Web-to-print: Unlocking the W2P Potential
“We’ve brought a lot of the development, more IT and security in-house,” he says. “If (clients) are looking to do something more creative and want to be nimble to get a project out quicker, we’re able to handle a lot more of that internally.
“We’ve invested a lot of time, money and resources into the security side of the business. We’re handling sensitive data for financial and health care institutions. It’s important to make sure we have (the security aspect) locked down, and we’re able to manage that internally.”
The wonderful collision of W2P and marketing had its genesis at Ditto several years ago when it partnered with an agency to create and print more than 6.5 million coupons (550,000 books) for a local gas retailer’s fundraising campaign that was offered to community organizations. Ditto’s XMPie workflow enabled coupon books that were personalized, numbered and barcoded for tracking.
The success of that program gave Shriber a wild idea. Why not approach Dunkin’ Donuts, which would be a tremendous fundraising source for people re-selling the company’s yummy donuts and delicious coffee. So it came to be that Ken Shriber cold-called the international giant...got his foot in the door...and then some.
“They’re a great brand with great curb appeal, so I called on them. It took me a couple of months to get to the right person,” Shriber says. “I met the rep at an airport hotel and proposed a totally turnkey Website that we would create for no charge.”
Shriber sold the concept of selling discount books to organizations for $6, to be resold for $10, and made sure the books had $30 worth of free or buy one, get one (BOGO) offers. Ditto also controlled all of the collateral that was placed in the stores for the marketing campaign.
It took a year of ensuring that the program met with state fundraising laws, which meant bringing multiple lawyers into the equation. The printer reaped a profit from the sale of the fundraising books, which helped defray the startup costs. The program is currently available in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.
