CPC Solutions, in partnership with the CPC Peeps Museum, wants you to help choose the 2012 winners. For a few years now, we have had an internal contest focused around how creative we can be with Peeps. Look for an email on April 10th to cast your vote. Some of the categories are Best Peeps Parody, Most Edible and Funniest, to name a few. It is through your generous patronage of CPC Solutions that allows us to hold this contest each year, so we thank you! For last year’s photos and results click the Peeps.
Use your keyboard and our online tools to measure the results of your next direct mail campaign.
Variable data printing and personalized URLs provide analytics and an easy way for recipients to respond to your direct mail piece. These methods offer a personal touch not seen in most direct mail and they engage the recipient in a way that piques their interest. A personalized direct mail piece is typically more relevant and it infers that you know something about them, which can break down barriers and build on the relationship.
To the right is a link to a recent PODi digital print case study, which illustrates the effectiveness of such methods. The same tools used in this case study are available at CPC Solutions. They will help increase your response rates and provide you the analytics to make thoughtful marketing decisions.
Measure twice, cut once. Plan ahead and incorporate the proper measurements into your design to save both time and money. Knowing a few simple design rules will help you maximize the real estate on your next mail piece.
The link to the right is a two page PDF with some helpful hints as it relates to mail piece design. To get the full set of regulations, see the post below with the link to the USPS Postal Explorer.
Please let us know how we may help you.
In case you did not notice, the United States Postal Service raised their rates on us again. Don’t worry; the USPS will have a difficult time collecting the postage due in this particular post.*
In the meantime, as our gift to you, we thought you may like our brand new Postal Rates Quick Guide. The two page PDF below is filled with valuable information distilled from the hundreds of pages of USPS regulations. It is intended to be a quick summary, but it should cover 80% of your needs (that old 80/20 rule is always working). If you have questions regarding the other 20%, feel free to contact us!
*Production Notes: The image above was created using our personalization software employing the Image Character Photoshop technique. A special stamp was created for each capital letter of the alphabet and we used its corresponding ASCII number, and then divided by three, to assign a “postage value” to it. That number was then added to the other letters in your name (using a value of 1¢ for each letter) and then subtracted from the new retail first class postage rate of 45¢, to come up with your postage due. These same techniques can be used in any variable data printed project as well!
Take only pictures and leave only footprints. Any of us who have wandered into nature have probably heard that mantra. Carbon footprint is the measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHG) released into the atmosphere that have arisen through the manufacture and distribution of a product or service.
Consider these facts regarding paper’s carbon footprint:
The Pulp and Paper Industry largely utilizes renewable energy sources that are considered carbon neutral to generate steam.1
Sustainably managed forests are virtually carbon neutral.1
Paper’s primary raw materials are renewable.
The paper and forest products industry replenishes more than it takes and ensures the sustainability of our forests by planting 1.7 million trees every single day, more than three times what is harvested.2
The U.S. Dept of Energy has stated that the carbon sequestered on forested lands in 2006 was greater than the carbon released from harvesting wood over the same period.
20% less CO2 is used per year by a person reading a daily printed newspaper versus a person reading web-based news for 30 minutes a day.3
The same amount of CO2 is used per year by all mail delivered to an average household in a year versus a coffee maker being on for one hour per day for one year.4
Knowledge is power. Our goal is simply to educate, so we can all make the best decisions possible while keeping things in perspective.
1Presentation from: Lewis Fix, Vice President Brand Management & Sustainable Product Development, Domtar; Paul England, Environmental and Sustainability Manager, HP Indigo North America; Laura Field, Media Manager, HP Indigo North America
2 Sustainable Forestry Initiative Program
3Swedish Royal Institute for Technology; Paper & the Environment, ATS Consulting 2007
4Life Cycle Inventory of the Mail; Greening the Mail Taskforce, 2008
Paper, kind of like Buffalo, NY, often gets a bad rap. It is no secret that paper production consumes energy, but how does it compare to other industries for which we rely on daily? The chart below illustrates electricity use by industry from 2006. In 2011, servers and data centers are projected to use 107 billion kWh* These numbers are not even accounting for the energy it takes to read this email on PCs, MacBooks, smart phones and iPads. *U.S. Dept of Energy
At CPC Solutions, about 85% of our paper is purchased from Sappi’s mill in Cloquet, MN. Sappi’s paper is made with 100% Green-e renewable electricity. To find out more than you probably want to know about carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates (RECs), click the Green-e logo below.
