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> issue#11
May 2005
Com’muni,cator
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find out more at www.stephensandgeorge.co.uk
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May 2005
contents
> issue#11
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welcome... TO THE 11th ISSUE OF COMMUNICATOR. It seems that everything is a hot topic at the moment: the value of brands, the diversification of carriers such as UPS and Fedex, the ongoing debates about whether InDesign will conquer all, to name but a few. The only thing that is decided is that this May was one of the coldest, wettest and windiest on record. We’re promised a heat wave for the summer, whether it materialised or not is another matter... Hot off the press In the meantime, we’re continuing to nurture our new baby, the mighty Heidelberg SM102, and when that’s up and running, we’ll let you know. Keep your comments coming in. We love to read them, and will hopefully publish some of them in the next issue of Communicator.
Sharon Tovey, Marketing Manager, Stephens & George Ltd.
04-05 anchors away. Pantone launches a new set of tools to help us navigate more confidently.
Print S&G Magazines. Goat Mill Road Dowlais Merthyr Tydfil CF48 3TD Telephone: +44 (0)1685 388888 Facsimile:
06-09 UPS & FEDEX COMPETE TO DELIVER. Two giants battle it out for brand supremacy.
+44 (0)1685 385732 Email: sales@stephensandgeorge.co.uk Web: www.stephensandgeorge.co.uk
12-14 HINTS & TIPS FOR PRINTING ON UNCOATED PAPER & BOARD. Your easy guide for perfect printing.
Editorial & Design Black Sheep 103 Bute Street Cardiff CF10 5AD Telephone: +44 (0)29 2049 0722 Facsimile: +44 (0)29 2049 0723
16-19 happy nation? Martyn Rowe goes insearch of what makes us happy in todays world.
Email: dolly@blacksheep.info
20-21 the print manager's handbook. What do print managers have to fear from print management?
Web: www.blacksheep.info
Many thanks to all our contributors
23 On the couch. With Mark Williams.
24-26 improving your contact data. If data analysis sounds daunting to you, be reassured that options do exist.
Media industry News IN ASSOCIATION WITH MEDIA WEEK
McDonalds unveils healthy food strategy
TNS launch F1 branding research tool
Sport sponsorship and consumer research company TNSSport has launched a tracking service for advertisers to monitor the impact of brands during the F1 motor racing season. The service will be rolled out in the UK, Italian, German and Chinese markets and features continuous waves of research carried out with viewers of F1. Advertisers will be offered analysis into the effectiveness of their branding, either on cars, drivers and of through sponsorships. Richard Ames, managing director of TNSSport said: “F1 is a complex
commercial environment in which brands are looking for exposure and mind share among an important demographic. “F1Scope has been designed to enable brands keep score by delivering consistent, reliable and detailed data that has a role to play when determining strategy and spend.”
Global food giant McDonald's has proclaimed itself as a self-appointed, self-regulated champion of the debate surrounding junk food advertising to children. The company has revealed it will introduce a sevenpoint plan to market itself as a leader in the fight to promote healthy food. Light said the move would “help set an example to others”, while the corporation would also attempt to repair the damage inflicted on it from books - such as Fast Food nation - and the recent Supersize Me movie. Speaking recently at a conference organised by the Incorporated Society
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of British Advertisers, Larry Light, executive vice president and global chief marketing officer for McDonald's, said the corporation would overhaul its healthy food charter and introduce a raft of new product lines. McDonald's is expected to launch a new PittaMac - based on the traditional pitta bread loaded with roasted vegetables - and a new walnut salad, among other items. McDonald's would be “focussing on rebuilding trust - trust is a must”, Light told delegates at the conference, by making more nutritional information available to consumers.
Com’muni,cator > issue#11
The seven-point, selfregulation charter includes a new tagline, “It’s What I Eat, And What I Do”. Light said the charter would provide the consumer with more choice and more nutritional information - focussing on children’s wellbeing; being open and transparent; working with nutritional experts; and applying McDonald's marketing expertise to address the obesity issue. He added: “We will use our size and strength to be an example to others.”
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Clear Channel looks to the grandparents
Advertisers and agencies may be missing major opportunities by not targeting grandparents when it comes to products aimed at families with children. The warning comes from outdoor media giant Clear Channel, which made the claim in a report presented at the Media 360 conference in St Andrews, Scotland. A project looking the “21st century family” revealed that, with more families relying on both parents working, grandparents are playing an increasingly important role in the day-today care of the children.
Online ad revenue to soar by 33% in 2005
Revenue from online advertising is predicted to increase by around a third during 2005 - with the press sector lagging way behind with an overall increase of just 2.6%. The advertising revenue expenditure forecasts from the Advertising Association, unveiled today, put internet spend up a massive 33.2% on 2004. Online advertising’s nearest competitor, in terms of growth, is expected to be the outdoor sector, which will see revenues increase by 6.2% on 2004. In the press sector, only regional newspapers are expected to pass the
3% barrier in growth during 2005, with B2B predicted to put in a lowly 1.7% increase. National newspapers will see revenues increase by 2.6%, while consumer magazines will also post a nominal rise of 2.3%. The third and fourth best growth figures are predicted to hit the cinema and television markets as increases of 5.8% and 4.8% respectively. The worst performing market is expected to be direct mail with a 0.9% growth rate for 2005, while radio will turn in an increase of 3.4%.
