By Ruth Hagopian

If you think VDP means a mailing that simply mentions a person's name, think again. Variable Data Publishing has come along way since the "Dear [Name]" mailpieces of the last 20 years.

Maybe Jim, who enjoys poker, could receive an invitation to a celebrity tournament where the players are holding cards with Jim's name cleverly imbedded in the deck. Or, how about a mobile phone offer for a weekend at his favorite Maui resort? The image might show an inviting blue ocean with an island beauty writing "Jim" in the sand.

Real data and real interest
Those are two creative uses of Variable Data Publishing where offers are based on real data targeted specifically to the interests of the consumer.

The unique part is - and this is where design is so important - the personalization has skillfully and subtly become part of the message.

"Anyone can do a mailing with custom labels and addresses," said Adobe Certified Expert, Kelly McCathran, who spoke at a Webinar sponsored by the Printing Industries of Northern California (PINC). McCathran immediately made it clear that the "P" in VDP stands for publishing, not printing.

VDP is more than mail merge. By knowing a little about the consumer's purchasing history, successful VDP can create customized messaging for print, personalized Web pages, e-mail campaigns and mobile phone offers.

Four steps to personalization
Customizing an image, layout and text and relating it to consumer preferences can produce more leads, increase sales or develop customer loyalties through special offers. A typical campaign starts with a printed piece directing recipients to a personalized URL that asks them for more information about their purchasing habits and then sends them a message that is even more specific about their preferences.

McCathran outlined the features of Adobe Creative Suite software and defined the VDP process in four key parts:

• a data source
• a layout tool
• a connector application and
• digital output machinery

VDP can be created simply with free tools or accomplished in the high end, such as with Adobe strategic partners who offer a wide range of VDP services.

What you need to get started
Step One: A data source
Data for VDP can be collected from many sources including mailings, business cards and from Web sites relating to a product, such as moving companies or realtors' sites to target new homeowners. A solution provider, such as those listed at Adobe's VDP Resource Center (www.adobe.com/products/vdp/partners.html) can also help manage a marketing database.

You can begin by typing in information in TextEditor, inputting to an Excel spreadsheet or using common entry-level solutions, such as Microsoft Access or FileMaker Pro. McCathran says it doesn't matter where data comes from as long as it's clean and the only way to do that is to start with a test mailing. By selecting an area by zip code and a small mailing of 500, data can be checked for entry errors or duplicates before you expand.

A data exchange format, such as Comma Separated Values (.csv), can be exported from almost any data solution. It separates and defines the specific variable information. For example, collected data may include a beverage preference, indicating one consumer prefers black coffee and another prefers a latte. A different coupon offer could be issued for each favorite.

XML is a hot area in VDP. XML stands for Extendable Markup Language and it marks up individual text pieces, for example, as bold or italic styles. "The advantage of XML is it can take content, pull it into InDesign for your print piece, pull it into Dreamweaver for your Web piece and pull it into Premier or After Effects for your video piece," McCathran said.  If you make one change, it updates them all.

Step Two: A layout tool
The look of each page is determined by the variable elements imported from the data and graphics databases. After the data is collected and entered, a page layout program, such as Quark XPress or InDesign will identify the fields for both elements. "I haven't seen much for Pagemaker or Microsoft Publisher out there for this because they do need something in the front end to identify what is going to become variable," she explained.

With a PDF-based solution, such as Acrobat, the variable fields can be drawn in, but McCathran warns that unlike InDesign, there isn't much control over changing the size of an image or incorporating effects. "Effects are what make it impressive," she said, "but the effects have to be used intelligently."

There's a new device in Creative Suite 3 to preview Flash movies, animated Photoshop files or edited Photoshop movies. It will preview lighting conditions on different mobile devices, a cell phone, for example or a pocket PC. "It will preview different screen sizes, so now you have the ability to test all your messaging without having to deliver to all those different devices and get feedback from the receiver," she said.

Step Three: A connector application or plug-in
The connector application binds the data with the elements of the page. Plug-in software, such as DirectSmile and Kodak Print On-Demand Solutions, identifies the fields and creates the variability on the piece. Using the beverage example, there can be a rule that if the beverage preference is a latte, the latte picture is selected, but if the preference is black coffee, the customer sees the black coffee image.

From a design standpoint, the variable piece should look like it's a natural part of the image. Purchasing fonts and using Photoshop can make the piece look more realistic and more eye catching. The best VDP pieces are when the elements are varied and the variability isn't obvious.

Once the variability is inserted, you need a method for soft proofing to preview the data and images are placed correctly. Having a comma out of place or a part of the database sorting incorrectly can throw off all the data. Soft proofing is necessary, and when in doubt, says McCathran, go to the most common methods of proofing - a PDF or a JPEG.

Step Four: The digital output
The options for VDP publishing systems range from small copier-like devices to full blown digital presses and as the quality of digital equipment improves, the cost comes down. High-end full-color machines can be as affordable as .05 cents a page, and the price is dropping every year.

"More people are going to be making the decision to do shorter runs," she says adding, "we're already seeing that now - digital printing with as good quality [as offset] without having to run plates."

From static to variable
VDP has come a long way since the days when "P" only meant print. Multimedia and Web marketing are growing significantly, and McCathran says the total spent on mobile marketing will grow from $708 million in 2007 to $2.2 billion in 2012.

While static mailpiece response rates are about 1-2 percent, VDP claims an 8 percent increase and higher. Using specific consumer preference data, VDP can be an effective way to produce unique targeted communications that capture attention and inspire a customer to respond. When McCathran describes the effectiveness of VDP, she says it's like "shooting 1 or 100,00 arrows from a single bow simultaneously and having each one hit its intended, separate target."

6/4/08