Kathy
Johnston
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It’s difficult to manage print campaigns successfully. Various pieces – envelopes, letters, and brochures – are printed at various vendors and then merged together at a letter shop for personalization and mailing. Knowing each vendor’s work flow, scheduling and “dos and don’ts” can be daunting. Not to mention the maze of postal regulations. And, the pressure! Every detail has to be perfect. Especially in direct mail, if the mailing is late, it can ruin the results. If the offers aren’t handled properly, it can ruin tracking of results. If it’s printed incorrectly, it can be very costly to correct it. So, what’s the secret to executing flawless print campaigns? It’s seeing your role as the conductor of a performance. A well-executed print campaign is like a great performance by an orchestra. When all players come in on queue with perfect timing, the performance is elevated to greatness. It’s an event. Of course, the performance is just the culmination of much hard work, planning and practice. The conductor, like the print manager, will communicate to various players their role and how their contribution fits into the whole campaign. He will communicate expectations and verify that his instructions are being executed properly Let’s use a sample project to illustrate the concept. Angie’s job is to manage the printing and mailing of her company’s upcoming Holiday Solo piece, which includes a full-color envelope and brochure, personalized letter, business reply envelope (BRE) and lift letter. It’s a complicated task, so how can she ensure a successful performance? PLAN FROM THE END TO THE BEGINNING When planning a great performance, the conductor begins with the goal, the final performance. First he will determine what will be performed, then select the various musical instruments needed and then the musicians. In essence, he’ll plan from the final performance backwards toward the starting point. For Angie’s project, her performance is a solo mailing. She will start her planning at the end of the campaign, when the piece is delivered in the mail. Then she will work backwards checking postal regulations (i.e. size and orientation of mail panel), then inserting (i.e. verify all pieces fit into envelope), then personalization (i.e. size of letter fits in laser printer), then printing (i.e. verify all pieces are sized right for best pricing). Does Angie have to know all of those details to plan this project properly? No, she needs to understand the planning concept and then share her goals with her vendors. SHARE YOUR GOALS When an orchestra starts playing together, they all have sheet music. They also will have an understanding of the goal, the performance length and venue. In printing, it’s important to realize that the quote request (and later the purchase order) is the sheet music, but the vendor doesn’t know the goal. It’s easy to forget if you’ve been working on a project for some time developing the creative and mail plan, that other people on the team may not be in tune. So, it’s important to communicate context -- What’s the goal? What will happen to the piece when each vendor finishes with it? For Angie, if she communicates to her letter shop that this mailing will be sent to her best customers, they may ask if she needs 100% of the pieces mailed. If she communicates to the letter printer that the letter will be laser personalized, they will quote laser-safe paper, inks and perfs and proper grain direction. Communicating your goals and the role each vendor plays will allow them to make recommendations that will make your project run smoothly. LET THE EXPERTS BE THE EXPERT The conductor of an orchestra most likely doesn’t know how to play all of the instruments used in the performance. Therefore, he will let the musicians bring their expertise to the performance to enhance it. A good
print conductor will do the same. Encourage your vendors to
participate in the process. You will find they are thrilled
to do so because your success is their success. And, they
struggle every day to find solutions to problems that could
have been resolved if they were consulted earlier. SHOW THEM WHAT YOU ARE THINKING As part of communicating to the musicians, a conductor will play a recording of the song to provide a concrete example of what he wants. Moving from the abstract goal of the campaign to concrete examples will help your whole team solidify the concept. The best way to do this is with proofs and mock ups. The best time to do this is in the design phase, well before you are ready to hand off to the printer. For Angie’s design and marketing teams, seeing the pieces together on the conference room table will help them think through how each piece works together and if they are missing anything. It helps them see what the consumers will see when they receive it. Also, sharing proofs and mock ups with the various print vendors will encourage you to think through the concrete details that will be obvious after everything is printed, but a little late to correct. For example, by making a mock up of the outer envelope and brochure, Angie may realize that the brochure doesn’t fit properly into the envelope. Or all the panels on the brochure are not oriented right side up when it’s folded. VERIFY, VERIFY, VERIFY In an orchestra, hours of practice occur before the public performance. This is the opportunity for the conductor to verify if what he’s communicated has been heard and translated to his satisfaction. In printing, your vendors need to verify they’ve heard and understood you. The easiest way to do this is with a series of proofs to verify at each stage of the process that you’ve been understood. Angie will request a color proof and folded mock up from the brochure printer so she can check the back up and folds. She’ll request the same from the envelope printer to double check the window placement and make sure the flap doesn’t cover her artwork. From the letter shop, she’ll request a count by version and quantity verification before presorting the file. She’ll request a laser sample of the letter and complete insert dummy of every version before starting the letter shop work. Each point of verification will ensure that what she handed off was received and understood. Beware: there is a tendency in the digital age to bypass “old fashioned” mock up proofs from the printer (aka bluelines). However, aren’t you printing on paper? How will you validate the piece is backed up properly and perfed and folded properly from single page on-line proofs? We all have to adapt to new technology, but it’s not acceptable to skip the verification process. It’s ok to require the proofs you need. Shifting your focus from knowing all details to using various forms of communication is the key to conducting great print performances. Communicating with your vendors will let them help you send out flawless print campaigns time and again. |
