Connect Magazine - May/Jun 2011 Issue

Vision Graphics Inc. Engaging Marketing Minds

Vol 1, Issue 3, May/June 2011

In step INSIDE Marketing Insights Direct Mail on the Rise in 2011 The Mobility of Print Evolution The Mesh – Why the Future of Business is Sharing

Aligning Individual and Company Goals

Because we don’t want marketing to be misunderstood either Vision Graphics Inc. is here to help your business grow revenue through all of the key channels.

• High Quality Print • Personalized Direct Mail, Email and pURLS • Quick Response (QR) Codes • Grand Format Display Graphics • On-line Ordering Solutions – Web to Print • On Demand Fulfillment and Mailing • Database Management and Reporting Tools Vision Graphics Inc. Your Single Point of Accountability for All of Your Integrated Marketing Communications and Print Solutions!

To learn more about how we can help you grow your business, contact us at 800-833-4263

www.visiongraphics-inc.com

publisher’s letter

Misunderstood

3

A

In our latest edition of Connect, we are proud to s marketing minds, you are well aware that marketing is terribly misunderstood. Over bring you some insight from some of the brightest minds the past couple of decades, new products have we know. In In Step we discuss the challenge of alignbeen produced at a dizzying pace. We have no shortage ment. Often times, different departments march to the of computers, cars, golf clubs or any other consumer beat of their own drum rather than aligning with the vision of the organization. Even individuals can find it goods. There is, however, a shortage of customers.

When businesses vie for the attention of fewer po- difficult to align their goals with the purpose of the company. Our perspective demonstrates tential clients, fierce competition can the upside of creating alignment and ensue. C ompetitors lower prices and With multiple the downside of ignoring it. add giveaways just to attract customers. choices at a In our second feature article, The As the battle escalates, manufacturing, finance, and other departments look to consumer’s disposal, Mobility of Print – Integrating Print with Mobile Technology, we bring you up to marketing to help get rid of the invenit is imperative date with mobile marketing, which is tory. Some may even believe that marthat the marketing one of the most talked about marketketing exists to support manufacturing. minds of today be ing vehicles today. Our industry has But, the truth is that manufacturing exwell educated in the taken the lead in mobile marketing ists to support marketing. because it integrates so well with print True marketing occurs well before key channels. and it is another fantastic way to intera product is ever made, and it continues long after the sales have been made. In the past, our act with our clients. Without these two tools working economy was based on first building mousetraps and together, connecting with communities can become then looking for the mice. The new landscape, which fragmented and inconsequential.

Marketing is the lifeblood to future success. We is a marketer’s environment, calls for finding the mice, building trust with the mice, and then determining what are passionate about this idea and are committed to flavor of cheese the mice might enjoy. In other words, sharing these ideas and tools with the brightest of marketing minds. We believe that your goals are to build business starts with a market and not a product.

Consistently and constantly communicating mutually profitable long-term relationships with your with our markets is critical. In addition, the vehicles clients and not just sell product. Ironically, that is our we choose to communicate with can be just as impor- goal too. Enjoy the mag. tant. With multiple choices at a consumer’s disposal, it is imperative that the marketing minds of today be Warmest regards, well educated in the key channels. Also, it would follow that aligning the organization with marketing is a major cultural component to success. mark steputis

publisher

publisher

Mark Steputis mark.steputis@visiongraphics-inc.com

managing editor

ConTenTS 03 publisher’s letter

10 the mobility of print

Brent Cashman • Creative Director Laura Martin • Graphic Designer

04 marketing Insights

14 evolution

Connect is published bimonthly by copyright 2011. All rights reserved

05 direct mail on the Rise in 2011

For more information contact Michele McCreath at

15 the mesh – Why the Future of Business is sharing

06 In step

Michele McCreath

michele.mccreath@visiongraphics-inc.com

Misunderstood

Integrating Print with Mobile Technology

Art direction

michele.mccreath@visiongraphics-inc.com

Aligning Individual and Company Goals

Vision Graphics Inc. – connect • May 2011

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cmo council fast facts

Marketing Insights What are the best ways marketers can improve the impact and value of the marketing and sales support content?

