2010 PODi Best Practices Award Winners Announced

Online, January 8, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Rochester, NY - PODi, the Digital Printing Initiative, is pleased to announce the 2010 winners of the annual PODi Best Practices Awards. These highly anticipated awards recognize outstanding examples of digital print and variable data strategies. The awards will be presented at the 2010 PODi AppForum digital print conference in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand, January 25-27. AppForum attendees will be treated to a first detailed look at the applications and a chance to hear from the winners.

Case studies are judged on a combination of criteria, including measured results, value proposition, functionality, scalability, relevance, creativity, and innovation. The 2010 Panel of distinguished judges:

* Howie Fenton, Senior Technical Consultant, NAPL
* Dr. John Leininger, Professor Department of Graphic Communications, Clemson University
* Cary Sherburne, journalist, author, marketing consultant and WhatTheyThink Senior Editor

Best Practices Winner: Marketing Resource Center Category

Move, Inc. and QuantumDigital, Inc. - "Move.com Creates Automated Lead Generation Tool for Real Estate Agents"

Move, Inc., a leader in online real estate services, created this outstanding lead generation program for subscribing agents. Their Market Builder solution is used by over 61,000 agents and has produced more than 5.2 million printed pieces, with average response rates of 3%; generating a monthly print volume of 365,000 pieces.

The solution, built by QuantumDigital, Inc., provides a proven, trigger-based strategy and easy-to-use interface, with full automation for print fulfillment and order processing.

"We're proud that the successful lead generation program implemented for our partner, Move, Inc., has been recognized with this Best Practices Award," says QuantumDigital, Inc.'s Marketing Director, Jamie Klemcke. "Challenging the economic environment, the program enabled Move to show steady increases in monthly revenues and secured loyal, repeat customers. Receiving a PODi award for this innovative solution and use of technology is a wonderful achievement for Move and for the entire QuantumDigital team."

Honorable Mention: Mercer and Kinetic Corporation - "Mercer Increases the Speed of Business with Purpose Driven Global Communications"*

Best Practices Winner: Direct Marketing Category

Girl Scouts Arizona Cactus Pine Council (GSACPC) and Allegra Print & Imaging/Scottsdale, AZ - "Girl Scouts Raises Funds with Support the Sash Campaign"

A decline in donations triggered the GSACPC's Support the Sash. campaign to engage alumni and develop a network of new donors. Their solution, integrating digital print, personalized URLs, email, social media, and telesales, also employed a relevant segmentation strategy. They achieved a total response rate of 8.2%, strengthened relationships and grew their database for future campaigns. They also managed to increase the size of their average donation.
"It is exciting to work with progressive clients like Girl Scouts Arizona Cactus Pine Council. They were open to new channels of communication and they looked to Allegra to help build a strategy that would address their specific needs," says Ted Raymond, owner of Allegra AZ. "We are honored to have our innovative work recognized by a respected organization like PODi."

Honorable Mention: Rosemont College, Pacesetter Enterprises, and Digital Innovations Group - "Rosemont College Reconnects with Young Alumni" / "Rosemont College Engages Young Alumni with a Virtual Party"

Best Practices Winner: Self-Promotion Category

OTC Systems Ltd. - "OTC Systems Uses Cross-Media Marketing System to Attract Auto Dealers"*

OTC's all-in-one marketing portal, OLA, is designed to enable automotive dealerships to create powerful personalized direct mail programs. They marketed the solution with their own award-winning promotional campaign, showcasing the technology and capabilities built into OLA. Their highly relevant, segmented program resulted in 23% response rates. Over 11% of respondents have signed up for the new portal solution.
"The team at OTC Systems is honored to be recognized with such a prestigious award that acknowledges our unique and effective technology-driven marketing solutions," says OTC President, Tim Graham. "We look forward to further enabling marketers and printers to produce highly personalized and Emotionalized® programs through OTC System's automated platform."

Honorable Mention: DUKE - "DUKE Educates Customers About PURLs"

The first edition of 2010 PODi case studies, including most award winners, have recently been added to the Case Study Database. *Note: These case studies will be included in the 2nd edition for 2010. The second group of 2010 case studies will be added early this spring. The PODi Case Study Database is the only collection of its kind for the digital print marketplace. Access to over 400 case studies and reports is free to PODi members at www.podi.org.

For more information or to register for the 2010 AppForum, visit www.podiforum.org

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About the PODi AppForum
The annual three-day PODi AppForum is the only industry conference dedicated exclusively to digital printing applications, with a truly independent, vendor-neutral, unbiased agenda. All of PODi's extensive research, resources, industry contacts, and expertise come together once a year to make the AppForum the cornerstone of what's new and what's next in digital print.
Print service providers and marketing experts learn the latest trends in one-to-one and relevant marketing, new profitable applications, and sales strategies. Thought-provoking sessions tackle productivity, operations, and print on demand technology. The diverse audience of printing and marketing professionals, end users, technology experts and others make the AppForum a dynamic networking opportunity. The intimate, low-key vendor hall encourages meaningful one-to-one communications, while showcasing the latest digital technology and professional services.

About PODi
PODi (www.podi.org) is a vendor neutral industry initiative with hundreds of member companies, including Executive Board members EFI, Pitney Bowes and Xerox. The organization's goal is to drive demand for marketing applications powered by digital print & help members build successful digital print businesses. Membership in PODi is open to companies and organizations involved in digital printing.