However, occasionally there are times when I put my head in my hands and wonder why we bother.

I had one of these moments the other day when, after extolling the wonders of digital print to a potential client, I got a panicked phone call. "I've just had a mailpack in the post," wailed the poor person on the end of the line. "It was that digital print you were talking about - it was awful. It had my address on a road sign and my name in the snow."

There is no denying that digital print has been one of the most revolutionary developments in print in recent years, with the capacity to do incredible things - so why do we keep using it to do the same old rubbish?

The number of printers that claim abilities in the field of data is increasing daily and yet the industry is still turning out work of the lowest common denominator.

Writing someone's name in a multitude of ways (sand, grass, clouds, etc) is clumsy and crass - it's a joke that wears thin very quickly. Moreover, it shows a complete lack of understanding of the value of the information.

An important asset
Data is pretty much the most important asset a company can own, particularly if it is a big user of direct marketing, but it is important that the consumer does not know that a company knows all about them.

Just because the company knows the name of the street the customer lives on, knows the name of their dog and their first born, doesn't mean they should exploit it in a mailpack.

Data is crucial. So crucial, in fact, that it should be hidden. If you have the capacity to use data intelligently, then it should not be obvious that you are using it at all.

I am sure that many people would argue that personalisation can increase consumer response - but then so does getting a loudhailer and effecting a very loud and literal ‘call to action' in the street.

But just like lazy personalisation, the loudhailer is annoying and ultimately counterproductive. Put simply, there is no need to be so obvious about it.

Personalisation needs to work hard to become relevant. A consumer should pick up a mailpack and simply feel that they are interested in it because it is relevant - or even more than that, completely apposite and perfectly suited to them. Their data can be all over it, but effectively invisible.

One of our clients is consumer electronics manufacturer Bang & Olufsen. As it is in the business of selling things, we often know which televisions their customers have bought, and consequently, which set of loudspeakers they might quite like. So, when we send a mailpack, inviting the customer to try out a set of new speakers, they receive a pack featuring their TV alongside a number of other personalised elements.

It is about as personalised as you can get. Yet it does not have ‘consumer data' literally written all over it. Of course, you need to exercise restraint here too. Too specific and you risk scaring customers off and devaluing the precious information you have. But get it right and you have some of the most intelligent and responsive print around. For too long, digital print has been thought of as naff, nasty and gimmicky.

However, as the industry starts to develop real expertise in this area, there is no reason why we can't shake off this image. The impetus needs to come from us - the data and print businesses responsible for selling these things.

Digital print now offers extraordinarily high-quality work. Coupled with data and the increased response rates this brings, it should be the absolute pinnacle of marketing. And it can be - if we stop misusing the technology and start thinking creatively.

Please, even if you're advertising a beach holiday, stop writing things in sand.

David Rolfe is the head of client services at customer management agency Snowball. Email drolfe@snowball.co.uk