May 2011 • connect – Vision Graphics Inc.

50%

Access to content that can be customized to my specific needs

47%

Timely delivery and access to content

44%

Fresh content that is up to date and accurate

29%

Personalized materials based on my account information

25%

Online ordering or literature request

23%

Provide online and print options for content access

18%

Unbiased peer reviews and commentary

14%

Consistent content including pricing, branding and product information

14%

Recommendations for additional products or services that are complimentary to search results or past order history

13%

Other

print in the mix

5

Direct Mail on the Rise in 2011 An analysis from the marketing consulting firm Winterberry Group, entitled “Outlook 2011 What to Expect in Direct & Digital Marketing,” shows a positive outlook for direct channels in 2011.

DIrEct & DIgItAl chANNElS:

A StroNg rEcovEry ForEcASt, WIth BIllIoNS ADDED to MAIl AND All DIgItAl MEDIA 2011 ExpEctED U.S. “DIrEct & DIgItAl” ADvErtISINg SpENDINg - $163.9BB

source: WG Analysis, 2011 note: Arrows reflect percentage change in spend by channel from 2010 levels.

Spending on direct mail is expected to increase 5.8 percent in 2011, to $47 billion dollars. This surge is driven by a return to acquisition mail led by financial services, retail, and automotive, according to the report.

The direct marketing upswing is a continuation of the 2010 rebound in which direct mail spending rose 3.1 percent after experiencing declines in 2007 (-1.4 percent), 2008 (-4.1percent), and 2009 (-16.7percent).

www.printinthemix.com Vision Graphics Inc. – connect • May 2011

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In Step

IN STEP Aligning Individual and Company Goals May 2011 • connect – Vision Graphics Inc.

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t

he Dalai Lama says, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion; and if you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

By Lorrie Bryan

Leo Tolstoy said, “If you want to be happy, be.”

And at FOCUS Brands Inc. they simply say, “Make people happy.” In fact the stated purpose at this multimillion dollar international restaurant franchisor and operator is to make people happy.

In this case people refers to everyone associated with the company: its owners, franchise partners, consumers, local communities, the associates working at the corporate headquarters and the front-line employees at more than 3,300 bakeries, cafes, ice cream shoppes and restaurants worldwide.

According to FOCUS Brands CEO Russ Umphenour, this emphasis on happiness contributes significantly to the overall success of FOCUS Brands. “Our job as leaders is to create an environment where people motivate themselves to achieve mutually beneficial goals. In other words, we have to help the company reach its goals and likewise help each individual reach his or her goals. That’s a very important part of what we strive to do.”

As simple as the idea sounds, aligning individual and company goals is a complicated concept, primarily because employee culture is important to the task of aligning goals, but developing the culture is so ambiguous. Three factors that can contribute to developing a successful employee culture are establishing core values, demonstrating core values and readily communicating core values.

Vision Graphics Inc. – connect • May 2011

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In Step establishing Core values “I’d really never thought about a company having a set of beliefs or values until I read a book in 1973 written by Thomas Watson of IBM called “A Business and its Beliefs.” In this book, he stressed that every business needs a set of beliefs or values.

And I have found that to be essential for keeping everyone on the same page,” says Umphenour, a 40-year veteran of restaurant management. “Our guiding values form the basis of everything we do at FOC US Brands. And adherence to these values ensures our long-term success—that we continually attain our purpose of making people happy. It’s the responsibility of our associates to live these values every day, so we strive to hire people who share our values and personally believe in and live these values.”

belief in what they were doing, trying to accomplish and, in a sense, who they were.”

At FOCUS Brands, the values aren’t complex or lofty; they could easily be the same values that guide and inspire a kindergarten class or scout troop. However, these are the values that the leaders at FOC US Brands keep in the forefront and weigh enormous decisions against at every level: 1. Aim high.

2. Be the best.

3. get results.

4. do what’s right.

5. go green.

6. Have fun.

7. give back.

“You can have everything you want out of life, if you help enough other people get what they want out of life.”