Paper is one of the few truly sustainable products. Compared to other materials, wood and paper-based goods, produced in a sustainable manner, can be a wise choice because:
- They come from a renewable resource
- They capture carbon
- They store carbon
- They are recyclable
A reputable company will have some level of certification. At CPC Solutions, we are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified and all of our house sheets are FSC certified papers that use recycled content, some as much as 100% recycled fiber (i.e., Reincarnation Matte by New Leaf Paper). FSC certified forest products are verified from the forest of origin through the supply chain. Ask to have the FSC logo on your next project.
We learned at a young age to have respect for nature, so carving your name into a tree was never acceptable - even if it was to express one’s undying love. Over the next several weeks, to help balance the conversation in today’s electronic world, we will address the most common myths about paper and trees.
Today, we discuss forests. For every tree harvested, several more are planted, or naturally regenerated, in its place. Consider these facts:
Annual net growth of U.S. forests is 36% higher than the volume of annual tree removals.
The paper and forest products industry replenishes more than it takes and ensures the sustainability of our forests by planting 1.7 million trees every single day, more than three times what is harvested.
There are nearly 750 million acres of forests in the U.S - about the same as 100 years ago.
600 million seedlings planted annually supplement natural regeneration in Canada.
“Forestry is the most sustainable of all the primary industries that provide us with energy and materials…To address climate change, we must use more wood, not less. Using wood sends a signal to the marketplace to grow more trees…”
Dr. Patrick Moore, Co-founder of Greenpeace Chair/Chief Scientist of Greenspirit Strategies Ltd “An Inconvenient Fact”, The Vancouver Sun August 29, 2007.
Source regarding the facts in this blog: HP, American Printer and Domtar Paper
We all have much to be grateful for this holiday season, so please have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We’ll have limited hours on Friday, November 25th, and back on Monday all fattened up to get us through the winter.
In the right-hand column, under Weblinks, is a little holiday entertainment brought to you by Sappi Papers. Click to see Off Register’s Thanksgiving adventure.
When did you first realize your name was important to you? Was it when you signed your own letter to Santa Claus; if you even believed in that sort of thing? Or was it when you proudly signed every piece of artwork you produced as a child, even that piece made from uncooked elbow macaroni?
The last post in our personalization series focuses on what we call the Image Character Live. Live because we use a live piece of art such as a drawing or object and then convert it, essentially, into a custom font.
Does using your first name in zany ways seem trite and overused? Perhaps, but when you step back and consider the end-user, you realize that the use of our names in everyday conversation is important and it breaks down barriers. Below is a link to a blog that you might find interesting as it relates to first names.
What would be a stocking, hung on the quintessential mantel over the fireplace, if it were not personalized? Imagine the chaos and confusion that would ensue. You too can bring clarity and nostalgia to your marketing pieces by utilizing what we call the Image Character Photoshop effect, the fifth trick in our ongoing series.
Personalization using a name is the first step, but true one to one marketing goes even deeper. In a study conducted in July, 2011, three-quarters (74%) of North American consumers said they "don't feel they're receiving a benefit from sharing personal information with marketers," and just 52% said they somewhat or strongly agree with the statement that companies use their personal data "so they can better serve me," according to a survey designed to test consumer attitudes about personal data collection and use by marketers. To read the full post, click Print in the Mix below.
The “tiling” technique is the fourth trick in our personalization series. Tiling is best suited for grid-like images, such as windows in a skyscraper, bricks in a driveway or ink swatches on a color chart. Your product, service or environment probably has grid-like images associated with it. When someone sees their name blended with your image, happiness and bonding will result; subconsciously at least. If you’re not feeling that way now, perhaps it's because your last name isn't Picasso!
Do you remember the slogan; M&Ms melt in your mouth, not in your hand? M&Ms may not melt in your hand, but they sure do get sticky if held too long.
Part three in our series about personalization tricks revolves around the “fill randomly” technique. The sample shown in this post is a good example of how it can be utilized. The trick is making it look real and legible. Baseballs, golf balls, popcorn or jelly beans are all objects that would work well. Imagine a postcard targeting golfers with their name, message or offer written in golf balls. Send a marketing piece that the recipient will want to keep for awhile (aka sticky) and your chances of a response increase.
Giving your marketing a name badge is easier than you think. Part two in our series about personalization tricks revolves around the “masking” technique. The samples shown in this post are variations of that method. It is a relatively easy way to create an effect to personalize any piece while using variable data printing or email.
Picking up from our last post, we’re going to touch on the first “trick,” which is purchasing one of the hundreds of templates that already exist. Imagine what your clients will think when they see their name or company name in a festive ornament. Their first reaction will be, “How did they do that?”
Personalization has come a long way in the last decade, but it is still underutilized. Let it elevate your response rates and the campaign’s overall effectiveness. Over the next several weeks, we’ll explain in detail how we can help you with the following personalization tricks.
