Green direct mail in USA

A study among 1000 Americans shows that consumers greatly overestimate the environmental impact of direct mail. DMNews and Pitney Bowes found that respondents ranked the delivery of 10-11 pieces of transactional mail per year as the third most polluting activity (in terms of carbon dioxide emission). Only driving a car 1000 miles a month and the electricity usage for a top-freezer was more polluting.
Whereas in reality advertising mail accounts for 2% of all municipal waste, respondents vastly overestimated this: 48% thought that half of the municipal was advertising mail.
There is obviously a lot of work to do to change this perception. When no action taken the perception of the medium might be in jeopardy.
Consumers seem to be unaware of the sustainability programs of organisations as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) that promotes sustainable forest management. Over 60% of respondents said they would think more highly of the industry if it planted trees to offset paper production. Such a green label would even make unsolicited mail more positive.

Shifting channels

I few weeks ago I listened to a presentation at the annual congres of the Stichting Marketing of Patrick Tillieux COO of the TV holding ProSiebenSat1 and was rather shocked by his revelations. His presentation was on the globalisation of the TV industry and was referring to a program format bought from a US channel. The program, "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?", was put on air in various European countries. The audience metrics indicated that the program was no success in most countries. The channels' audience was reduced to one third when the program started! Just imagine that from one moment to the other readership plummets with 70%.
Also simple phrases can make viewers shift channels. Dutch research demonstrates clearly the impact of for example a journalist covering daily politics. When he says in a life program " Well, nothing really exciting happened today" viewers zap "en masse". A very floating and expensive audience indeed.

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"The question is whether we need to push our products or push the marketer as he has problems understanding the online market."
Peter de Mönnink, Chief Strategy and Internet Officer Reed Business Global (In Adformatie).

The Poster Magazine

Imagine a magazine the size of 1.5m by 2m, with no advertising, on display at café's, bars and bookstores, with no strict editorial goal but with a very strong design appeal. This one sheet magazine is called "Is not Magazine" and available in major cities in Australia. It is pasted on outdoor posters sites in Melbourne and Sydney and also available at indoor poster sites in bookstores and bars. The poster magazine can be read like the "wall papers" in China and can be ordered for €17 and will also do great as decoration.

Great creative and venue

This week Amnesty International Belgium launched its end-of-the-year campaign "I save lives "with a major media initiative. Part of the campaign -developed by Air- is this huge poster that has been attached to the scaffolding of the Brussels Palais de Justice. Where to get more attention for human rights than here? The illustration is made of hundreds of signatures and therefore uses the essence of what Amnesty does as part of the creative. A great idea on a unique location. Air developed two other themes on the same idea.

The Power of Print/Posters

On the website of De Standaard -a leading Flemish newspaper- you can choose for a winning cultural poster and win a culture cheque. Of a total of 140 posters 10 were selected by a jury and are now open for voting by everybody.
I'm still experiencing that reducing the message to the essence and reproducing it on a poster is a lot more difficult than doing that on an A4 size advertisement.
This contest therefore demonstrates the Power of Print via the medium posters. It is organised by Prospecta and sponsored by Agfa Graphics.

New strong evidence for magazine effectiveness in media mix variants

When magazines are added to a mix of online and television advertising purchase intention increases with 7% (vs TV and online 5.6%), brand favourability increases with 7.3% compared to 4.5% with TV and online. On other brand metrics as aided brand awareness and advertising awareness the effect of adding magazines is important but less impressive.
Recent research of 32 cross-media campaigns across ten categories by Dynamic Logic (a Millward Brown research company) provides strong evidence for the use of a mix of different media. And the important role magazines play in the effectiveness of advertising investments. Magazine effectiveness represent for example 62 % of the combined effect on brand favourability. The research also shows the limited value of online advertising on the five metrics. The incremental effect of the online investment tops at 22% of the combined effect.
This is the second analysis made by Dynamic Logic, I have reported on earlier research (17 cross-media campaigns) in the Sappi publication Life with Print. Comparing both pieces of research the striking decline of effectiveness of online media becomes apparent. Online advertising' share topped at 38% on the brand favourability metric.
It seems that this new research -based upon more cases- includes the effects of diminished newness and therefore attention of online media.