– Zig Ziglar, American author, salesman and motivational speaker

Dr. Terry Loe, director of the C enter for Professional Selling, at Kennesaw State University Coles College of Business, concurs. “ If you take a look at the most successful companies—and I use some of the examples from research by Jim Collins (“Good to Great”)— Abbot, C ircuit C ity, Philip Morris, Walgreens, Wells Fargo, each have (or had) cultures that were unique and strong.

The cultures were strong in the sense that they had a common

May 2011 • connect – Vision Graphics Inc.

demonstrating Core values So how are these values applied at the frontlines of the 3,300 eateries that FOCUS Brands operates? Welcome to Moes! The happiness starts when you walk in the door and are greeted enthusiastically by the staff at Moe’s, one of the five different restaurant brands that FOC US operates. A pop-culture inspired menu, great music and engaging festive atmosphere make it fun. And the food is the best—always made fresh from quality ingredients, contain no animal fat or MSG, and no microwaves or freezers are used. With more than 400 locations, Moe’s Southwest Grill was named a Top Ten Growth Chain by Restaurant Hospitality in 2007, a Gold Award winner of the 2008 C onsumer’s Choice in C hains Awards and the next “It” brand by AOL Business in 2009.

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“Communication of and belief in the marketing strategy by management is key, but in the sales and marketing area there is often a disconnect.”

– Dr. Terry Loe, director of the Center for Professional Selling, at Kennesaw State University Coles College of Business

And at Moe’s they don’t just dream green. They adhere to sustain ability best practices and have assembled a team to lead and inspire sus tainable initiatives for Moe’ s future and for the future of its employees and guests. Also, “giving back” applies to more than pocket change. They continually work with local non-profits by catering affordable fundraiser events in addition to sponsoring larger projects. Last year , 10 Washington, D.C.-area Moe’s raised $43,000 for juvenile diabetes.

According to Stan Slap, author of New York Times best-seller “Bury My Heart at Conference Room B,” all of this contributes significantly to getting the employee culture to embrace those values and keeping everyone on the same page. “It’s important for leadership to declare what you stand for first—what will never change—and then, do something significant to prove you mean it.

The employee culture will pick that up as a proof point that you can be trusted.”

As Slap explains, the company goals have to align with the goals of your employee culture, and the employee culture is obsessed with two concerns—survival and emotional prosperity. “You can’t bluff, bribe or bully an employee culture. You can’t tell it what to believe or stop it from existing. But you can recognize its power to make or break any of your little strategies. A culture is a rational organism, and it is objective and agnostic. It simply wants to know how everything affects the two things it considers most important. If the culture wants something to happen, it will. If it doesn’ t, it won’ t. Neither business logic, nor management authority, nor any compelling competitive urgency will convince an employee culture to adopt a corporate cause as if it were its own.”

Umphenour, who began his distinguished career as a part-time counter person at Arby’s, agrees. “Motivate is not an action verb. Motivation comes from within when someone is in the right place at the right time for them.”

Communicating Core values with Branding Aligning sales people or front-line employees with the marketing depart ment and the overall strategy of the company is sometimes a challenge.

While there is no greater method of increasing revenue and protecting market share than becoming properly branded, successful branding also fosters alignment within a company.

“You don’t have to align a sales organization’s goals with a real brand strategy; it’s already aligned,” Slap explains. “A brand is not about communicating your intent to the world. It’s about why the world should care. At-

tach any marketing message to the noble purpose of your company—not what you do but why you do it. This gives the employee culture a reason to believe. The culture will take its sense of self from the quality it represents and from how the company makes the world a better place.”

Slap says that a company can only be branded for something that it can control—how it sells. “You’ll never have a unique sustained lock on a high-demand product. So you must be branded forhow you sell, not just what you sell. This means that the relationship between company and customer is the essence of the brand, and that relationship is in the hands of the sales organization. Sales teams aren’t motivated by money; they’re motivated by recognition. They use money to buy meaning, so skip the middleman and give them the meaning directly. Protecting the company’s brand promise is the stuff of legacy impact. Recognize them for that potential.”