Before presenting the research at the conference, Yvonne O’Brien, Clear Channel’s marketing director, said: “The research suggests that advertisers wanting to reach the family audience may be missing a trick by focussing on the traditional ‘housewife with kids’ and ‘main shopper’ advertising categories.” Clare Rutherford, senior research consultant at Principles Research, which conducted the study on behalf of Clear Channel, noted that grandparents have in many ways become surrogate parents to the grandchildren. “They’re spending more time with them and they’re
actually having a greater influence on some of the purchases within the family because instead of just getting them a treat when they come to visit, they now may have to buy food for the family and toys - they take them out on activities,” she said. “They have a much more active role in the decision making process and yet we’re not targeting them,” she added. The report, which involved detailed studies of 30 families, found that 79% of grandparents help out with household tasks, 61% see their grandchildren at least once a week, 24% help out with babysitting several times a week while 23% regularly do the school run. O’Brien suggested that advertisers targeting families might want to aim at the “three-tier family consisting of grandparents, parents and children” rather than just parents and kids. “Grandparents have been largely ignored by the ad community but our research suggests this needs to change,” she said. “While pester power has been well documented, our finding suggest more research is needed into the combined might of grandparents and children on parental purchasing decisions.”
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Com’muni,cator > issue#11
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It is not plain sailing in the digital sea of colour management. So Pantone has launched a new set of tools to help us navigate more confidently in uncharted waters. Print media management Editor Jonathan Levy reports.
was in danger of being left behind by the digitisation of the production process and is now playing catch-up in Europe to ensure it doesn’t lose its brand value in the colour space, if you pardon the pun.
Do you remember the days of hand-drawn ‘scamps’ using colour markers, maybe ‘Letraset’ and those Pantone colour chips sellotaped to the edge? That was twenty-plus years ago in my career. How the world has changed!
"It’s a challenge and that’s something that Richard Herbert is personally looking at, because he represents the new generation. He’s focused on the digital world. Swatches and chips are anchor points at the beginning and end of the process from the initial concept to the printed design coming off the press.
In the digital 21st century it all seems to happen on-screen and the challenge of colour management is managing expectations by trying to explain that what we loved onscreen, or printed off in the office, isn’t necessarily what will come off the press. So we are encouraged to leave it to the experts: colours are scanned, analysed and calibrated, proofs are certified and presses are closed loop and run to spec, untouched by operator intervention. In a digital world we are led to believe there is no longer a role for the human eye as we design and print by numbers. Pantone’s relevance appeared to be fading as fast as its outdated swatches that had overstayed their shelf life. But as we reported from Drupa last year, when we interviewed president Richard Herbert, they are not only bringing their brand into the digital world but are also re-establishing the traditional fans and chip guides.
"We have to cultivate our standard to integrate new technologies and launch new products based on these new technologies to be state of the art and to lead with our colour communication standard," states Eifert. The company says that its flagship product, the Pantone Matching System formula guide, has undergone the most substantial redesign in more than 30 years. The solid chips book is also published in this new format and provides designers with a larger tear-out chip. Both these products are the first to be produced on Pantone’s ‘unique’ new KBA printing press, which has been precision-engineered for improved colour consistency.
"Pantone is building on its core competency of colour..."
Europe has lagged behind US and Asian markets for Pantone, so they set about addressing that situation towards the end of last year with the appointment of a vice president of operations based in Stuttgart to take on this huge multinational market. Speaking exclusively to PMM Helmut Eifert, VP European Operations, revealed that there will be a catalogue of launches in the coming months to provide a ‘state-of-the-art’ portfolio: "Pantone is building on its core competency of colour, but is taking it into a new dimension today. I don’t think it’s a total change. Customers will use both traditional and digital methods, but we have to ensure we are in a leading position, so we are looking for new technologies." Yet Eifert concedes that although Pantone had become the bible of colour in the traditional print and design industry it
Eifert emphasises that the company quality-controls almost one billion colour swatches on an annual basis: "Customers expressed a preference for larger chips to improve the colour selection and specification process. The 2005 edition colour guides raise the bar for colour communication with a new format that offers improved ease-of-use, and unprecedented print and colour quality." Next month will see a new ‘Solid in Hexachrome Guide’ which will be part of Pantone’s push to raise awareness with marketers, especially in packaging applications. "I think we need to talk to marketing people and explain how Hexachrome has a meaning for the brand. In Europe we want to re-launch Hexachrome. It’s an educational process." Eifert concludes, "So overall, I see great opportunities for Pantone in Europe with new products, new channels and new countries. Colour management is a hot topic and we’ll be telling the market it can rely on Pantone.
UPS & FedEx compete to deliver
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Got a package? With UPS on the ground and FedEX in the air, your delivery woes seem solved. But UPS and FedEX want to break out of their earth bound roles and ascend to the loftier position of supply chain enabler. Both have recently re-branded to deliver their new positioning. Is the marketplace getting the message? Recently dubbed the “World’s Most Admired” company in a Fortune magazine survey, UPS ranks as one of the world’s best known service brands, dominating the ground shipping business in more than 200 countries and territories. But UPS is on a mission to let the world know it delivers in more ways than one. To draw attention to its lesser-known offerings such as supply chain management, multi-modal transportation and financial services, UPS engaged in a brand overhaul, tackling one of the largest roll outs in business history to unify the identity of all of its entities.
So how does a brand that’s earned such lofty accolades master the art of reinvention? “UPS, well known for its package delivery expertise, was not well known in other areas,” says Steve Holmes, spokesperson for UPS. “We first built the capabilities, and then we began repositioning our brand to reflect those offerings. To do otherwise would be to make a hallow promise, which would damage the brand rather than strengthen it. We wanted everyone to stop and take another look at UPS and discover the surprising new things we offer.” To reflect UPS’ broader scope of business dealings, the company’s 40-year old “shield” logo was streamlined, losing the packaging imagery. Extensive research determined that the color brown was instantly identified with UPS and could stand alone as the springboard for reinvention. “What we found was that not even we - brown-bleeding UPS’ers - had completely understood the power of ‘brown’ and the connection audiences have with it,” Holmes relates. “After considering several concepts, we found that both the color and the term ‘brown’ was a powerful tool that had a very positive connection when associated with UPS. We found that brown signifies trust and reliability, so customers believe in our capability to accomplish things beyond package delivery for them. This is the essence of the question, ‘What can brown do for you?’ The answer is, ‘A whole lot more than you realized.’ ” Nick Wreden, author of FusionBranding, thinks that the UPS overhaul is on the right track. “In general, I don’t like question tags,” he says. “Asking: ‘What Can Brown Do For You’ risks the answer, ‘Well, hell if I know.’ But the campaign is smart to leverage the ubiquity of UPS’s brown trucks and brown uniforms.” To help explain what brown can do, UPS has adopted “Synchronizing the world of commerce” as its new slogan. “Synchronized commerce is the precise, coordinated movement of the three primary elements of trade - goods, information and funds,” explains Holmes. “As a trusted broker between millions of buyers and sellers each day, UPS is in a unique position to help manage and balance the supply and demand cycles among trading partners around the world. When customers understand the expanded capabilities of UPS, they begin to understand the concept of synchronized commerce and they want to know more.”