Company documents remain printed

A survey from EDSF indicates that the budget for printed documents (invoices, bills, statements, explanation of benefits) companies use to communicate with clients modestly increases. Almost 43% of respondents of the survey say that the budget for paper-based communications increases by approx. 10%. This despite the fact that more than half of the companies already make more than fifty percent of their documents available over the Internet. Transactional documents will make increased use of digital colour. Half of the companies will increase the use of colour by 5% or more in the future. A new trend in the use of transactional documents is Transpromo, this is the use of colour on documents as bills and statements and integrating selected promotional offers.
EDSF concludes that electronic delivery will only have a limited impact over the next years as firms will have to address legal and compliance requirements and security/privacy issues.

Mind mapping with Tony Buzan

I was invited by Gino Togni of IMS to attend an interactive session with one of the worlds promoters of mind mapping: Tony Buzan. This 65 years old energetic and gifted Englishman is one of the best presenters on a hugely interesting subject of brain functioning and learning. His full-day workshop covered insights in how our brain functions and also on how we can best describe what we hear or read by presenting it in a mind map. A visual description of the information makes it stay longer in your brain. He did not refer to how that relates to obtaining information via audio-visual, electronic or print media. Probably an interesting subject for a research project.
In the meantime media are already using the technique of mind mapping and showing it in ads to illustrate for example the profile of its radio listeners.

Magazines increase web traffic

The MPA (Magazine Publishers of America) published a week ago further proof of the effects of integration of media. I've written about integration before, the various pieces of research confirm with strong evidence that magazines boost traffic to websites. And have a strong effect on purchase intention. The effect on website visits, after having seen an automotive ad in magazines, was strongest, traffic almost doubled. Online media need offline media to generate traffic was confirmed by a survey of BIGresearch. Magazines scored best among the Top 10 media to trigger online search, TV scored second and newspapers third. Internet advertising scored only a ninth place at slightly more than half the score of magazines. Magazine brands are strong brands as another study showed. After having watched an online video ad on a series of sites, consumers turn most to magazine sites for further information, significantly more often than going to online portals.

Integrating media and the interaction between media is making media planning a lot more complex and interesting. Understanding the role of print media in this new media landscape goes beyond readership surveys. Tools need to be put in place to trace the path consumers follow after reading.

One title, one million copies, one country, free

In October 2001 the Mockingbird was the most discussed bird in Chicago. Not the animal but the book by Harper Lee titled To kill a Mockingbird. The book was selected to cultivate the culture of reading and discussion in Chicago and inhabitants were suggested to talk with friends, family and neighbours about the book. The idea was that everybody in Chicago would read the same book at the same time and discuss it.
This idea was picked-up by the Dutch and is now organised for the second year. Talking about this years book will not be too difficult with the title "De gelukkige klas". All public library members can receive a free copy like all fourth graders but on the condition that they read it. A total circulation of almost 1 million free books! (A luxurious copy is also available for € 10). Plenty of activities in 100 cities are organised to get people to read and discuss the book. The popular and sometimes clumsy news anchor Philip Freriks is touring with a theater show, 10.000 people can get a book with a blank cover that they can design and a nostalgic train will tour in Holland.
Last year 725.000 copies of the book "Dubbelspel" were handed out, over 1 million people participated in Nederland Leest and public library visits increased with 20%.

A great marketing idea to boost reading and using different media to announce and stimulate talking about literature.

Print Sells campaign launched

This month partners of the United Print Chain launch a pan-European advertising campaign to support the use of print as an advertising medium. The campaign, that runs in 13 European countries, presents print as the perfect medium to build a brand image. The unique combination of partners from the paper, printing and printing machine industry, magazine publishers, Postal Associations and Cepifine allows industry-wide support and a major investment to change the perception of print media.

