When I was flipping through a print magazine this past week, yes I still love to read print, I came across this ad that caught my eye. Now it was not for the execution of the design, but for the execution of the variable printing. Digital printing inside of a magazine always catches my eye. It is not just for the fact that it stands out, but that it always amazes me that a national magazine can insert a dynamically printed page in the center of a 100 page publication. It is on the yellow sticky note looking square in the photo.
It seems that it wows me more often in print than it does in email, as I get email so much more and understand how it is easily done. But print always makes it seem harder to me. Which I am sure it is not, but just the many hands that a magazine goes through and then ends up on my desk is great.
Which leads me to wonder how impactful personalization like this is in an email. When I see an email campaign done right I expect so much more than the simple effort of a name and location. I expect dynamic product placements, relevant offers, and timing. Can’t do that in print.
But when an email is done right it has so many other variables to overcome.
I have read handfuls of studies talking about the value of personalization yet I rarely see one that blows me away and makes me want to buy. Are my expectations to high? They could be after all I live in this email world and want it to be so much more that what I see many days. Have you had any great experiences with simple personalization, which I would call this print ad? Or are there expectations with giving people more in a digital world? Personally when I just see my name in an email it reeks of something that was an after thought as opposed to when an offer, subject line, or product is spot on based on my past behavior.
Love to hear your thoughts and see if you have any good examples to share.