THE CHALLENGE:
Schawk Retail Marketing works with major retail clients that require over 15,000 unique pages to be produced yearly for promotional marketing programs, which include circular and catalog. This type of work includes executing the base circular pages, pricing variations through multiple markets and product versioning, as well as, providing offshore versioning within the same production cycle. As digital has become a main component in the marketing mix, our clients are looking to us for guidance to create synergies across channels, from print to digital.
CLIENT DEMANDS:
To integrate data from their event management system, on a transactional basis with the agency, to control market versioning, product and pricing. This would replace the older mainframe systems and labor-intensive manual versioning and pricing that the client had in place.
Asset management integration between the agency, the client image database and new photography from photo studios chosen by the client.
Create a global repository of reusable copy and assets, referenced by item number.
THE IMPACT OF LAGO:
Automated Page Assembly: The XML data feed from client is structured so that, when normalized/processed, the data provides the structure and brings content to the pages of each promotional event. Prices, products, images are all brought to the page automatically, saving production time and further planning costs. Changes to prices, products and images on the page are processed automatically via subsequent transactional feeds.
Integration of product and image database: All items in the client's inventory are cataloged and reusable in LAGO. An item (SKU) number can be added to the data feed at a preset milestone in the production cycle. When that transactional "feed" is processed, the desired item is brought to the required page, complete with copy already associated in the agency database and an image assigned from client image database.
Market Version Report: On a transactional feed basis, client can create or delete page versions of circular. The client and agency are then able to capture a report detailing which market each page of the circular is for and what the differences are in each market.
ACCORDING TO SCHAWK!:
"Schawk set out to identify a new page automation system that could automatically update pricing changes and streamline version automation. The LAGO system has successfully met both objectives! By using a transactional data feed, we are able to make late pricing changes from the client, plus create complex versioning for up to 526 markets. This has helped to save time and improve accuracy."
Tasha Majchrzak, VP Advertising Operations
"We are partnering with comosoft to explore how to utilize LAGO across multiple channels beyond print. As retailers continue to embrace digital convergence and a seamless integration and experience between their channels, we are excited to speak about the enhanced capabilities of LAGO to support these efforts. With LAGO, we are having discussions with clients to provide versioning, promotions and asset sharing across all channels, from print to digital, while providing a consistent, seamless, and an increased level of engagement with shoppers."
Tearle Calinog, Director, Client Engagement
www.comosoft.com