Very much like the Life with Print programme from Sappi this campaign combines emotional aspects of printed communications with hard facts and cases about effectiveness.
As perceptions will not change during one advertising wave, it is necessary that the Print Sells campaign continues over a longer period. Advertisers and their agencies are, despite what is often believed, conservative decision makers. And we know that advertising works through repetition.

Systematic creativity?

I joined a workshop about creativity thinking some days ago and became quite impressed. I'll explain you why. The Israeli company SIT developed a methodology for creating innovative ideas based upon the idea that innovations share a certain pattern. (The basis for this thinking comes from a Russian engineer who analysed thousands of patents). Starting as a tool for engineering Systematic Inventive Thinking has now become a tool to the advertising world. It identifies five ways of thinking that explain 70% of all successful innovations. Innovation and creativity can for example be achieved by taking away certain product features, or by combining some. In doing so SIT follows five principles of which "form follows function" is probably the best known.

SIT analysed winning advertising Print campaigns at the Cannes Advertising Festival and came to the conclusion that in 2000 77% could be explained via a SIT tool. In advertising ten creative techniques like extreme result, metaphor, inversion or extreme promise are used to present products. Winning Print campaigns use in 38% of the cases extreme result as technique. Not only does SIT help to be creative and innovative it also helps in analysing creativity. I find it a most helpful tool in my work.

Illiteracy levels boosts direct mail response

The Frankfurter Buchmesse, that just closed its doors, revealed that the illiteracy level in western Europe and developing countries is perceived as one of the biggest threats to the publishing industry. Professional visitors listed the threats to the industry, the list also includes other media competition, over-publishing and piracy.
At the Buchmesse cases of new and traditional media integration were discussed. For example launching new children books via SMS and podcast. Creating a community of children and extending the experience of reading a book proved to help stimulating literacy.
Not taking any action could make this threat a self-fulfilling prophecy. Plenty of research indicates the declining number of young people reading printed information. It should become a task of the government, education and the media industry to develop programs to correct this evolution.
There is however also a positive side to this threat; internet savvy young people seem to be more interested in hard copy direct mail. At the DMA congress in Chicago research was shown that relates high internet usage and response rates to direct mail. It all comes down to the long-known advertising adage: surprise people by standing out.

Inkjet printing into new applications

I was just reading about an interesting new application for the inkjet printing device we all have at home. As the inkjet head can print micron small dots on different surfaces Panasonic has lodged a patent for an electronic spraying device to apply liquids on skin. This could become an alternative way to apply make-up and would allow for sensational make-up effects comparable to airbrush. Buying blush or foundation will never be the same once the product has been introduced!
But inkjet is also going into very different applications. Most of these applications use electronics. And because inkjet heads can print pico millimeters, integrated electronic circuits can be printed. Printing will go beyond simple colour and coatings printing, but will include printing of electronic conductive materials. In this way circuits and sensors can be printed on various substrates.
Probably the best known application is the integration of RFID on paper or film. When I visited the LabelExpo in Brussels this was one of the highlights of the fair. However most of the RFID tags were still made separately and not immediately printed on the substrate. Inkjet printing will allow to do that directly on the substrate offering higher flexibility and smarter paper. This paper can be used to develop smart products like packaging that integrates diodes that light-up when the date for consumption is approaching or paper that is sensitive to pressure or can light up.
It sounds like a science fiction application but is reality: the elaboration of cells, tissues and so called bio paper for veins in medicine

User generated content: earn money or reward readers by publishing their name?