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Changing the perception of a brand has to work from the inside out. “The concern was that UPS’ers must clearly understand and embrace the brand positioning of the company, and most of those 360,000 employees have spent their careers focused on the package shipping business. We knew it would be difficult to change mindsets about the vision of the company, but they’ve exemplified their adoption of the new brand positioning through the way they are working with each other in a team approach across business units to better serve customers.” The brand now covers over 4,000 retail locations, with more than 1,000 operating outside the brand’s home country, the United States. The acquisition of Mail Boxes Etc. in 2001 was instrumental in establishing a UPS storefront with global reach. Now known as “The UPS Store,” these locations aim to host an amalgamation of advanced technological offerings, such as Wi-Fi “hot spot” technology, to appeal to passers by conducting business on the fly. “The re-branding of Mail Boxes Etc. has also been a phenomenal example of the power of the UPS brand and customers’ hunger for more convenient retail services,” elaborates Holmes. “This not only extends UPS’ brand presence from the delivery vehicle to the storefront, but it also provides yet another access channel to offer expanded services beyond basic shipping to customers.” Has the new brown approach succeeded in establishing an emotional connection with the public? “Our results from the launch of the brown campaign through the company’s overall re-branding in 2003, to now, show that the initiative is definitely making a difference,” says Holmes. “Our target audiences, which include multiple segments from the shipping room to the boardroom, are beginning to look at UPS in a different way than ever before.” Meanwhile across town, competitor FedEx is also anxious to inform the world of its shipping capabilities. Having recently launched a large marketing campaign to gnaw at UPS’ grounddelivery business, the folks at FedEx are invested in getting the word out about newly expanded capabilities. To raise global awareness of its portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services, FedEx has implemented a color-coded nomenclature and adopted FedEx prefix titles in a re-branding initiative with the similar goal of uniting their entities.
In what appears to be a copycat move, FedEx recently acquired Kinkos, a chain with 1,200 locations in 10 countries known mostly for copying services, to provide a global storefront to compete with The UPS Store. The newly re-branded FedEx Kinko’s Office and Print Centers were created to provide a “one-stop” shop where people can conduct business on the go, offering traditional FedEx shipping services as well as an array of convenient tech offerings such as video conferencing, high-speed wireless and wired Internet access. Wreden comments, “UPS for ground; FedEx for air I’d bet that’s the shorthand brand image for most. What’s interesting [is] that it’s not the brand that either wants. FedEx and UPS have the same vision to become every company’s - and even individual’s - outsourced supply chain enabler. They both want to be known as the soupto-nuts logistics company, handling everything from a simple cross-town delivery to returns to advanced worldwide supply chains that connect factories in Asia with stores on Main Street.” As both brands vie for the same territory, each can be expected to hold on to its area of expertise - at least for the time being. “Overall, FedEx is more entrepreneurial; UPS has the stronger culture,” says Wreden. “UPS has the much stronger balance sheet, but FedEx has stronger brand visibility. This is a battle worth watching, not because of dueling ad campaigns but because both companies fundamentally understand what branding is all about. It’s key to remember that branding is ever so much more than tag lines and logo changes. It is their ability to execute, not a new logo or slogan, that will enable them to move beyond their identity. Both companies are masters at the game, and any other company would do well to learn from both.” Vivian Manning-Schaffel
S&G'S 'PRE-PRESS TIPS' with S&G’s Pre-press Experts JAMIE AWFORD & MIKE DONOVAN prepress.support@stephensandgeorge.co.uk
Keep up-to-date - Acrobat 7.01 www.adobe.com/support/downloads
Acrobat 7 Comment and Review One of the major aspects that Adobe have concentrated on with Acrobat 7 is the Commenting and Reviewing facility. This is very useful if Designers/Publishers or Copywriters are proofing pages between each other. Electronic notes can be added to the PDF with amends marked on or a pass-off and emailed on. For example: The Designer (Jim) has produced a PDF that he wants to send to his Publisher (Sarah) and also his boss (Anne) so they can proof it. A Firstly, Jim clicks on the ‘Comments’ menu and selects ‘Send for Review’ > ‘Send by Email for Review’.
He is then asked to follow 3 simple steps: Choosing the PDF, entering the email recipients and choosing to type a message or select the default one. Once he is ready, Jim’s email application will pop up with the PDF attached, the email addresses of the recipients and a message inviting the receipients to look at the PDF and make any comments. b Sarah and Anne both receive the email and open the PDF attachement. When they open it the Review and Comment Toolbar automatically appears. c Sarah opens the PDF and notices a mistake. The word ‘your’ should read ‘the’. So she selects the ‘Text Edits’ tool in the pallete, highlights the word and a note pops up so she can write a message.
