flexistuff

The first annual MIT Smart Customization Seminar 2008 starts today at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which is a forum that allows for thought leaders and business to connect to discuss mass customization and personalization strategies.

Mass customization has emerged from its roots in experimentation to a fully sustainable and scalable business strategy, as is evidenced by the numerous companies that I’ve written about in this blog about mass customization and personalization.

The 2 day event is the only one of its kind in North America that provides deep coverage of this important business trend. The purpose of the meeting, according to the conference brochure is to “take an intensive look on the success factors and how to do it aspects of mass customization by connecting the people that matter in this field.”

The seminar is co-hosted by three leaders in the field:

• Frank Piller, who I’ve written about before, is a chair professor of Management at the Technology Innovation Management Group of RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
• Joseph Pine II, an internationally claimed author, speaker and management advisor to Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial start-ups. He is also author of the award-winning book Mass Customization: The New Frontier in Business Competition
• William J. Mitchell, the director of the MIT Design Laboratory and director of the Media Lab’s Smart Cities research group.

The speaker list is also quite impressive…

Every bride wants to have a story book wedding. Well, now she can have her own magazine to commemorate her special occasion.

My Bride Magazine gives engaged and new brides the ability to create a customized wedding magazine. Brides can take engagement and wedding photos, along with their own text, to create a magazine that tells the complete story of the greatest day of their life.

Once the magazine is created in MyBride magazine’s application builder, it is sent to a custom micro-publisher and is printed as a full-color, glossy magazine in batches of 25 copies. The bride can distribute the magazines to those closest to her, plus she has a unique, one-of-a-kind keepsake of her wedding day. The magazine application builder also allows for the people most important in the bride’s life to add articles including their thoughts, feelings, and acknowledgments all in a magazine-journal format.

How much does it cost?

Yes we’re barely into November, and weeks away from Christmas, but now is the time to start your holiday planning.

I bet there is one task that that you haven’t done for years because you think it’s too much of a hassle. That is sending out Christmas Cards.

I have to admit that I totally love sending out Christmas cards, but because my list was getting larger every year, I totally did not love the physical task of sending them out. But last year it was different - I found the perfect online solution to send out my personalized holiday greetings.

What is it?

With televisions becoming considerably larger and displayed in more prominent places, the black rectangle of a powered-off television can detract from an otherwise beautiful decor. Now there’s a solution that will help to make your TV blend into your decorating scheme.

At Frame My TV you can configure a personalized frame for your flat screen TV.

The mass customization process starts at the Online Design Centre where you can click on the brand of your television, then the model – which will ensure that you get the right frame that fits your set just perfectly.

From there you choose the style of your frame, then the finish. Choices range from wood to metallic finishes. The other option is to order your frame with mirrored glass to go over the front. When you’re watching your TV, it’s like you’re looking through transparent glass. When it’s off, it looks like a smoky mirror.

Next you choose the speaker concealment for your television’s built-in speakers. Their specially designed AcoustiMat system conceals the speakers without obstructing the sound. The solution appears similar to a picture frame with a mat, only the AcoustiMat is acoustically transparent.

How much does it cost?

Maybelline New York is launching My MNY, the first Fully Personalized beauty guide with content and exclusive offers customized just for you.

When you subscribe at their website, you are asked a number of questions about yourself, your skin, make-up and your preferences.

Then, you will wait to receive your own personalized 20-page beauty guide packed with:

• Tips on how to create looks that match your personal makeup style
• How-to techniques tailored to your current level of makeup expertise
• Recommendations that suit your eye colour, skin type and more
• News on this season's hottest fashion and makeup trends
• Valuable offers & savings on makeup products & routines tailored to your unique makeup style

In other words, it’s The Beauty Guide that’s all about you. Although I am waiting to receive my own guide, this is a great example of personalization used for marketing purposes. Customers will provide personal information about themselves if they see a value in doing so.

This is great example of a company that has a mass market brand, trying to reach their customers on a one-to-one basis. No woman wants to be considered part of the masses. She wants to be thought of as unique, so using a personalized promotion is a fabulous idea.

I have previously written about other companies that have also tried a personalized approach...

Over the past few months, I’ve provided a number of great examples of personalized direct mail pieces that I’ve received from Cadillac, Rogers, Women’s College Hospital and Volkswagen.

