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Quad/Graphics debuts predictive direct mail technology

Quad/Graphics in March introduced a new technology platform for testing direct marketing designed to lift response rates, increase reliability and shorten time to market.

The testing platform, called Accelerated Insights, is a virtual platform that can test up to 20 content variables in one pass that uses a persona matrix that combines demographics with emotional characteristics to predict what factors motivate someone to act on an offer, Quad/Graphics explains, noting that all of this can be accomplished without a physical mailing.

“Marketers have been following the same testing methods for decades, many times with disappointing results,” said Scott Harvey, Quad/Graphics Senior Vice President of Marketing Solutions. “This technology creates a roadmap for campaign creative that tells marketers exactly what is most important to customers and prospects.”

In addition to the persona matrix, the Accelerated Insights testing platform relies on a vetted pool of millions of survey respondents, differentiated based on hundreds of characteristics. The technology draws from that pool to create survey panels that mirror direct marketers’ target consumers.

The panels are presented as mailing packages that each have multiple variables. Based on the panels’ responses, a proprietary algorithm predicts which combination of format, offer, messaging and imagery will be most successful. With that information, marketers can determine the most cost-effective package before sending out a single piece of mail. The Accelerated Insights testing platform has been in limited release for the past two years, used by customers in a range of business categories including financial services, insurance, healthcare and retail.