“Communication of and belief in the marketing strategy by management is key, but in the sales and marketing area there is often a disconnect. “T oo often the sales and marketing areas have built “silos” around their distinct areas of responsibility,” Loe explains. “This can only be overcome by communication during the development of the marketing strategy . Development of an effective strategy is dependent upon an accurate and thorough understanding of the market as well as the organization’ s capabilities and competencies.

Salespeople must be willing to communicate the needs, characteristics and potential of the company’s target market(s) to the marketing department, and those developing the strategies must listen.”

Success, again, depends upon how well each party understands the other and how the implementation of the strategy will ultimately help all achieve their own goals. “At the end of the day , marketing is what drives a business, it’s all pervasive,” Umphenour says. “It’ s important for us to get feedback and support from the front lines. So it’s a constant learning process for everyone.”

Essentially, establishing and making shared values a cornerstone of the company fosters a culture in which the individuals feel like they are part of something—a mission that is worthwhile and bigger than themselves. “The rewards and incentives are paramount, but the leadership in the company must help everyone understand the importance of their individual roles in accomplishing the mission of the organization,” Loe adds. “Almost all peo ple want to be a part of something worthwhile and meaningful, and when these types of cultures exist, most employees become at least a bit more selfless and motivated.”

Vision Graphics Inc. – connect • May 2011

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thE MoBIlIty oF

prINt Integrating Print with Mobile Technology

May 2011 • connect – Vision Graphics Inc.

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M

ost months, I just pay my cell phone bill via my cell phone’s mobile app without ever looking at my family’s usage. But this month I decided a casual perusal was in order. I discovered that my 20-year-old college student logged a whopping 4,300 text messages. A lot, but as

she explained, she receives ESPN scores, sorority calendar reminders, campus security alerts and discount coupons via text messaging. And she is immersed in a culture that carries on constant dialogues via text.

What surprised me the most about my bill was that I had become the second highest user in the family—1,200 text messages in one month. OMG—me? That’s 40 messages a day, but apparently I and my

middle-aged-mom cohorts represent one of the fastest growing segments on the texting dance floor.

Industry experts estimate that 11 trillion text messages will be sent in the United States this year, and texting is just the beginning…

game Changer

while PC manufacturers shipped 92.1 million units worldwide. Market experts predict that the smartphone will become the primary tool for accessing the Internet in the near future. “Once someone has one, they continue to rely on it for everything. Companies must find a way to reach this audience,” Foley affirms.

We love our handy-dandy smartphones. More than once, I have lingered with a group of friends after dinner finishing off a good bottle of wine, sharing a decadent dessert and passing along the latest must-have apps. These days, we routinely use By them to perform tasks that we formerly did on our PCs: shop, pay bills, e-mail, Facebook, play games, map destinations, get Lorrie Bryan news, weather and stock market updates, etc. The first time the Bridge to mobile someone showed me a QR (Quick Response) code, I felt enHow do you get your marketing message in the pockets and lightened and eagerly sought out the 2D barcodes to interact with—on bills purses of your targeted audience? Creative mobile marketing builds an inand billboards, on business cards and business signage, and increasingly in stant and meaningful bridge to interactivity and facilitates the leap from print magazines. It was with great joy that I recently discovered a QR code the page to the hand. Many of today’s most creative and successful marin Taste of Home magazine that accompanied a recipe for Rice Krispies Treat keting campaigns start with old-fashioned print—direct mail postcards, eggs. With a single button click I was immediately watching a video on my magazine and newspaper ads, signs—that has been enhanced with an inphone that showed how to make the gooey Easter treats. teractive element such as a mobile 2D barcode or SMS (Short Message Without a doubt, the smartphone has changed the game. Accord- Service) call to action. Mobile marketing is not a departure from Internet ing to John Foley, CEO at interlinkONE, a multi-channel marketing soft- marketing; it’s the next evolutionary step. As part of a multimedia marketware company and industry leader in mobile marketing, by the end of this ing campaign, print projects almost always include a Web address where year, nearly every estimate indicates that more than half of the population additional information and special incentives can be found and downloadin the United States will be carrying around a smartphone. Smartphone ed, but mobile marketing enhances this experience by making interaction manufacturers shipped 100.9 million devices in the fourth quarter of 2010, easier, more immediate and more rewarding.