Now there’s a way to take personalization to the next level using variable images.

Based out of Germany, Direct Smile claims to be the inventor of image personalization and one of the leading suppliers of software for variable data printing and cross-media marketing. Their mass personalization solutions are directed at printers, designers, corporations and ad agencies who want to leverage the power of one-to-one marketing across all media.

Check out these images that I generated using their online image personalization tool. You can see that my name is created through the arrangement of rocks in the sand. The second shows a cute message that is written in the snow on the hood of a car. You can do the same thing yourself by playing around with the online tool that offers 16 templates.

So what’s the point of variable images?

You know an ad campaign has gone too far when the police have to reassure the public that the creepy phone calls they’re receiving promotes the launch of an upcoming horror flick.

As the Toronto Star reports, at a website for fifth instalment in the horror series Saw V, visitors can enter their name and a friend’s to generate a creepy message that can be dialed to any number. And the prankster can choose any number to appear on caller ID screens.

In the message, a low voice growls a personalized message:

“Hello, (name). Do you want to play a game? You think it’s over but the games have just begun. I’m here with your friend (name). My work will continue in a way you never say coming. You don’t believe how it ends. Let the game begin.”

The disclaimer on the website advises you to “Please use your best judgment and be respectful of others”.

The Ontario Provincial Police detachment in Beeton received at least 6 calls about the message. Although they confirm there’s nothing criminal in the message, they do agree that it’s more of a nuisance.

What’s my take on this personalized promotion?

I know it’s just October, but if you are looking for Christmas gift for your kid, or a kid at heart, here’s an idea for you.

You can order the Create Your Own Critter Kit, send in your child’s drawing and then have a custom made, one of a kind plush doll made just for them in about 2 to 3 weeks of receipt.

For $60 US, you will get a creature that is about 20 inches in height complete with a short story about their critter that is created based on a questionnaire that you complete with your order.

This site does not exactly fit the definition of mass customization where you can configure your creation from a menu list of options and then view your creation online. I’ve written before about other sites such as Xoddo where you can create your own monster online. There’s also Tiny Pocket People where you can do the same. Both sides have pretty nice interfaces where you get to see what your product looks like before you order it.

What’s missing from the site?

As I was looking outside, I wondered why I hadn’t written about Summerwood Products before, especially since one of their products is in my backyard.

Based out of Toronto, Summerwood Products offers structures such as garden sheds, gazebos, workshops, playhouses, spa enclosures, garages, and home studios.

Their prefab kits are designed by you, built to your specifications and are delivered to your home. It’s mass customization brought to construction.

You first start by choosing one of their basic designs, then you can customize everything from the size, to the number and placement of windows, doors, shutters, flower boxes and more. Best of all is that you can see a 3D rendering of your project, that also keeps a running tab of the price as you go. The drag and drop online interface is quite functional and you can easily see play around with various options.

That’s all very nice. But for the thousands of dollars that you’ll spend, how do you know that you’ll get a great product?

I’ve had a Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum loyalty card for about a year. And in that time, I’ve been able to redeem my points for merchandise, which I quite like.

But I had always wondered what the company does with all of that information they have on me in their database. After all, they know what store I shop at, what I purchase, how much, how often, and a whole lot more about my very personal habits.

So, when I got home today and saw a pretty and beautifully designed blue package in my mailbox with a message, that read “A fitting gift just for you!”, I was excited. I thought that maybe my drug store had done some data mining to come up with a personalized offer just for me, because that was the promise of their marketing message.

The whole point of having a loyalty program is not only to reward customers for repeat purchases, but then to make relevant offers based on their transactions. I had hoped that there would maybe be a perfume, shampoo, or cosmetics sample inside, because I do regularly purchase these products at Shoppers Drug Mart.

As I carefully opened the box, I was horribly disappointed! Here’s why…

I love examples of personalized packaging and have previously written about personalized wine & spirits labels, ketchup bottles from Heinz and tissue boxes from Kleenex.

Now Pringles, known for its stacked potato crisps, has launched an online application that allows users to customize their own cans.

