A new study by CalPoly's Graphic Communication department begins with some unsettling thoughts. "The printing industry is in a quandary. It is in a state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation. For the first time in the history of the printing industry it faces uncertainty in light of new and emerging media, primarily the Internet and online alternatives to print. This situation is not of the printing industry’s own making. The pervasiveness, meaningfulness, and detailed nature of print media had not changed. It is the perceptions of those that use media that has changed—advertisers, marketers, and related businesses. The simplicity, accessibility, and inexpensiveness of the Internet has lured media users to this new medium without first understanding the extent to which, if any, Internet advertising and marketing is more or even as effective as print has proven to be for centuries."
With the changing media landscape in mind, ten senior students at CalPoly decided to look into how emerging media habits are impacting the printing industry. Under the supervision of Dr. Harvey Levenson, Graphic Communication department program head, the students assembled eight case studies that look at Cross Media Periodicals, Advertising Technologies, On-demand Printing, Newspapers, Print as a Marketing Tool, The Renaissance of Media, Cost Effective Solutions for the Development of Promotional Materials, Ancillary Services in the Printing Industry. Together they tell The Reality About the Promise of Printing in the Digital World.
"What is surprising about the results found is that even young people, the 18 - 24 year olds, expressed their affinity to print. Some expressed that they would definitely be upset if they woke up one day and all of their favorite magazines, and even campus newspapers, were converted to electronic media. My overriding sense of what we found is that the advertisers, marketers, and business in general has been lulled into some sort of unconscious sense that the Internet and World Wide Web are better vehicles for driving business. They have developed this sense without fully understanding issues of response rates that print provides when done properly." Levenson told the PrintCEO blog. The business world he said, "needs a reality check on how to best capture consumer interest and generate responses. However, printers too must establish a better sense of how to provide the products and services that will help clients meet their marketing goals."
Download The Reality About the Promise of Printing in the Digital World. Contact Harvey Levenson for additional information about the research report or for more information about CalPoly's Graphic Communication program.
Discussion
By Mike Fullerton on Sep 19, 2007
I have sought out the benefits of the Internet for over 10 years for our customers.
In trying to maintain a profitable ( business ) we are in the final stages of
Reconfiguring our business profile . As a traditional 68 year old office
stationery then printing and specialty printing and large format inkjet and
coping, mailing and now Internet Service Provider for SEVEN years.
I love the graphics arts business but I could not suggest my grandson to work
in the trade. The reason is there is still to much pain in the transitioning to develop
a business model as the industry has foolishly based there value on a price per unit.
There was some (smart ?) thinking in the past decade by equipment mfg. for there own
GREED suggesting that we are in a manufacturing business, not in a Graphics / Media
Service Business and we must find a niche other wise we would not be able to buy
that hot 18000 sheet per hour fully automated press that could be run by only one
pressman even if it was 60 feet long. What they did not tell you was there was a
transition coming to target marketing with variable data and shorter runs. The insurance
industry had been doing it for 15 plus years and it was working for them.
Well I am here to tell you what our customers need is more important than an hot press
is a relationship with a service provider that knows what our customer’s CUSTOMER’S. WANT!
We believe that the traditional printing company can still provide a great living for there employees
and a nice ROI for the owners only if that grandson goes to school and learns about Media and
Marketing and the way to mix consumer based media as a service with both E-Mail and Direct Mailing
of the printed message and in an attractive thing called a Envelope. Now you have added value to
your customers offering. All for the cost of less than 1/10 of a percent of the services or product offered.
Think about that as a VALUE PROPOSITION ADDED TO YOUR SERVICE BENEFITS THAT GETS
YOUR CUSTOMERS RESULTS.
We have gone through difficult times like every one else but the economy is still growing and there
will be a good demand for Printing Companies that make the transition.
We have done it and it has been fun.
We have accomplished a lot.
WebConfrence.com is a live video and conferencing platform that provides its services to our Printing
Graphics and Media customers on our own severs ( 95 ) from four locations in the US.
From India, Russia, Afghanistan, most of Europe, all of the Western Hemisphere to Australia and
New Zeeland and China. Via the Internet and now Global Satellites.
SharedEDU.com is our Education Management Software that gives the new Internet Student control
of there Life Long Learning Events. It provides the knowledge provider a open platform to present there
expertise in a business environment that enables them to manage the entire relationship with students
that they will only meet through a LIVE Virtual Classroom experience.
We now have six colleges ( two in the US and four in Latten America ) and many business colleges and
Industry trainers and consultants. The California State University System and the Ministry of Education in Canada
are training teachers and administrators using WebConference.com.
We have other plans for the Print for Pay and Distribute to Print business models that we have perfected and can
Manage Virtually World Wide any printing requirement of our customers.
Discussion
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