Statement of intent
Bank statements have the potential to be powerful marketing tools, as many
financial institutions find through transpromo printing services. Now that promotional messages in more targeted solutions or by email are often ignored,
printed solutions could well be the way forward, says Sebastian Landesberger,
executive vice-president of Océ Production Printing.
| |
 |
| |
The Océ ColorStream 10000 Flex suits any output and budget. |
The financial services arena has changed a great deal in the past
two years, becoming a different and
sometimes difficult place to do business.
The closure of branches and subsidiaries has
stretched customer relationships and oneto-
one interactions are inevitably in decline.
Furthermore, the lives of customers
are busier than ever, making it less
convenient to visit bank branches during
the working day.
So how can banks, insurers and other
providers of financial services bridge
the widening gap in
communication with
customers? One answer
is to look at transactional
documents, including the
common bank statement,
as a means for carrying
more information to
customers. As a result,
these documents are
undergoing their biggest
transformation ever, in
part because of services
such as transpromo
printing, which is a key
area of expertise for print
service providers.
Transpromo printing
services enable banks to include proactive
marketing and targeted advertising
along with transactional information in
the documents they send to customers.
 Because of the structure of the financial
statements, bills and invoices sent out
by big brand names in financial services,
such transactional documents provide
an ideal vehicle for carrying these highly
targeted advertisements and marketing
messages to consumers.
Unlike transactional mail pieces, traditional
direct mail is all too often discarded before it
is even opened. Similarly, marketing messages
via email are often ignored and deleted by
the recipient, even if they are not cut out
by spam filters. With a much higher open
rate due to the nature of the information
included on a bank statement, bill or invoice,
transactional mail will at least be read
and sometimes filed for safekeeping. This
provides an opportunity for brand owners
and advertisers to communicate effectively
on a one-to-one basis with their audience.
Océ, the market leader, in transactional
printing, believes that, for banks, insurers and
other service providers involved in transactional
mail, transpromo printing could create a new
revenue stream if applied properly.
As well as helping the financial institution
raise profits by cross-selling its products
and services to existing customers, printing
personalised colour messages on to what
would otherwise be wasted space will cut
back on time, labour and postage.
The blank space on a transactional
document could also be sold to external
companies, thus turning the statement into
a money-making commodity, so that brands
are able to promote complementary or noncompeting
products and services to
a wider, more captive audience.
A track record of success
Although Océ’s transpromo printing solutions
are regarded as an emerging application, it has
in fact been around for more than 20 years.
Its recent rise in popularity can be attributed
to the introduction of
highly functional, valuechain
effective colour
digital printing technology
into high-production
transactional printing.
Today’s digital printing
technology is capable of
automatically processing
variable data, printing in
full colour and offering
a combination of speed,
quality and personalisation
that makes the transpromo
process a viable option for
a wide range of companies.
What is more, the
high level of automation
provided by the digital print technology now
available helps avoid errors and allows greater
scope for last-minute changes.
The result is a more consistent set of
messages and a faster time to market.
Systems are now so sophisticated that they
can combine mono, colour and variable
printing in a single pass. The term ‘white
paper printing’ describes how digital printing
can optimise processes and promote a
lean, cost-efficient approach to production, thanks to the ability to print the form, the
necessary variable data and a highly targeted
promotional advert in one action.
‘The high level of process optimisation,
workflow automation, colour quality and
variable data capabilities provided by today’s
digital printing technology has been at the
heart of transpromo’s growth,’ remarks
Sebastian Landesberger, executive vicepresident
of Océ Production Printing. ‘The
ability to print highly visual, individualised
messages at high speed – as well as in colour
– brings with it a new dimension for printed
premium-level communication.
‘The technology’s ability to process
data means the digital printing press fits
in as part of a larger cross-communication
strategy, whereby one central database is
employed to drive a number of automated
media processes including email and direct
mail. By taking the variable data printing
process a step further through adding visuals,
analytics and graphics, transpromo printing
has emerged and is being used across
industries with great effect,’ he adds.
Another key facet of transpromo printing
services is that they help banks and other
financial institutions to address the main
trends, such as focused communication
and customised information, in the global
economy and wider society to which they
must adapt in order to remain competitive.
‘In response to these trends, banks and
financial organisations are relying on written
communication to keep their customers
informed more than ever before. It seems
consumers still prefer the written word
over any other communication channel,
including email, and informing customers
on a one-to-one basis via their financial
paperwork is a highly cost-effective
and sensible way of boosting customer
relations,’ comments Landesberger.
Picking a transpromo partner
As the leading provider of printing solutions
for the production of transactional
documents, Océ has driven the benefits of
transpromo production in recent years. The
company has tailor-made its products and
services to suit changing requirements across
the whole value chain of transpromo printing
to ensure that it is able to offer a unique
solution no matter what output levels, colour
requirements or budgets are involved.
Océ’s JetStream 500/1000 continuous
feed inkjet printing system has the industry’s smallest footprint. This means
that it can be integrated easily into many
in-house printing departments and can
function at productive speeds of up to
1,010 A4 pages per minute, each of them
fully variable. The most powerful machine
in the series, the JetStream 3300, offers the
highest levels of productivity at more than
3,000 A4 pages per minute.
Even if the idea of printing transactional
material in full colour appeals, and
transpromo printing seems a potentially
profitable venture, Océ recognises the fact
that companies will often prefer a more
gradual approach towards increasing their
range of applications.
With this firmly in mind, Océ’s
ColorStream 10000 Flex, which is a fullcolour
web press with a black and white
productivity of up to 1,425 A4 pages per
minute, allows for a company to add colours
in stages for greater flexibility, including
corporate colours for branding collateral or
promotional purposes that an organisation
may want to output further down the line.
‘Choosing the best technology in order
to make personalised, colour printing work
also requires the right partner to put it all
together. Océ has designed systems that can
be easily integrated with a company’s existing
assets so that the transformation into more
creative, variable and colour printing can be
made with as little investment and disruption
as possible. Océ also has the experience
and expertise to provide the necessary
consultancy, service and support to ensure
that its customers build a successful business
model,’ says Landesberger.
‘However there is also a lot that a
company can do for itself to help prepare for
the future. A company should be clear about
its marketing objectives, so that the messages
it chooses to print when transpromo
printing is set up are the right ones for the
company. The business should also evaluate
its existing infrastructure, so that it makes
the right investment decisions for its present
and future needs. I would also advise the
company to work with its provider closely, so
that understanding between the two entities
is as in-depth as possible. This will help to
make the installation as seamless and effective
as can be,’ he adds.
Transpromo printing requires the
transactional mailer to have knowledge
of data manipulation techniques. A great
amount creative flare and marketing acumen
is essential, which means transpromo
printing will not be for everyone. However,
for those who think they have what it takes
to turn a simple black-and-white printed
document into an eye-catching, moneymaking
tool, digital print manufacturers
such as Océ are able to offer the products,
support and service necessary to help
realise their vision. FBA |
