesses of all sizes can reach their audience means they can do so on a regular basis.
It puts an end to wasteful communications and signals the start of more appetising era of ‘graze’ marketing with regular, snack-size messages that can be easily understood and digested.
Just as enriched data allows supermarkets to know your purchasing habits and translate that information into relevant offers, so smart mail can use a database to talk directly to the recipient in a timely and relevant way.
It’s a world away from direct marketing as we once knew it – mailshots as well as mealtimes have moved over to the sophisticated single serving.
Communications expert Tony Kemp is managing director and owner of Hello Market.
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Trained as a journalist from the age of 18 and enjoying a long career in regional newspaper reporting and editing, Sally Hooton joined DMI (Direct Marketing International) magazine as editor in 2001. DMI then morphed into The GMA, taking her with it!
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