ST. PETERSBURG, FL. (Nov. 17, 2017) — Valpak, a leader in local print and digital coupons, won the Technology Project of the Year for its new selective targeting project at the 14th annual Tampa Bay Tech (TBT) Awards Friday night in St. Petersburg.
The award recognizes a technology project – developed and led by an in-house innovation team in Tampa Bay – that created regional, national and/or international impact through visibility for our region, disruption within an industry, or transformative effect on its business.
Valpak's familiar blue envelopes filled with coupons are produced in an IT-driven, fully automated, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. Until very recently, the envelopes were produced in increments of 10,000 households, with the same offerings in every envelope. Not any more! Thanks to the selective targeting project, business owners can target consumers directly with unique messaging at the address level. Advertisers can merge their customer data with Valpak's sophisticated demographic data to send coupons specifically targeted to their customers.
This was a cross-team, cross-functional project using agile methodologies. Early iterations of the project were heavily manual and involved modifications to manufacturing equipment, while orders had to be handled outside of the typical processes. These early iterations allowed Valpak to prove that it was capable of creating the product without investing significant resources up front. More importantly, it allowed the direct marketing company to prove that the product was viable and desirable in the marketplace.
In June, the teams went live with a fully automated solution to produce the selective targeting product. Valpak mails its envelopes to about 37 million households monthly, and selective targeting is included in more than 75 percent of those mailings. This product lays a solid groundwork for Valpak to provide even more sophisticated product offerings in the future, where each Valpak envelope will contain only coupons that meet the unique needs, desires and buying habits of each household.
"The work that Valpak is doing to advance the state of the art in marketing technology is a point of pride for Tampa Bay," said Daniel James Scott, TBT's executive director. "Our community could not be prouder to celebrate and share the advancements this team is making."
The TBT is Central Florida's largest and most influential technology association. The Tampa Bay area is one of the state's fastest-growing tech hubs. Chris Cate, Valpak's chief operating officer, and Stephanie Davis, Valpak's senior director of enterprise agility, serve on the TBT board of
About Valpak
Based in St. Petersburg, Florida, Valpak is one of the leading direct marketing companies in the U.S. and Canada. We provide print and digital advertising through a network of 150 local franchises. From mailbox to mobile phone, Valpak brings exciting local business offers and opportunities to millions of consumers. Each month, our well-known Blue Envelope of savings is mailed to nearly 37 million demographically targeted households in 47 states and in three Canadian provinces. Our digital suite of products, including valpak.com, reaches more than 110 million users.
Contact
Dave Williams
Valpak
727-319-5443
David_Williams@valpak.com