When Sarah is ready she clicks on ‘Send Comments’ and the PDF (with the note) transmits via email back to Jim. When Jim receives Sarah’s PDF back, it shows a pop-up note and also a list of the comments underneath. D Anne looks at her PDF and also notices a mistake by Jim. She clicks on the Note Tool, drags an area on the PDF and type her instruction in the note to change the colour. Again, she clicks Send Comments and the PDF goes back to Jim.
quark corner If you open a Quark 4 or 5 file through Quark 6 and re-name it, you will notice that it retains the old file name this can be annoying, especially when saving postscript files. We have a script that can fix this. If you are interested, email us at:
A
e When Jim receives the email off Anne and he opens the PDF, he gets a message saying that different people have made comments on the PDF and does he want to merge them. He selects yes and the original PDF opens up with the comments from both Sarah and Anne on it. f This is just a basic example of things you can do with the Review and Comment feature. For instance if someone wanted to replace entire text sections, they could attach a text file as a comment and send this with the PDF, whilst crossing out the text they wanted removed!
prepress.support@stephen sandgeorge.co.uk and we
can send it to you. b
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g Also, if the PDF was approved by one of the parties, then they could stamp the PDF with a tick, or an approved stamp or even a digital signature.
Com’muni,cator > issue#11
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Acronyms often used in the prepress industry c
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ACRONYMS ASSOCIATED WITH FILE TRANSFER: Acrobat 7 Distiller Job Options: If you visit the PDF Portal on our website you will notice that our Distiller Settings for Acrobat 7 are not unique settings for S&G as previous versions. We now utilise the PDF/X-1a2001 Industry Standard.
Something else that is new in Acrobat 7... Look at different pages of the same file at the same time. You can open multiple windows of the same document by selecting ‘New Window’ from the Window Menu.
ADSL Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line CD-R Compact Disk-Recordable CD-RAM Cached Dynamic RandomAccess Memory CD-ROM Compact Disk-Read-only Memory FTP File Transfer Protocol ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network ACRONYMS ASSOCIATED WITH FILE FORMAT/TYPE: ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange CMYK Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and (Key) Black CT Continuous-Tone DSC Document Structuring Conventions EPS Encapsulated PostScript GIF Graphics Interchange Format HLS Hue, Lightness (or luminance) and Saturation ICC International Color Consortium ISO International Standards Organization JDF Job Definition Format JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group PDF Portable Document Format PJTF Portable Job Ticket Format PMS Pantone Matching System PS PostScript
RGB Red, Green,Blue RTF Rich Text Format SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface TIFF Tagged Image File Format ACRONYMS ASSOCIATED WITH PREPRESS WORKFLOWS: ATM Adobe Type Manager BIT Binary Digit CTP Computer-To-Plate DPI Dots Per Inch LPI Lines Per Inch OPI Open Prepress Interface Pixel Picture Element RIP Raster Image Processor ROOM Render Once, Output Many SWOP Specifications for Web Offset Publications WYSIWYG What You See Is What You Get ACRONYMS ASSOCIATED WITH INTERNET AND NETWORKS: GUI Graphic User Interface HTML Hypertext Markup Language HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol I/O Input/Output IP Internet Protocol ISP Internet Service Provider LAN Local Area Network RAM Random Access Memory ROM Read-Only Memory TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol USB Universal Serial Bus
hints and tips for printing on uncoated paper & board
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Sealing Sealing using a breathable machine varnish can help prevent solvents getting trapped in the paper, reducing problems such as gas ghosting and ink rub - particularly when heavily inked areas come into contact with white paper. However, waterbased (Aqueous) sealants can cause excessive curl in the paper due to the added moisture. Please also note that sealing changes the surface character of a paper, an important factor when choosing to print on uncoated paper.
Retaining detail in darker shadow areas Conventional half tone printing has a variable dot size which can close up in the three quarter and shadow tones because of the spread or ‘gain’ of the larger dots. One way to avoid this is to use a repro technique called Stochastic or FM screening where the dots are all the same small size, relying on a greater or lesser number of dots to create the various tonal areas. Because the dots are all the same size there is no detail loss in the darker shadow areas.
scan format
folding & cross-folding
If scans are to be supplied to the printer they should be as RGB files rather than CMYK files. This way the printer has access to them and has the possibility of adjusting the scan curves. Scans that have been previously archived as CMYK files can be converted to RGB but this risks detail loss. This also applies if the image has been generated as a digital photograph rather than a scan.
All papers can crack when folding unless simple rules are followed. Always crease the paper before folding and whenever possible fold with the grain of the paper. Paper is usually bought with the grain running along the longest dimension (Long Grain) but sometimes it is better to have the grain running across the sheet (Short Grain). The heavier the paper weight the more relevant this decision. Whenever you cross-fold a broadsheet there is always the danger of creasing or ‘crows footing’ where the two creases overlap. This can be greatly reduced by keeping the paper weight and consequently the bulking down.
spot varnish
bright colours
A gloss litho printed varnish works best on a smooth polished surface, so the natural texture of an uncoated sheet reduces this effect. An alternative way of creating the highly reflective ‘spot gloss’ effect is to use a transparent printing foil.
We see colour as reflected light so the softer, more textured surface of uncoated paper reduces this reflection. Colour strength or brightness can be enhanced by the use of high density pigment inks or simply by double hitting colours. An extreme example of this is the use of fluorescent inks.
contrast
ink drying time
Instead of keeping the entire image ‘open’ at repro stage, which can produce a flat result, increase the visual contrast by keeping shadows strong (90-95%), the mid and threequarter tones open and the highlights bright (0% in the catchlight areas).
In theory it would be possible to print 100% (solid) of each of the four colours giving a coverage of 400%. When printing in four process colours, the amount of ink on the paper should not exceed a maximum coverage of 240% in any one area. Keeping overall ink coverage within these parameters reduces the risk of problems associated with rubbing and transference of ink to another page (set off). The way in which ink dries on uncoated paper can be improved by the common practice of turning and airing paper stacks. Even better performance can be achieved by the use of fully oxidising inks. Press Open inks should be avoided.
choice of paper
Printing detail
Paper weights are the same for coated and uncoated paper (measured in g/m2-grams per square metre) however the greater bulk or thickness of uncoated paper means that generally, a lighter weight can be used to achieve the same volume. Printing on a lighter grammage of uncoated paper has the added benefit of saving costs on distribution and mailing.