Vision Graphics Inc. – connect • May 2011

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The Mobility of Print

Creating interactivity within the print medium extends shelf-life as well as value by offering readers layers of experience beyond the printed page. “People still need to be touched by multiple channels. First, people see and are engaged by the printed piece, and then they make the easy jump to more content using their phones,” Foley explains. “QR Codes can absolutely help make the bridge between print and mobile! They are easy and inexpensive to create, and you can download the reader app in seconds for free. Because they are open-standard, it means that more and more companies are using them, and thus people across the mainstream are starting to understand what they are and how they can be used.”

A snapshot of Barcodes Mobile barcodes (QR, 2D and data matrix), popular in Japan and Europe for more than a decade, are increasingly showing up in the print world of mainstream America on signs, business cards, packaging, bills, and advertisements. The May issue of “O, The Oprah Magazine” (circulation 2.6 million) includes five advertisements sporting the trendy codes. And if past trending patterns are any

and so easy to access and use that the redemption rate for text-based coupons is significantly higher than for traditional print or online coupons. Mobile coupons are sent directly to customer’s cell phones, so no searching is required nor time wasted. An added advantage of mobile marketing with a SMS call-to-action is the ability to track responses and build a data base for future marketing endeavors.

Bessonny cites the results of a recent marketing campaign Text Ripple created for a pizza chain. “The goal was to drive sales at a five-store pizza chain. The medium was a direct mail piece with a mobile call to action.

We invited people to text in to receive an instant coupon sent directly to their cell phones. Direct mail connected them, mobile engaged them and the results were powerful. The response rate was overwhelming—more than 12,000 people texted in—and we were able to build a data base of customers to target for future promotions. This gives the pizza chain immediate access to patrons we know are already interested in their business.”

Similarly, many businesses are now promoting VIP text club memberships by offering opt-in customers discount coupons, a chance to win a big prize and other incentives not otherwise available.

An added advantage of mobile marketing with a SMS call-to-action is the ability to track responses and build a data base for future marketing endeavors. indication, where Oprah goes, millions follow. Today’s media-savvy reader has an expectation for mobile interactivity, and in the near future, most of America will share that expectation. “Mobile marketing will become the new standard,” Foley says.

“QR codes bring static print to life, creating a dialogue with the consumer that frequently turns the consumer into a customer,” affirms Val DiGiacinto, VP of Sales for The Ace Group. “It can be used on any collateral and only requires a small amount of space. Since the landing page is virtual, information can be updated regularly. That is a great way to continue to bring the consumer back. It is also a great way to stay current with information that does change.”

An added benefit of QR code utilization for marketing is the ability to track responses. Using software now readily available, you can analyze the number of people accessing your QR code, and how and when they are accessing it. You can gather additional data by creating a landing page where you offer an incentive to people (ie: entry in a sweepstake) in exchange for personal data.

text message strategies According to Steve Bessonny, COO of Text Ripple, a leading mobile marketing solutions provider, adding a mobile component to your print media frequently increases the response rate by 50 percent with little additional cost. For example, a print ad may simply say “Text COUPON to 55432 right now from your mobile phone to receive an instant coupon.” They are simple to create

May 2011 • connect – Vision Graphics Inc.

marketing must-do As smartphones replace PC s as the primary access tool for the Internet, businesses need to format their landing pages so that they are suited for viewing on mobile devices. “One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is not creating a mobileoptimized website,” affirms Foley.

“With minimal time and effort businesses can greatly improve the experience that people have when they interact with their brand on their mobile phones, and deliver compelling content that fits beautifully on a smartphone screen.”

As Foley notes, technology is always evolving, and businesses should already be paying attention to emerging technologies such as Near Field Communications (NFC). NFC isn’t really new...or cutting edge. In fact, it’s basically a variation of other short-range wireless technologies already used throughout the world—especially in Japan and Europe. With NFC, you can quickly swap information between devices when they’re touched together.

