Noted author and blogger Seth Godin recently blogged about the rise of micro production and marketing leading to the fall of mass production and mass media marketing. The days of creating mass quantities of stuff, then marketing it to the masses through such mass media as network TV are fading.

Godin emphasizes, “The Ed Sullivan Show existed to sell Jell-O to everyone. Today, there’s no everyone, and certainly no media channel that can sell everyone, cheap, to the folks who market Jell-O.”

The rise of niche craft breweries to counter the biggest beer brands is one example. Brewed in limited quantities and marketed to small focused audiences, these microbreweries are thriving in large part because of loyal patronage by a relatively small group of passionate purchasers. They’re in touch with, and relevant to, this audience.

Godin speaks to this, noting, “…it’s better to be important, to be in sync, to be the one that’s hard to be replaced. And the only way to be important is to be relevant, focused and specific…mass production is being replaced by micro production, by the short run, by customization…”

Another industry being substantially impacted by “micro versus mass” is printing. Digital technologies driving everything from label printing to packaging emphasize the viability of short runs and customization. Digital printing fits perfectly into the micro culture, providing manufacturers the benefits of economical and timely short runs, and the ability to get highly personal and targeted when appealing to smaller groups.

For example, a case(s) of wine destined for a particular organization or targeted to a list of recipients can carry labels featuring a personalized image of the company. It could be photo(s) of a corporate headquarters, applicable branding or logo depictions, or even images of company executives, employees or other stakeholders.

Another digital printing-enabled option is to feature cities, states or other geographically-oriented images for product sales in specific areas. For example, digital label products destined for Denver could feature a series of relevant images from mountain scenes to the downtown skyline.

Products marketed to specific age groups or other demographics can be customized with images and relevant representations of those groups.

People who have had highly satisfying, or even life-altering, experiences with a particular product can “tell their story” on a variety of digital labels or packages. This provides a great promotional opportunity for the product manufacturer to present itself in a very human and authentic way – complementing aligned marketing efforts through other media.

The process of finding and promoting such experiences can itself serve as a publicity-generating windfall. Through such avenues as crowdsourcing, a company can enlist such stories from product users through social media, traditional PR, advertising, et al. Selection of people/experiences to be featured offers another PR/promotion opportunity (locally in each person’s city, potentially in vertical trade publications and channels, and even regionally or nationally in mainstream/social media).

Digital label and packaging personalization is really limited only by the imagination. Think about a beverage or food maker conducting a contest for original works of art. Winning entries could be featured on a product label as a limited edition, and even go so far as to carry sequential numbering. These products could themselves become collectibles, with people scrambling to find a variety of numbered limited edition prints.

While a company likely wouldn’t see famous artists in the mix, there are many aspiring artists who would love to see their original art featured on a variety of high-end products, from wine to cosmetics.

In a variation on the theme, consider the possibility of conducting a contest featuring children’s finger paintings.

Product manufacturers may decide to tell a variety of compelling tales on their labels. Topics can range from product-specific features, benefits and growth to the evolution of the industry overall. These tales also can be entertaining and fictional. Done correctly, these become an additional draw for purchasing the product.

A critical key to any of these approaches is to remain relevant to the audience buying (or considering buying) the brand. Product makers targeting millennials should keep their preferences and buying triggers firmly in mind when designing any promotion.
When appeal crosses age groups – such as beverages heavily consumed by millennials and baby boomers alike, make sure to speak to both in their “language” and venues they are more likely to frequent (e.g., online orders versus brick-and-mortar outlets).
All of this is possible with digital printing, today’s technology for tomorrow’s micro marketing successes. 

Tammie MacLachlan contributed to this report.