The amount of detail in a picture is more to do with the screen resolution used than the paper it is printed on. In the past printers have been inclined to use coarser half tone screens (as low as 133 dpi) when printing on uncoated papers. A screen ruling of 175 dpi will give better detail, provided the repro has been adjusted correctly. Stochastic screens when available will give even better detail retention because of the way it maps the image more closely.
suitable images Illustrative techniques such as watercolour, crayon and pastels are far more complementary to uncoated paper than coated as the natural paper texture retains the subtlety of tone better. The use of one of several undercolour removal repro techniques such as UCR, GCR or PCR helps to improve both the contrast and shape of metallic and highly reflective subjects such as glassware. Keeping the shadows dense, the mid tones open and the highlights bright increases the illusion of contrast.
Large solid areas of colour will look different on uncoated paper but this is part of its surface character and not a printing problem. If you want a totally smooth flat colour then you have to use a totally smooth or coated paper. Uncoated paper is neither better nor worse than coated paper but it is different in character. Choosing images that are best suited to the paper is one way of achieving exceptional printed results.
Telephone: +44 (0)1685 388888 Facsimile: +44 (0)1685 385732 find out more at www.stephensandgeorge.co.uk
Com’muni,cator > issue#11
Further information and printed samples may be found in ‘Old Wives Tales’ - please contact your local Robert Horne representative to request a copy. Article provided by the Robert Horne Group
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Com’muni,cator > issue#11
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Happy Nation?
I think the great big question in today’s world is “what makes us happy?” It’s a question that has preoccupied me most of the time, and with every footstep I go in search of my own piece of worldly happiness...
well, I’m sure that’s an exaggeration, but my point is - aren’t we all in search of happiness? If we take a momentary glance out of our office windows it’s difficult to see too many smiling faces. I often ask myself why? Britain, just like the wider Western world, is a curious place to live. On the one rosy hand we are told that employment is at an all time high, that fewer babies are born into poverty, that technology has made our lives simpler and that living standards are better than ever before. But, on the other calloused hand, we have just witnessed the most negative, mean and mendacious Election campaign in living memory. And on top of this, poor members of the public like us are bombarded with media headlines beating their burly chests to the noisy drums of crime, disaster and devastation. Why is this? Why are we seeing our civilised and democratic elections reduced to negativity, fear-mongering and body blows more akin to a boxing ring? And why are our press and TV stations so keen to expose our comfortable lives to the sins and depravity of this forbidding real world, known to outsiders as Great Britain? It’s an odd paradox, but experts believe that despite the recent upsurge in living standards, people in this country are no happier than they were back in the 1960’s or 1970’s. So it begs the same question, why aren’t we happy? I think it can be summed up in two words that attach themselves like leeches to the modern world - Fear and Pressure. Over the past twenty years the technological revolution has transformed society. The civilised world is a fast moving animal. The ubiquity of computers, satellite TV’s, mobile phones and automobiles has made the world smaller. Because of this, communication is much simpler. But communication works in many varied ways. It doesn’t just encompass the daily telephone calls with family and friends.
No, it goes much deeper than that. Indeed, the advent of newer and faster technology has led to the communication networks enveloping many aspects of our daily lives. Advertising, in particular, is now such a part of our sub-conscious that many of us are sleep-walking through a torrent of pop-ups, billboards, spam, direct mail and commercials. Much of the advertising can be positive, especially in relation to PR material, sales gimmicks and corporate branding. But much of it plays to our baser instincts, preying on our penchant for taboo matters or tapping into our fears and temptations. The media, multi-national companies and now the government are all too aware of the beneficial impact they can derive from using the new communicative technology. As a result, the battle for our money and our minds is on. And it’s gathering pace, building further pressures on our materialistic egos and fears for our security in a shrinking, oppressive world.
This is somewhat startling, and the statistics are also reflected in wider media news coverage on radio and TV. So why the negative coverage? Do the paying public demand such a feeding frenzy of unsettling and alarming bad news? The newspaper sales during the War on Terror would suggest so. So if that is the case, then are we a nation of masochists who thrive on
what makes us happy?
An interesting fact attaches itself to the current media coverage in the UK. Twenty five years ago Britain was in the grip of an economic depression, with a striking workforce and a discomfited population. Those days are long behind us, thank goodness, but today’s Press doesn’t reflect this. In fact, back in the 1970’s ‘good news stories’ in the National Press outweighed ‘bad news stories’ by roughly three to one. Yet today, in our richer and more comfortable world, ‘bad news stories’ outweigh ‘good news stories’ by an incredible eighteen to one.
bad news? Or are we simply fascinated by sensationalistic news such as car chases, terrorists attacks and war coverage, likening the images to something out of a Hollywood movie? Then again, maybe we enjoy a slightly skewed feeling of comfort from the fact
that others are so much more unfortunate than ourselves. Who knows, but the incessant barrage of bad news must be one of the reasons as to why we are becoming a less than happy nation. Perhaps this masochism underpinned the electioneering style of our politicians, who peddled bad news whenever possible, mainly about one another in a fetid pool of spin and deceit. Maybe the politicians saw these tactics as a method not of creating widespread apathy, but instead as a way of creating interest. Whatever it acheived, it certainly created a further plummet in the contentedness and happiness of the British public. Another notional explanation of our sliding scale of happiness can be attached to the aforementioned Hollywood, and the celebrity worlds tie-ins with advertising. Just look at the social commentaries featuring on our cinema screens in the past decade. Trainspotting, Nil By Mouth or Fight Club anyone? Great films, but a sad and depressive indictment of society. And what of the celebrity factor and the way in which advertising settles on our minds? Just look at the dilemmas and pressures facing us all. One set of pop-ups makes us believe we’ll be the next Brad Pitt or Jennifer Lopez while the next pop-up extols the culinary delights of Mcdonald's or Britney drinking a can of Pepsi. We just can’t win can we? Stuff our gullets full of salt and sugar while trying to maintain our washboard stomachs. These celebrity-endorsed temptations compound the pressures facing people today. The traditional stresses of work, raising a family, paying a mortgage or staying in good health are still with us, but these days they are added to by the extra pressures created by this technologically and politically mendacious age.