Consumer or user generated content was a hype the last 12 months. It was considered the new thing in journalism, opened-up new ways to have readers and viewers participate in media and to get access to information close to consumers. However Ohmynews.com or NowPublic.com, the best known user-written publications, are not yet earning money by using consumers providing the news. One might question whether the motivation of readers or viewers of seeing their names in the press is a guarantee for interesting, credible and relevant news. There is quite some research that confirms that Internet news is not perceived as trustworthy as printed news, and consumer generated news might just prove this point. BlueLithium - a research branch of Yahoo - concluded on the basis of 1.7 billion impressions from 716 ads that although the cost-per-conversion was lower for ads placed on user generated sites the conversion level on non-user generated sites was 32% higher. These figures also prove the point of the importance of branded conten.
Newspapers are looking at smarter ways to use consumers as a source of information. I read about the Guardian that is looking for experts among the readers as they know that somewhere on the Internet somebody can provide answers. This might be very helpful for example for travel advice. TED, a Dutch multi-media platform for youngsters - offers a mix of user generated content and journalist content for their free newspaper, interactive online platform and TV channel. The free newspaper has a total circulation of 150.000 and is distributed via "ambassadors" at schools. TED uses the interactivity with readers to the benefit of advertisers who want test new products in TED lab. The largest Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf uses a very different model, it set up a dedicated website for local news, opinions and emotions provided by readers. The site WUZ.nl is a continuation of the readers letters item in the printed newspaper. Access to local news is extremely easy: just type in the postal code. Although an interesting initiative this might also fall short in attracting enough readers and advertisers to make it profitable.

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"When paper would have been invented yesterday, everybody would have said: great new technology! Unimaginable!"

Olaf Olafsson, author of best selling books and executive VP TimeWarner

Audi winner of Euro Effie and Sappi Award

At the Euro Effie Awards the special Sappi Print Media Efficiency Award went to the launch campaign for the Audi Q7. The campaign won also a Gold Effie Award.
The Sappi Award goes to Effie winning campaigns that spent a dominant part of their media mix on print media. The Audi campaign integrates print, TV internet and CRM activities with a 40% budget allocated to print. The campaign demonstrates the increased importance of well planned and structured integration of media. Print and TV to create awareness and traffic to the website and highly personalised direct mail to follow-up visitors of the website. This approach resulted in a 10,2% higher sales result than originally planned. When checking the media strategy from the other Effie Gold winners (Adidas and Nike) the point about integration was confirmed. Both campaigns make use of a broad spectrum of media albeit with a lower percentage allocated to print media. But Nike for example achieved over 800 press articles by a very intense PR campaign. When I talked with Marco Eikelenboom, Sappi's European Marketing and Sales Director, he concluded that these results confirm the efficiency of print media.

Towards a sustainable world

Last week I was present at the Awards evening of the Euro Effies, where ACT (Advertising Community Together) had an exhibition of their worldwide collection of responsible communication advertisements. ACT believes that advertising is a powerful tool that can change people's behaviour. It promotes therefore responsible communication and practices on sustainability. The exhibition "Taking Care of our Future" showcases work from all over the world on how companies, NGO's and public services use advertising to influence our society for the good cause. Like the above ad from JWT Manila for Greenpeace.

Murdoch Street Journal

It's done. Rupert Murdoch has bought the Wall Street Journal. Today the Wall Street announced the deal that has led to heavy disputes in the Bancroft family. The Bancrofts hold 64% of the Dow Jones controlling stocks and at least two thirds needed to approve of the deal.
It seems that the take-over by media mogul Murdoch had more to do with US newspaper heritage and media sociology than with finance. (Money was probably no issue with a proposed price of $60 per share that represents a 69% premium to the pre-offer stock price).The WSJ is one of the oldest family owned newspapers in the US and now becomes part of the stable of Murdoch including media brands as Fox News, MySpace, National Geographic, Times of London and many others. And becoming part of a media conglomerate that produces content for the masses was probably the biggest hurdle to take for the family. What will become of the WSJ stature once taken over by News Corp? Can it maintain it's position as one of the worldwide references for financial news? These questions relate to an interesting discussion taking place the the media industry: is popular culture bad for us? Is popularised news bad for readers and viewers? Some two years ago Steven Jonhson published "Everything is good for you. How popular culture is making us smarter". This book like the book from Gust de Meyer (De beste smaak is de slechte smaak) demonstrate that the popular culture of videogames, television (including reality-TV), film and Internet has made people more intelligent. The complexity of the media and content is posing new challenges to our minds that make our minds sharper. Interesting to watch how the WSJ will continue to challenge its readers.