Many of the new cashless strategies will be based on Near Field Communication (NFC). When incorporated into a device such as a smartphone, NFC allows for encrypted data exchange between two devices, which are near to each other, i.e. your smartphone and a retail cash register. This is how the technology got its name – Near Field.

Shoppers who have their credit card information stored in their NFC-enabled smartphones can pay for purchases by simply waving their smartphones near or tapping them on the reader, instead of pulling out and handing the cashier their credit cards like in the soon-to-be old days.

The Internet has given us the ability to present a shopping experience of unlimited choices. If you’re planning to update or create a new online storefront, be sure your site is ready for the future.

Best of Days to You,

Audrey Ferrante

Hologic, one of the world’s leading providers of health care solutions for women, wanted to develop a more efficient way for its customers to order marketing and promotional materials that help promote its services. At the time, hospitals and doctors’ staffs were calling the company directly to order materials or requesting electronic files to print locally. This often required a huge amount of time to fulfill the many requests that came through on a daily basis. When customers did print locally, their costs were often higher because of smaller quantities and at times, branding or print quality standards were compromised. Therefore, Hologic was seeking an alternative process that protected its branding requirements and reduced the costs of order processing. They decided to look into online solutions, which they felt was the only way their requirements could be met.

Solutions

Hologic selected us to develop and implement an easy-to-use web-enabled print and fulfillment store. The store, incorporated directly into Hologic’s corporate website, maintains the “look and feel” of their corporate branding. Customers can use either a major credit card or submit a purchase order for payment. The customer can also buy static or personalized items directly, as well as accessing digital file downloads within a secure environment. The digital file downloads include customizable templates for press releases, letters, technology white papers, and PowerPoint presentations to utilize for their marketing efforts. Customers are able to add their facility names and contact information to the personalized pieces while maintaining Hologic’s branding guidelines.

With the online store now in place, handling customer material requests is fully automated. Hospitals and doctors are now ordering personalized marketing and promotional collateral that includes the latest branded corporate promotional materials and product literature to promote their business development efforts. Within 3 days the order is shipped directly to the customer’s door. By providing an online store, Hologic reduced the time needed for program administration, maintained brand standards and reduced costs by streamlining production. Full visibility of program costs and activities for ROI and forecasting was achieved with comprehensive 24/7 reporting tools, along with a monthly status meeting. Most importantly, Hologic’s customers receive their materials efficiently, affordably and when they are needed.

Features/Benefits

• An easy-to-use web store with customized ordering capabilities to enhance customer experience
• Maintain branding  as determined by corporate guidelines
• Reduce waste leading to lower costs.
• 24/7/365 access to corporate materials from any location, through a secure centralized hub that supports print production, ordering, assembly, fulfillment, inventory management and distribution, reducing costs and streamlining logistics support.
• Cuts administrative overhead costs by reducing the time spent by internal administrative resources.

Customer Testimonial

“Audrey, President of Ferrante & Associates, worked with us to fully define our needs and budget requirements and assembled a ‘best in class’ team to design and implement our new web store for print and marketing collateral, order processing and fulfillment. Her attention to detail and strong communications skills proved invaluable to pushing the program to the success that it is.”

Nicole Athanas

Corporate Marketing Communications Manager,  Hologic, Inc.

Additionally, one of the marketing collateral pieces that is available on the web store is the “Hologic MammoPad Select Customer Program” which recently won the 2009 MM&M Medical Marketing and Media Gold and Silver Awards for Best Direct Marketing to Consumers and Healthcare Professionals. The integration of superior design and technology made this program a winner for all involved.

Congratulations Hologic!

Best of Days to You,

Audrey Ferrante

What REALLY causes double digit response rates are strong messaging, great execution, and a well defined target market. The pURLs are only the enabler for the response from the initial outbound effort, whether it is using email or variable data print (VDP). The added value of the pURL is that it provides for the “real time” feedback on how the campaign is progressing, what the reaction is of the responder, and when you combine it with a response outbound such as email, it is a powerful tool for marketer to use to satisfy their customers’ goals for the campaign.

A cross-media campaign that includes print, email, pURLs, and social media can be a VERY powerful campaign…PROVIDED the messaging, execution, and market segment definition is well defined. Most people forget that it is NOT the media that makes the message, but it is the message that makes the success! Don’t be one of those who forget this.

By remembering these fundamentals, you can develop strategies and cross-media campaigns that can succeed beyond your wildest expectations.

Best of Days to You,

Audrey Ferrante

Print is still a viable solution for many marketing requirements, but we all have to think differently when we consider using it. A workflow, or shall we say strategy, that many use today is based on a more database driven implementation for both the print and web components. You probably have heard about personalized urls (pURLs), but you may not have leveraged this technology yet. Just to recap, a pURl is a microsite that is connected to a database and allows for the web pages to be dynamically reconfigured based on what is in the database or how the responder interacts with the microsite. Therefore, many campaigns are using variable data print (VDP) that includes a pURL for the recipient to go to as a response mechanism.  The internet will provide the responder the “immediate” interaction that a printed product can’t provide. According to the DMA, over 30% of people respond to direct mail by going online. And I could argue that this number will increase as more people use an integrated marketing strategy.

Bottom line is that direct mail is still viable and becomes a stronger solution when integrated with the internet. Both are here to stay, we just need understand the best way to use them together and how  consumers ultimately want to get their information and interact with your company. The two provide more value when used together than each can when they are used by themselves. I leave you with this thought…”Integrated marketing strategies are the ONLY strategies to use to grow your business opportunities!” To use any media as a standalone solution is short sighted and will limit your opportunities. It all becomes very simple when you start thinking like this. So, go forth, integrate and grow!

Best of Days to You,

Audrey Ferrante