In the past it has been difficult to personalise mail for clients. This is because it takes a lot of work to print a separate documents for each name and address.

Variable printing is by no means a new process, it has grown in frequency as advancements in printing technology have lowered the cost. It can allow you to uniquely customize your media by changing certain elements from piece to piece, taking advantage of the power of complex personalisation.

There are many methods of variable personalisation – postcards with the name of the recipient, or how about unique coupons with individual serial numbers so that you can track which customers used them. Other suggestions include creating a series of assorted business cards, each with a different photo background.

Complex personalisation has also moved onto digital platforms such as email and web content. Plenty of services use HTML coding techniques to adapt their emails to suit you.

You must be familiar with the email that reads hello [enter name here]. How many of us believe they actually know our names? Why do these companies choose to make the impersonal seem personal?

Psychologists say it boils down to our own social needs. Media and marketing whizzes know that we all like to feel welcomed, honoured and important. This allows the companies do just that, by giving the impression that they are familiar with you, and know you too well. Such as we feel welcomed, we feel more connected with the company and appreciate the time taken to register us as a person.