Fuji Xerox has launched a new certification programme to promote best practice in the use of its Variable Data Printing (VDP) in direct marketing.
The company says that VDP assists marketing practitioners to deliver outstanding results through targeted and personalised direct marketing campaigns.
Targeted at digital print professionals, the Fuji Xerox VDP Certification programme is designed to help equip printers with the skills to properly promote and utilise VDP technology. To achieve Fuji Xerox VDP certification, printers are required to pass a competency standard which guarantees their ability to deliver best practise VDP.
Richard Penny, Marketing Manager, Fuji Xerox New Zealand says, "Fuji Xerox is both a user and supplier of VDP software and understands the difficulties and barriers that printers face selling VDP technology to their customers. We want to help printers overcome these hurdles.
"When used effectively, VDP technology provides digital printers a platform to add significant value to their customers in the marketing and advertising community.
"By using VDP-based DM as part of their marketing mix, marketers can deliver a more personalised and targeted campaign, and expect significantly improved response rates and subsequent returns on investment."
The Fuji Xerox VDP Certification programme also aims to provide the advertising and marketing industry with a pool of printers skilled in delivering a personalised direct mail campaign.
Once certified, Fuji Xerox will actively promote the partner as a leading VDP practitioner. The company says it will achieve this through targeted advertising, as well as the use of certification seals and collaterals. It says the partner will also gain access to a wealth of VDP material, such as white papers, case studies and international experts.
How to become certified:
1. The printer must have implemented one of the three VDP software packages sold by Fuji Xerox - XMPie, PrintShop Mail or Creo Darwin. Although there are significant differences between these products, the company says that all three packages are capable of delivering sophisticated direct mail campaigns. The printer must also have staff trained to use the selected package.
2. A direct mail campaign requires more than just the technical aspects of constructing and printing the mail piece. The printer must have strong skill sets to engage the customer and explain the strategy and benefits of the campaign. To provide the printer with these non-traditional skills, the printer is required to have at least one operator complete the Profit Through Personalization programme (offered by Fuji Xerox). This CD-based kit has been designed to get the printer up to speed quickly on VDP technology and application through a mixture of examples and presentations.
3. To ensure the printer is working at a high-level of technical competence and process understanding, the printer is expected to complete an initial and annual test of the VDP technology. This will be in the form of a presentation to Fuji Xerox of a successfully completed VDP-based direct marketing campaign.
4. As this is a Fuji Xerox, not an industry certification, Fuji Xerox has stipulated that all printers seeking certification must own Fuji Xerox production printing equipment. Production printing equipment must be a high-speed colour or black/white device that uses an external front end (Fiery, Creo or Fuji Xerox).
