Direct marketers don't test frequently enough, and they can't test fast enough. MVT is a solution to that problem. MVT enables marketers to test more variables, faster. However, the production problem is an impediment. With new marketing communications automation tools available, Trialogue offers a much more expedient, more effective and cost efficient form of MVT.

One applicaton that Trialogue offers is Automated Testing. MVT and Automated Testing substantially increases the potential for testing in the direct marketing, particularily the direct mail, area. It allows direct marketers to test more variables, faster and at a lower cost than traditional techniques. However, the methodology is not without problems for direct marketers.

Although the discipline of direct marketing is built on the concept of testing, most direct marketing companies don't test often enough, and they don't test deep enough. Testing represents increased costs to them. Most of that cost falls into production of materials, a different version for each dependent variable. Even with an MVT testing application, the biggest cost is for the production of the materials with which the test is implemented.

However, automated marketing communications managment tools can have a profound impact on testing costs, particularly MVT test costs. MVT can impact these costs in two ways:

• Decreased production costs
• Automated testing functionality

The decreased production costs are produced by an automated production environment like the Streamlyne System. Streamlyne takes the variables from an MVT testing grid, puts them into the production system as table driven variales on the production and printing processes and automates the completion. This will drive costs down significantly.

The data driving the variables for the various test cells is entered into a table, and the automated marketing communications management system produces the various test cell pieces in the appropriate quantities. The test messages are distributed and test results are read and evaluated as the results come in – in real time.