This is my first time using multi-quote so be gentle...
Keith and Craig–
but also… when doing a mailing, research has shown that the return rate on direct mail is higher because of the personalization.
Ah, statistics; they can be bent and twisted to fit whatever situation and point you want to make...
Here's some follow up statistics. 95%-100% of
any junk mail will end up in the trash and earn you zero return, even with VDP. The 1%-5% (actually considered good) response rate that you might get takes on average seven (7) unique occurrences before the recipient will start to remember you, your logo, etc.
The bottom line is people don't give a shit whether or not the junk mail has their name on it or the product code of that last box of pens they bought...
VDP is not a glorified mail merge. You can do a mail merge with your printer at home. Real VDP is much more than that, it's a huge market that some of the biggest Commercial Printers in the world have started to understand, and that's why they are moving from the being a "printing company" into a "marketing communications company".
Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news but "real VDP" is really a glorified mail merge. It's just that the mail merger doesn't have the right application to do it with ease.
Here's a true little story. An IT friend of mine, old timer; that used to write customized software programming and custom printer drivers was doing "real VDP" 20 years ago.
The bottom line is once these big companies that are into "real VDP" figure out they can pay a programmer a small one time fee to write their own code, or who knows, Microsoft might update mail merge to include more fields, variable images, etc.; when this happens Joe Schmoe will be able to print "real VDP" to their own equipment or at least to PDF and send it off to any printer they want.
Not only is it a possibility but it is an inevitability.
Shutterfly is a perfect example of a company that uses variable data printing to great effect.
Don't hate the iGen because you’re too stuck in your ways to really use VDP. VDP is the future of print. You can get static images anywhere. Do you want to be as successful as shutter fly or continue hating VDP and be like every other struggling static printer.
See above. Igens are cool no doubt, although I'd only buy one if they printed 2400 dpi instead of 600dpi. VDP is nothing new. It's only a matter of time before a cheap or free software is available to the masses.
Being a Xerox sales rep, sure, I'd like to sell equipment - that's how I get paid afterall!
Xerox offers the tools and resources to make this growth a reality and hopefully my past as a printer, including being one of those that closed makes my input that much more useful.
Ah yes, the fairy tale resources that magically appear once someone has purchased a piece of Xerox equipment that somehow by purchasing Xerox equipment you will now make money with customers that weren't there before the purchase...and the other misc. resources (excluding toner of course).
Reminds me of this video:
hizbub PRESS C8000 vs. Smearox 800 - YouTube