Perhaps the underlying problem facing us in this increasingly competitive world is the reality that most of us will never achieve our dreams. This is simply because many of us today are chasing impossible dreams. Dreams beamed to us in all their neon glory through the embodiment of our superheroes, the Beckhams, the Clooneys and Beyonces. No wonder we can’t portray a sense of happiness in the face of such stiff competition. But come on everybody, these people are not real. Are they? Perhaps twenty years ago people were happier because they lived within a technologically unenhanced reality. They were happy with what they had, just the simple things in life and a friendly newspaper telling them it will all be okay in the end. But today, it’s all so different. Maybe the world has quite literally gone ‘mad’, killing off those marijuiana-clouded visions of a happy nation dreamed up back in the 60’s. It certainly feels like it, and until our politicians, the mulitinationals and the media deem that things should change for the better, they won’t. After all, they are all doing okay out of it, many of them lining their pockets out of the pressures and fears inflicted on the rest of us.
Telephone: +44 (0)1685 388888 Facsimile: +44 (0)1685 385732 find out more at www.stephensandgeorge.co.uk
Com’muni,cator > issue#11
So, in the next Election I’ll give you a better option to vote for. I will stand as candidate for the “Leave me alone so I can be happy in peace” party. I’ll keep smiling until then, retaining a sense of inner happiness in the face of the unabated ‘bad news’. When I come canvassing in 2010, I hope I’ll get your vote. Until then, try to keep your chin up. Martyn Rowe S&G
19_19
THE PRINT MANAGER'S HANDBOOK what do Print Managers have to fear from Print Management? As a print professional you might look upon Print Management as either a blessing, an opportunity to widen your horizons or alternatively, a threat to your very livelihood. Ever the optimist, I would prefer to dwell on the former. For if nothing else, Print Management has certainly made our sector exciting again, even sexy, with the City falling over themselves to get on board. However, I see how it might worry some people. But before you reach for your revolver, let’s just take stock of what it is that is actually going on here. It is no surprise that Print Management companies target our finance departments when canvassing for new business, besides possibly viewing us as hostile, their main draw is saving money, which is always music to the ears of any right-thinking finance chief. But why should saving money be the sole domain of outsiders, could we not do some of this ourselves? On top of saving money, the other main attraction of Print Management companies is the efficiencies they introduce, which mainly revolve around the use of new technology to manage our work. This is all clever stuff but nothing you can’t do yourself. You know your business better than anyone and surely you are best placed to analyse what you do and how to introduce new ideas. You can be sure of one thing, if you don’t do something about it, someone else will. When did you last stop and think about all that you do and how you might be better off if some changes were introduced? One of the best ways of doing this is to get your team out of the office for an away day for a good old-fashioned brain storming session. If planned well, these can be very constructive events. If you decide to do this, give people plenty of warning, so that they have time to prepare. Issue a paper outlining
your aims and motivation for the day and what you hope to gain from the experience and be sure to issue an agenda. You may also want to consider bringing in a chairman or invigilator for the day, which will help you keep on track and be that more productive. Analysing your supply chain is all very fashionable but it stands to reason that if you can remove wastage from your workflow, in all its forms, huge benefits might derive. So be sure to cover this off, as part of your day’s work. The adoption of new technology and software to manage your work can sometimes be hard to justify on account of the possible disruption and costs involved. Thankfully, these are coming down as more and more companies enter the market. However, an alternative method of getting the best of both worlds can sometimes just be a matter of choosing the right supplier. To give you an example, many of the printers that I know are introducing new ways of dealing with their customers. This can range from automation in the prepress area to such things as bigger, faster presses and finishing lines. All of these things can reduce time and cost and with a little effort can be translated into measurable performance improvements. These can then be shown to management to underwrite what an excellent job you are doing. All too often, print professionals do not promote themselves well and tend towards keeping a low profile. Overall, this has had the effect of keeping the excellent work that we do out of the spotlight. This must change, as otherwise others will come in and steal our thunder. Be proud of what you do and let your management know about it. This will also help you when you are after new investment and your fair share of the training budget. Print Management has brought back the excitement to our sector but make sure that you are a beneficiary.
Telephone: +44 (0)1685 388888 Facsimile: +44 (0)1685 385732 find out more at www.stephensandgeorge.co.uk
Com’muni,cator > issue#11
20_21
Besides running his own print consultancy, Unity Print and Publishing, Andrew is also the publisher of a range of technical guides on print related issues such as handling digital images. He is also the publisher of The Print Manager’s Handbook, which explains all you need to know on current and emerging print production methods, desktop technology and file creation, print trends and much more. An indispensable guide for all print professionals everywhere, recently launched, the Handbook has been very well received, for which its printers can clearly take some credit, who just happen to be Stephens and George. As an extra special offer, Communicator readers can purchase a copy of The Print Manager’s Handbook less 25% (RRP £34.95) plus £1.50 towards p&p, please contact Unity Print and Publishing for details: info@unity-publishing.co.uk www.unity-publishing.co.uk Tel: 020 8487 2199 Andrew Wilson, Unity Print & Publishing Ltd 28.04.05
S&G group news
s&G’s new Heidelberg 12 colour SM102 Modular Coating Press, the first one in Europe, has now been installed and is fully operational. The Press, which cost in excess of £2m, was delivered during March 2005 and took some 6 weeks to install. Our customer, L’Oreal Matrix, was the first to experience the exceptional quality print that this machine can produce. Some of the work already produced for them is shown here.
There are many other benefits of using this press and these will be outlined in the next edition of Communicator along with more samples of work and comments from our very satisfied customers. In the meantime if you’d like to know more about what the Heidelberg 12 colour SM102 can do for you, please contact Simon Davies on 01685 388888.
This press is capable of handling up to 13,000 sheets an hour. Print can be sealed in one pass instead of the normal two, and dries instantly, therefore turnaround times for the final product are quicker than normal.
Competition Time
Its time to fly...
S&G are giving you an amazing opportunity to win a flight to a European city. All you need to do is build the biggest paper aeroplane & send S&G your photos. Extra points will be gained for the most creative photo!!!
Log onto www.stephensandgeorge.co.uk for further details. Telephone: +44 (0)1685 388888 Facsimile: +44 (0)1685 385732 find out more at www.stephensandgeorge.co.uk
Com’muni,cator > issue#11
22_23
on the couch
MARK WILLIAMS Corporate Sales Manager
tell me about yourself? I’m tall, dark handsome and 38 years of age. Married to Alison for 18 years with 2 children, Charlotte 15, and Christian 13, and a springer spaniel called Barney. Born bred and still live in the seaside town of Porthcawl along the South Wales coast. how many years have you been in the print industry? I have been in the print industry for almost 20 years primarily in a sales function. Worked for various companies both large and small and worked my way through the ranks to some key board level positions.
what part of your job do you enjoy the most? I enjoy interacting with people from all types of industries. Every job is different in print and seeing the end result of a top quality piece of work is very satisfying especially having worked on a project from concept to the finished item. The industry has changed dramatically over the years and is a very competitive marketplace however relationships play a key role within the sales function and customers become very loyal when they are cared for and given the attention to detail that some companies take for granted. I am often criticized for going beyond
the call of duty but feel it imperative to offer that additional effort which in turn makes the clients come back. I have worked with some of my clients for over 10 years and regard them as friends rather than clients. so how do you relax? Very difficult to relax when you’re a Print Salesman!!! I enjoy spending as much time as possible with my family. Children play a huge part in my life and unfortunately seem to be growing up very quickly. Alison and myself lead a pretty hectic social life when we can but as she is also involved in the Print Industry work plays a key role in our lives.
what’s your philosophy on life? My philosophy on life is that life is what you make it and never have any regrets about decisions that you have made along the way. apart from your job what are your other passions? I enjoy most sport and am a keen squash player. Have played and followed rugby for most of my life and take a keen interest in my son’s football club. do you have any regrets in life? I don’t have any real regrets in life, however I was offered a senior level position by a printing company in Toronto about
5 years ago, went over there on a visit but after 5 days didn’t feel it was right to uplift my family at that time. You always wonder what if... more so when you’ve had a bad day... and as we all know a bad day in this trade can be mighty bad!! But a good day can be Fantastic!! Additional items: Joined S&G January this year. Role: Corporate Sales Manager. Brief: Develop corporate client base and Commercial business. Questions asked by Jack Bland. jack@blacksheep.info
improving your contact data a few simple tips
were you planning to buy data from your usual sources for your 2005 marketing campaign? Then do nothing, at least for a few minutes, since your best strategy is to focus initially on your existing data sources, a task which itself can be complex if you don’t hold your contacts on one database. Where this applies, the first step should be to locate all of your data sources & select what you want to keep - e.g. active & lapsed customers, inquirers, & any good promotional data you may own. If faced with a large number of data files in different formats, one solution is to create a hierarchy of all files based on their recency & to merge them into a small number of files before importing each to a copy of your current dataset. Remember to back-up the data as you go along & never import to the live database.
organising your data sources When categorising contacts, don’t just focus on an individual’s purchasing history. In B2B, an understanding of a contact’s business type, job function & purchasing role will facilitate more meaningful segmentation & analysis. It’s a good idea to develop a simple coding system for each question across your data universe (eg so that all staff in purchasing have job function code 10). In B2C, classification systems such as CAMEO or PRIZM provide useful insight, and lifestyle data can be an invaluable modelling tool. For example, a business with different catalogues covering gardening, cookery & healthy food would find potential for cost effective cross-promotion if able to collect, analyse & share data on customers’ hobbies & interests. If data analysis sounds daunting to you, be reassured that options do exist, ranging from letting a 3rd party manage & analyse your data (whilst still giving you 24/7 access to it via the web) to an easy-to-use desktop marketing solution which can be managed in-house by a marketing person without the need for costly IT expertise. If such a solution is not in place already, this is the single most important step to maximising return from existing data sources. Gap analysis Once in a position to carry out detailed analysis of your data universe, it’s good practice to document your findings & introduce realistic goals, perhaps for the number of contacts you hold for each market, & how that changes each month as in the Contacts table in the next column.
Telephone: +44 (0)1685 388888 Facsimile: +44 (0)1685 385732 find out more at www.stephensandgeorge.co.uk
Contact totals Market Sector 1 Market Sector 2
1 Dec
1 Jan
1 Feb
Target
% achieved
2004
2005
2005
Universe
Feb 2005
16500
17250
16900
25000
67.6%
30288
26967
31363
40000
78.4%
The Market table below can be used to analyse the number of contacts within any specific category, in this instance how many individuals within market 1 can be contacted by email. Whether you target Office Managers or avid snowboarders, this format can be adjusted to track changes in your marketing universe. Note also that this is where the benefits of a single marketing database start to become truly apparent, since conducting this exercise each month across multiple databases for every catalogue would be time prohibitive. acquiring & overlaying external data sources In B2C, the 3 most common sources of data are lifestyle databases, geodemographic classification systems and response-generated databases, yet each source has its own failings - for example the fact that not every UK consumer is happy to complete lifestyle surveys. This has led to the advent of commercially available databases combining these 3 data types into a single marketing database available for rental. These are usually available on a net name basis, thus avoiding duplication, though it’s advisable to test as with any new data source. Typical costs start from £80 per 1000 names though selection costs (usually £10 per 1000
Com’muni,cator > issue#11
24_25
Market sector
Universe
1 Dec 04
16500
1 Jan 05
17250
750
1 Feb 05
16900
-350
Contact
Variance
Total Variance Emails
Var. %
56.2%
400
4.9%
56.4%
-155
0.2%
Phone
% Contacts
Numbers
With Email
9295
56.3%
4.3%
9695
-2.1%
9540
Var. %
per selection) should be factored in before making a commitment. Consumer telephone numbers can be appended offline or online, though a match rate of perhaps just 30% should be expected due to the recent increase in TPS registrations & ex Directory numbers. Certain online suppliers allow marketers to quantify the net volume of numbers that can be appended before committing to the order, which is a sensible approach. The availability of opt-in e-mail addresses is improving & 1 supplier now offers B2C marketers the opportunity to append opt-in consumer email addresses to their existing database from an available universe of 8 million, though most data suppliers still insist on handling the transmission. In B2B, sourcing data for niche markets continues to represent the major challenge. At a very general level, a database of all actively trading UK businesses (around 1.5 million of them) can be leased from many sources costing ÂŁ10,000 or less p.a. including business type, market sector, turnover & staff numbers with one of more key contact names. Contact data is also available for a wide range of job
functions from Office or Facilities Managers to IT, though data quality & response varies enormously. maintaining your data It’s useful to set targets for the recency of your contact data, for example specifying that 60% of it should be less than 12 months old, since holding a database of old contact data serves little purpose. Though new purchases & inquiries will go some way towards achieving the 12 month goal as will any new 3rd party data acquired, and regular screening against the national suppression files will also help, catalogue owners should investigate new ways to refresh their contact data.
One good way to keep in touch with your contact pool (and thus update your database) is to produce an e-zine, a new concept which will generate a new source of revenue and reduce postage costs at the same time. Here’s how this works: • You produce an e-mail containing some relevant content for your audience. • The copy should contain links to your website & a pdf of your catalogue held there. • A 3rd party will sell advertising space around your e-mail in return for a % of the ad revenues. • The 3rd party will transmit the e-mail for you free of charge. Obviously, you’ll need email addresses, and consent from any contacts who haven’t recently been active customers. Another way to interact with your customers is voice messaging. This allows catalogue owners to send a recorded message to customers over the phone, & then transfer the call to their inbound call centre to process orders & inquiries. I works particularly well in consumer markets & has wide variety of uses from order prompting to lapsed customer reactivation or customer care. For a demonstration of how this is used to renew a paid subscription to a magazine, text the word MAG to 07967 484231 & wait for your mobile to ring.
The new adage remains true that data is the primary asset of every business. To develop & retain the data quality & volumes needed, catalogue marketers must maximise the return from their existing sources, whilst exploring new data products & media through which to maintain an ongoing dialogue with customers & prospects. In that order. Factfile Author: Andrew Guy Position: Managing Director Company: Data in Media Phone: 01244 315508 & 07941 895272 Website: www.datainmedia.co.uk Email: andy@datainmedia.co.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)1685 388888 Facsimile: +44 (0)1685 385732 find out more at www.stephensandgeorge.co.uk
Com’muni,cator > issue#11
webwatch
15 sites that will change your life
with millions of websites available at the touch of a button, you may be under the impression that the internet has become overloaded with embarrassing personal websites, pornography and listings of directories of listings. To some extent, you’d be right! However, every so often, you’ll stumble on to a site that’s indispensable, one that you will want to spend hours browsing through and return to every time you launch your browser. Here we bring you 15 sites that could change your life. They not meant to be great examples of design, nor are they all great ambassadors for the ever increasing importance of web accessibility. What they are though, is a mix of sites that some of you will find so useful, you’ll return to them time and time again. Some fun, some cool and even rubbish! With others so useful they’ll change your life forever... Jason Veal. Black Sheep.
http://www.google.co.uk The definitive search engine.
http://www.interflora.com Say it with flowers!
http://www.amazon.co.uk The internet's most famous shop.
http://www.thefreesite.com Like receiving tiny samples of shampoo through the post? This one is for you.
http://www.lastminute.com Annoy your boss by booking a holiday and giving them two days notice! http://www.paypal.com Safe way of giving someone money. http://www.newseum.org/ todaysfrontpages You can see the front page of nearly every newspaper published here. http://www.xe.com/ucc/full.shtml Comprehensive currency converter. http://www.earthcalendar.net Every days a holiday somewhere! http://www.firstmovies.com See movies before anyone else. Register and get invited to preview screenings.
http://www.asseenonscreen.com Get your hands on that little number that Rick Waller wore on Pop Idol. http://www.needapresent.com Great suggestions for those people that are really awkward to buy for. http://www.halls.md/body-massindex/bmi.htm Are you a Michelle McManus or a Charlize Theron?
Got a question? Find the answer in forthcoming issues of
Com’muni,cator Communicator is distributed to people who are involved in every part of the print process. From creative graphic designers who dream up the initial concepts, through to the Financial Directors who sign the cheques when the printed material has been safely delivered. Whilst many of you will have some knowledge of all the topics we discuss in Communicator, there are many whose understanding of print is more limited. If you’ve got a question about any aspect of print, Pre-press, finishing or paper specifying, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can include it - and the answer - in the next edition. Let us know what you think about Communicator by writing to the editor. If you’ve got an article in you that you think would be of interest to our readers, then please forward it to us for consideration. We can not guarantee publication but will consider all submissions. Please send to: Sharon Tovey Marketing Manager Stephens & George Ltd. Goat Mill Road Dowlais Merthyr Tydfil CF48 3TD Tel: 01685 388888 Fax: 01685 385732 Email: sharon.tovey@stephensandgeorge.co.uk Web: www.stephensandgeorge.co.uk
http://www.courtservice.gov.uk/mcol/ index.htm Here you can read complete transcripts of court sessions and legal preceedings. http://www.myvillage.com Local portal for all major towns and cities in the UK.
Telephone: +44 (0)1685 388888 Facsimile: +44 (0)1685 385732 find out more at www.stephensandgeorge.co.uk
Com’muni,cator > issue#11
HAPPY NATION? Com’muni,cator
®
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