As with all of these initiatives - I had to test it out. It’s a pretty easy process where you first design a background from ready-made templates, then customize it with colour gradients and even text. While I was impressed that you are allowed to upload your own photo, I had a hard time placing the text properly on the templates provided, and in fact, wasn’t able to do so exactly the way I wanted. (I still maintain that the absolute best interface for personalization can be found on the My Kleenex Tissue site!)

Anyway, after you’ve finished your creation, you can save it to the gallery and have visitors can vote on Funniest, Most Creative and Best design. Best of all, you can print out your design and attach it to a real Pringles can. All in all, it’s a great little application and well executed. It's a nice example of package customization combined with the elements of social marketing. Smart!

Here’s the number one reason you should design a can…

MyGeneImage based out of San Diego, California is able to create a piece of artwork based on your DNA and genetic sequencing.

Here’s how it works:

You first select a piece of art, whether it be myArtwork, myCrystal or myGeneticID and also specify the colour, design, background, size, and gene of interest for your masterpiece. Then, after placing your order on the website you are sent a Sample Collection Kit that includes tools to swab the inside of your check to collect what are known as buccal cells, that hold the body’s DNA. The envelope is then sent back to the MyGeneImage lab where DNA is extracted to generate your very own piece of art that you’ll get back in two weeks.

The result is a piece of art that is one of a kind, as unique as you are. In other words, you are the real artist of your DNA masterpiece, proclaims the website.

What does it cost, you ask?

I’m always intrigued when the personalization value proposition creeps its way into advertising, even though the product or service itself does not necessarily fit the definition of mass customization.

Curves, the female-only fitness centre just launched an ad campaign introducing CurvesSmart which is described as a personal coaching system. It’s a new technology pioneered by Curves that offers a precision-designed workout, moment to moment feedback, and progress reports to keep members motivated while they work out. In other words, Curves promotes the program as your very own personalized coaching program.

I think it’s a smart approach, highlighting their value proposition of personalization while promoting the motivation factor rather than the gym facility itself.

But, this is not the only ad campaign that promotes personalization…

It may be likely you will not necessarily be familiar with PURL marketing. Simply put, the acronym means Personalized URL (web address) marketing, and it’s the integration of personalization, direct mail, and the internet.

Here’s how it works. It all starts with a segmented customer database, then out of that is generated a personalized direct mail piece with a PURL printed on it. If a customer visits the web address, they are provided with their very own personalized website that contains information that is tailored specifically for them.

According to MindFireInc., just one company that provides this integrated marketing solution, personalized URLs are the hottest thing in 1:1 marketing. The benefits of such an approach is that it improves marketing responses rates, identifies more qualified prospects and converts high quality leads into revenue – all while results are monitored in real-time.

I’ve written before about great examples of personalized direct mail from Rogers, Volkswagen, Cadillac, Women’s College Hospital and Capital One, but none of these campaigns went so far as to offer a personalized web address. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever received such a piece of direct mail. But let me tell you that it would certainly get my attention if I did. And that’s the point. We’re exposed to thousands of marketing messages a day, so when something crosses your desk with your name on it and an intriguing call to action, you’ll be more likely to respond to it.

If you’re interested in exploring the topic a little further, I’d suggest you check out the following resource:

One of the first things you’ll learn in any introductory marketing class is the marketing mix, more commonly known as the 4P’s: product, price, place, and promotion.

Given the fact that this model was popularized in the 1960’s, there are numerous observers who think that it needs an update.

It is impressive then, that in 2004 (pre Web 2.0) that the book High Intensity Marketing suggests that the first generation of marketing took a company-centric and functional approach to the 4P’s. It was tactical - about pushing mass market messages and driving store purchases.

The next generation of marketing however, has a customer-centric view, discovering his/her unmet needs and delivering customer value through customer engagement. The author suggests a new model that includes the 4 elements of: Personalization, Participation, Peer-to-Peer, and Predictive Modeling.

Let’s take a look at personalization, which means the configuration of products and services by the consumer, usually through the internet – essentially mass customization. I absolutely agree that the internet has been an enabler of this business model through my many blog posts. And, combine that with his other "P", Participation, you’ve got a co-creation or crowdsourcing model, again which certainly fits with the mass customization approach.

I would add that you could also extend the definition to promotion, by employing one-to-one marketing tactics to direct personalized communication to consumers.

There is yet another version of the 4Ps that includes personalization…