You can exchange things like text, images, URLs or other data simply by holding your phone up to various “smart tags.”

“That will be huge in regards to how people pay for things with their smartphone. I’m not saying it will replace QR Codes, but there will absolutely be technologies that seek to make the experience even better, and that integrate with whatever channels come next,” Foley predicts.

For the foreseeable future, smart phones are going to keep getting smarter, and marketers are going to find smarter ways to utilize this evolving technology.

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thE ABc’S oF MoBIlE MArkEtINg

Mobile marketing is meant to describe marketing on or with a cell phone (or other mobile device). cSc (common Short code) is a short numeric sequence (4-6 digits) to which text messages can be sent from a mobile phone. Subscribers send text messages to CSC’s with relevant keywords to access mobile content or act upon a call-to-action.

SMS (Short Message Service) is used as a synonym for all types of short text messaging, as well as the user activity itself, in many parts of the world. SMS text messaging is the most widely used data application on the planet, with 2.4 billion active users.

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) is a standard way to send messages that include multimedia content to and from mobile phones. It extends the core SMS capability which only allowed exchange of text messages up to 160 characters in length. The most popular use is to send photographs from camera-equipped handsets, although it is also popular as a method of delivering news and entertainment content including videos, pictures, text pages and ringtones.

Mo, MoM (Mobile originated Message) is an SMS/MMS message received by a mobile device.

B: c:

A:

NFc (Near Field communication) is a new and upcoming data transfer protocol. It uses close proximity to transmit data between two nFC type devices (one a client and one a reader/writer/broadcaster module).

Basically nFC lets you tap your device on a reader to then instantly transfer and exchange data.

Qr code (Quick response code) is a matrix barcode or two dimensional code readable by a QR scanner, mobile phones with a camera, and smartphones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data. The reader application is included on some smartphones or it can be downloaded for free.

WAp (Wireless Application protocol) is an open international standard for the presentation and delivery of wireless information and telephone services on mobile devices. The most common use of WAP is accessing the Web from a mobile phone or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).

Vision Graphics Inc. – connect • May 2011

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guest feature

Evolution

p

rior to the desktop publishing revolution years ago, designers and print production professionals had to physically “spec” type to fit a given area, send it out to a typographer to set the type and output the galleys to do the paste-up on art boards. Sounds arcane, doesn’t it?

Then personal computers were introduced. They came complete with creative composition and implementation software, image manipulation software, desktop scanners, four-color printers and access to more than 20,000 fonts. Along with designing and implementing the key-line electronically, designers and print production personnel were now expected to be scanner operators, photo retouchers and typographers. Of course, few had any formal training to accomplish these processes proficiently. Generally, these were trades done by craftspeople working for large companies with large capital investments in skilled labor and expensive equipment.

This begs the larger question: if designers were now graphically “self-sufficient,” did the typographers go out of business? Some did, yes, but most, by purchasing a software upgrade package, evolved their very expensive output devices into RIPs (raster imaging processors) which could now convert a designer’s computer RGB files into CMYK output either as a proof or as finished separated film for printers to plate and print. These new companies became so instrumental in the graphic arts workflow that their formalized status and importance became unquestioned. They became known as “Service Bureaus.”

The point of the little traipse down memory lane is that typographers, traditional color engravers/separators, dot-etchers and photo re-touchers were expected to go out of business because of technological advances.

However, many of them made the necessary upgrades, learned new skills, and found new revenue streams by offering color management, file correction, advanced scanning and photo manipulation and typographical and font corrections capabilities. They, in essence, evolved.

