Variable Data Publishing Resource Center
Overview
The power of Variable Data Publishing
Until recently, designing and producing customized messages was a time- and cost-prohibitive task. Developments in key areas of the publishing market, however, are converging to make personalized communications a reality. The ubiquity of databases, proliferation of dynamic authoring and publishing tools, and availability of versatile workflows and high-quality digital output systems all combine to make Variable Data Publishing (VDP) more automated, economical, and accessible than ever.
Also known as data-driven, targeted, or one-to-one marketing, VDP has emerged as a key enabling technology that automates the production of unique, relevant communications that resonate with recipients and motivate them to take action. Whether used to acquire leads, increase sales, or secure customer loyalty, VDP is being leveraged by a growing number of communications professionals to achieve unprecedented results.
VDP is also known as:
- Customization
- One-to-one marketing
- Personalized publishing
- Variable information
VDP applications
Where are VDP solutions being applied successfully today? The flexibility and scalability of VDP yields a broad set of applications, from basic data merge for business correspondence to highly complex, customized promotional pieces — with recipients ranging from one to one million.
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Business correspondence
Business correspondence incorporates name, address, and simple product information to produce a unique piece for each recipient. -
Simple one-to-one marketing
Simple one-to-one marketing incorporates some graphical elements and variable text that are included based on a simple set of rules to produce a unique composition that is customized for each recipient. -
Custom publications
Custom publications are business applications that enable a customer to drive specific content into an existing template for immediate publishing or for inclusion in a newsletter or periodical. -
Multichannel marketing campaigns
Multichannel campaigns incorporate completely unique text, images, and graphics for each recipient based on rules that make decisions on demographics, purchasing history, or other predictive methods to enhance relevance to the recipient. They then publish through a combination of print, web, and e-mail. -
TransPromo
TransPromo combines targeted and graphically rich promotional or sales information with transactional documents (bills, statements, portfolios, invoices).
Benefits of VDP
Applying the powerful personalization capabilities of VDP yields exceptional results for marketers, designers, and print providers alike. Creative professionals and print service providers that offer VDP-enabled solutions can help their customers produce more effective and profitable communications campaigns. Through these value-added services, they become long-term strategic partners — a significant advantage in any competitive environment.
- Marketers, who seek to increase sales and maximize ROI for their communications budgets, enjoy higher response rates, increased profits, and more lucrative customer relationships.
- Designers, ad agencies, and marketing departments enjoy developing and working with tools that take their creativity and impact to a new level — bringing new business opportunities and greater value to client collaborations.
- Print service providers enjoy a new and growing segment of the print industry and can expand their offerings to include a broader range of services that lead to increased revenue.
Highlights from a TrendWatch | |
|---|---|
| 37% of graphic arts firms (printers and trade shops) produce some sort of VDP jobs in-house — up from 28% one year ago. | |
| 18% of digital printers say their volume of full-color VDP jobs with 13-plus fields has increased "a little" — a fivefold increase from one year ago. | |
| 16% of creatives say their use of VDP has increased "a little" (1–25%) or "a lot" (25% or more). | |
| The percentage of publishers who see VDP as a top sales opportunity has risen from 2% in Q2 2002 to 8% today. | |
Adobe and partner VDP solutions
Adobe offers the ideal publishing platform and workflow solutions to support a broad range of VDP applications, including business correspondence; simple one-to-one, custom publications; multichannel campaigns; and transpromo marketing. Adobe® Creative Suite® software and VDP-enabled workflows for authoring and publishing are key tools in the creation of these types of applications. And new technologies like Adobe PDF Print Engine 2 will streamline a VDP workflow like never before.
Adobe works with a portfolio of strategic partners that offer a broad range of VDP solutions built on Adobe's publishing platform.
Our software development partners create plug-in solutions that extend the reach of Creative Suite to include graphically rich, highly personalized VDP content. Learn more about these valued Adobe partners and VDP software developers:
- DesignMerge
- DirectSmile
- EMC Document Sciences
- Em Software
- EskoArtwork
- Finite Matters, Ltd.
- HP
- Kodak Print On-Demand Solutions (PODS)
- Objectif Lune
- Pageflex, a division of Bitstream, Inc
- Printable Technologies, Inc.
- Saepio
- Sansui Software
- XMPie, Inc.
Our digital publishing partners offer best-in-class VDP servers, RIPs, and printing systems that automate the production of customized, high-impact materials, introducing new levels of speed and quality to VDP output. Learn more about these valued Adobe partners and VDP output system providers:
