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The Ink on Paper Revolution

A message from Quad/Graphics President & CEO Joel Quadracci

Tour guides usually start their spiel by saying something like “Welcome to _____” and then they fill in the blank depending on where you happen to be. Disneyland. The Grand Canyon. Wherever.

Well, I have a tour guide-type of welcome for you, too. Welcome to the new world of ink on paper.

Why is it a new world? To understand, let’s revisit the old.

There was a time when your only ink-on-paper marketing options were newspapers, magazines, catalogs, brochures and direct mail. Because of those distinct categories, most marketers identified their businesses by the type of marketing channel they used. For example, they thought of themselves as a cataloger, a magazine or a retail company. It was a “silo” approach, with not much crossover attempted between or among those individual channels.

But look at what’s happening now. In today’s new world of ink on paper, your options have greatly expanded. (In many ways it parallels what’s happening in electronic marketing, where the only choices used to be radio and TV. Today we have podcasting, mobile messaging, Web sites with RSS feeds and streaming video, to name a few of the new electronic marketing channels.)

While they haven’t received as much attention as the new electronic methods, today’s ink-on-paper technologies are beginning to ignite a marketing revolution of their own.

At Quad, we’ve ramped up the “aggressiveness” of ink on paper; making it live and breathe in real time by strategically applying data to create targeted, relevant print messages and then connecting those printed messages with other forms of media. Our technology allows you to send the right type of message to the right people at the right time.

If you’re a publisher, why not think beyond your current mix of bound magazine and direct mail for renewals? Use your data to target individuals with supplemental, advertising-supported editorial.

If you’re a cataloger, you’re probably already more than just a catalog. You’re a multi-channel marketer with a Web site. Maybe you should “multi-channel” your print, too. Consider promoting your top-revenue-generating or top-selling products in a targeted piece to customers. Or create smaller, more efficient mailpieces that complement the larger catalog or drive up Web sales. One client that started with us as a traditional catalog is now using data to drive targeted mailpieces.

If you’re mailing envelope-enclosed pieces, think about how an additional format might enhance or invigorate sales. Another of our clients, a major insurance company, went from envelope-only to a customized, personalized magazine.

In each case, the goal of expanding print outputs is to create a steady stream of targeted interactions. And it makes more economic (and environmental) sense to send out targeted information versus generic copies. Mix in variable content with static content.

Multi-channel marketing is capturing a lot of attention these days. But look deeper. Within the multi-channel world there’s also a new world of ink on paper. How can you take advantage of new print outputs to build your business? How can new formats help you promote regular, frequent and meaningful interaction with your audiences in new, fresh ways? I was hoping you’d ask.

Because Quad is uniquely positioned – front-end data capabilities coupled with the world’s most technologically advanced print capabilities – no one is more eager and able to serve as your tour guide.

Welcome to the new world of ink on paper.

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