At a more macro view, new technology and current market trends in the communications

By Daniel Dejan

thE SAgA oF thE SErvIcE BUrEAU typographers service Bureaus Acquired by or Merged with Printer

Purchase a Press Become a Printer

today’s printer pre-press/pre-media department

HTML, XML, xHTML Social Networking ISPN, Data & Asset Mgt. Media Network/Hub

Communications Resource

Sales & Marketing Support *example: IDEAlliance/IPA eMedia Pro Curriculum (www.idealliance.org) © 2011, Sappi Fine Paper North America

industry necessitated that printers evolve. By keeping up with market demands and finding new products, services and revenue streams, printers are reinventing themselves all over the world. There are extraordinary opportunities for their clients who don’t view print as only an ink-on-paper experience. The term print is being redefined through application and context.

Virtually all communication is generated from the same starting point—the computers of content creators—and must be processed through the same technological workflow turnstile: printers’ pre-press, pre-media departments.

A content creator sits at their computer to generate some type of communications file. They will use established software to produce content, most of which is intended to be repurposed for a variety of media—offset printing, variable data printing, website (possibly), mobile media (increasingly) and for a tablet (most recently).

The leading-edge printers are able to receive the original content files and let their pre-media department process the repurposing of that file with the input and direction of the content creator, production manager, media buyer or media strategist. The same businesses that previously set type can now repurpose files for use in a website, mobile media, and print.

This opens up extraordinary new relational possibilities with your clients and your printer.

We have learned in a decade of experience that print—in the form of direct mail, publishing, catalog, manufacturing and retail collateral—is still the foundational cornerstone of integrated marketing. Print traffics readers to websites, which invite them to e-mail relationships that offer them opportunities to join social networks and voice-of-the-customer relationships. At every point in the chain, astute marketers can make prospects aware of new offers and connect more deeply. By offering everything from variable data printing, web-toprint, website development, e-mail communications, social network marketing, and tablet-based apps and communications, the print industry has evolved into a marketer’s best friend.

It is certainly a brave new world.

A renowned graphic arts educator, author and consultant, Daniel Dejan is the North American ETC Print and Creative Manager for Sappi Fine Paper/north America.

May 2011 • connect – Vision Graphics Inc.

The Mesh –

Why the Future of Business is Sharing

book recommendation

15

— Author, Lisa Gansky

t

he recession and the distrust of old-mo del companies seem to be fueling a new mindset. People are now more willing to consider alternative business models, brands and lifestyles. As Po Bronson once stated, “Crisis can actually take people from thinking about what’ s next to what is first.” In “The Mesh,” Lisa Gansky offers a most compelling look at an emerging mo del that takes advantage of our renewed values and at how business will be conducted in the new landscape.

True knowledge is not contained in one person or entity. Wisdom comes from sharing, and the Mesh is the new way to leverage that wisdom and create prosperity . Mesh businesses leverage data and social networks to enable people to share goods and services efficiently and conveniently— to gain superior access to what they need without

In “The Mesh,” Gansky gives us some per spective on the wonderful new world we are en tering. This is a world that will find more people utilizing the Web, social networking and mobile technologies more efficiently. The author shares case histories from many organizations, including some of her own, and their success with the Mesh.

The Mesh has emerged as the best new creative engine for getting more of what we want, exactly when we want it, at less cost to ourselves and the planet. the burdens or expense of ownership. As Gansky points out, there are already thousands of these businesses—in transportation, fashion, foo d, real estate, travel, finance, entertainment and many other categories—with more starting every day.

The Mesh has emerged as the best new creative engine for getting more of what we want, exactly when we want it, at less cost to ourselves and the planet.

“The Mesh” is all about sharing. Specifically, it is focused on the sharing of information through the Web, mobile technology, and social networking. The Mesh allows for the sharing of products, services and information between groups of people in provocative new ways. “The Mesh” is a thought provoking book that should be read by everyone from the serial entrepreneur to the big-business marketer. Once read, pass it along… because the future of business is sharing.

Vision Graphics Inc. – connect • May 2011

connect Vision Graphics, Inc. 5610 Boeing Drive Loveland, CO 80538

CONNECT “I just finished reading my issue of connect, what a great magazine.”

I’m so pleased to have the first issue in my hand and look forward to future editions. Thank you so much for including me on the distribution.

Wishing you lots of success!”

Lucia Hanna Design Greenwood Village, CO.

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