TMC: VDP

In an earlier seminar, Thomas Carroll of RR Donnelley noted that he thinks the printing industry has doctors beat in terms of acronyms. VDP is one of them.

InfoTrends' Barb Pellow led a panel that included:

Steve Ebanks – Partner, Xerographic Digital Printing, Orlando, FL

Tom Mercier – President/CEO, Bloomington Offset Process Inc., Bloomington, IL

Walter Payne – President, Image/Mark Business Services, Gastonia, NC

There are as many questions as answers, but InfoTrends is reporting that companies with digital platforms are averaging healthy annual revenue growth. Some key points that came out of it:

1. Judgment is required – by client and campaign – as to whether discretely charge for all services or use some activities (particularly the first out-of-the-box effort) as loss leaders. None of the three, specifically, yet charge for data archiving.
2. Sales involves calling on marketing or brand management. Often marketing departments are not fully aware or informed of 1-to-1 or on demand print collateral capabilities.
3. It's now a requirement for printers aka marketing service providers to cultivate and research the customer vertical industry requirements to the point of attending association meetings where the marketers and professionals gather.
4. Problem solving usually extends to fulfillment and mailing. Mailing implies inhouse Postal expertise. Client databases are rough and require hygiene, cleaning up, especially at first. Client education can include regular attendance at sales meetings, internal training aids and tools to make adoption (particularly by retailers or field sales people) easy and susceptible of enthusiastic reception.

Bob Whitton -- Research & Engineering Council of NAPL