Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

Last time, Dr. Joe explained why business development is rising as a critical function in print organizations. The nature of selling is changing just as the nature of print in the communications mix is changing. And no, cold-calling has nothing to do with Winter temperatures.

Recovery Indicators Still Show Flat Economy; Printing Shipments Have a Positive October

Published December 6, 2012

Business Development Is Not a Sales Lead Qualification Process

Published November 26, 2012

In Part One of this two-part column, Dr. Joe explains how the changing dynamics in the printing industry are dynamically changing the sales process. It used to be that a sales call didn't need to start with explaining print-everyone already knew what it was, and the needed it. Not so much today…successful businesses are increasingly turning to business development practices. This is much more than sales lead generation and that will be the topic of Part Two.

The Election: Can Everyone Finally Stop Whining About "Uncertainty"?

Published November 12, 2012

There was no uncertainty about the election results, but there was plenty of whining about "uncertainty" for months and months prior to the election. Now that the election is over, is there really any less "uncertainty"? Why do executives get the big bucks? To make decisions when there's uncertainty, real uncertainty. Dr. Joe explains what's uncertain and what's not... at least we think he does. Guess you'll have to read it to be sure.

US Commercial Printing Shipments Decline -3.2% in September

Published November 6, 2012

Recovery Indicators Retreat; Economic Indicators Still Moving Sideways

Published November 5, 2012

Sandy Is Good for Economic Growth? Only if You Don't Know the "Broken Window Fallacy"

Published October 31, 2012

Thoughts About Last Week's “Next Wave: Get Ready” Column, and Some Apple Comments

Published October 29, 2012

Next Wave: Get Ready

Published October 22, 2012

You know you should worry when Dr. Joe uses phrases like "simultaneous critical mass." Then we find out that he thinks that data talks to him. His frugal ways are evident as he delights in the prospect of free broadband. Then there are boats and planes, too. It might be worth reading to make sure the next wave of innovation to hit the market is not one that means "goodbye" for your business.

Media and Elections

Published October 15, 2012

Dr. Joe is focused on denial but not in a myopic way. That may make sense once you dig into the column. Or like a lot of his columns, it may drive you to muttering all day. CNN claims that the USPS is being bailed out by election spending. That is, if you believe a decrease is an increase. And much more…

Friday's "Strange" Unemployment Report - Did it Make Sense?

Published October 6, 2012

August 2012 US Commercial Printing Shipments Down -2.9% Compared to 2011

Published October 4, 2012

The End of NAPL/PIA Unification Talks: Squandered Opportunity? Or Necessary Pause?

Published September 27, 2012

Fear and the Fed?

Published September 17, 2012

The Fed took a look at the economy last week and panicked. In printing industry terms, they increased their run lengths and their page counts, and there's more money printing on the way. It's not much, just $1.4 trillion. What's a few billion dollars amongst friends?

Happy Software Freedom Day: September 15, 2012

Published September 11, 2012

More Economic Sameness

Published September 10, 2012

Dr. Joe explains last Friday's employment report, takes a look at employment in our industry, and explains why ad agency revenues are going up when everything else seems to be going down. Speaking of down, sit down before you read his comments about the latest recovery indicators. Yes, Dr. Doom seems to have infiltrated this column, again.

September Issue of “Monthly Printing Shipments Trends & Forecasts” is Now Available for Download; Subscribers Receive Latest US & Canada Data Analysis with Dr. Joe Webb's Commentary and Forecast

Published September 6, 2012

July 2012 US Commercial Printing Shipments Flat with 2011

Published September 3, 2012

Number of Microbusinesses Rise in Economy's Recovery, Total Number of Businesses Declines

Published August 27, 2012

Risk and “Uncertainty” are Not the Same

Published August 20, 2012

Don't be uncertain about the risks of reading Dr. Joe's column about risk and uncertainty. It's not often he gets to use the word “actuarial” in a column about printing. Everyone thinks they know what ROI means, but just one little letter makes a big difference.

Interpreting Media Use Headlines

Published August 13, 2012

Dr. Joe's glad he didn't buy Facebook stock, and explains why the company's stock price matters little to media decision-makers. And then there's the magazine circulation thing. Why is everyone so surprised that it's down? Yet again he rails about inflation, but at least he has some fresh new inflation multipliers to annoy company controllers and CFOs

Recovery Indicators Retreat; Economy's Sidestep Continues

Published August 8, 2012

June 2012 US Commercial Printing Shipments Up +$139 Million Compared to 2011

Published August 2, 2012

Q2 GDP Disappoints at +1.5%; GDP Revisions Make Recession Less Bad and Recovery Less Good

Published July 31, 2012

Advertising Agency Changing Product Mix Keeps Revenues on an Upswing; What it Means to the Marketing Services Strategy

Published July 22, 2012

Relevance and Industry Capacity

Published July 16, 2012

Here Dr. Joe goes again, on another capacity rant. It's about two years since his last one, so we guess we should cut him some slack. This time he takes a slightly different look, or at least he says he did. You decide.

Recovery Indicators Take an Interesting Wrong Turn

Published July 9, 2012

The recovery continues to limp along, and then the Commerce Department says that May printing shipments were just incredibly good. Sure, they tease us a few weeks ago by yanking $600 million in shipments from the first quarter in their annual revision, and now it looks like someone may have snuck them back into May when they thought no one was looking. Dr. Joe explains it all, including a great way to get back to sleep when insomnia hits.

Toshiba's No-Print Day is Awkward and Scandalous, But Don’t Let It Divert You from Bigger Trends

Published June 18, 2012

The industry's hackles have been raised by Toshiba's No-Print Day, and it's ironic that the company picks a date with some historical importance for print to hold the event. Toshiba's thinking needs to be confronted, but engagement with their audiences is a more important action for our associations and our businesses.

An Economic Update You Won't See in the Press

Published June 11, 2012

Economic conditions are being twisted and distorted by the long-held biases of the business press. The charged political climate of an election year fans passions that magnify momentary small and nearly meaningless changes in economic data into cataclysms or triumphs. You have to step back to see what's really happening, or not happening. Small businesses can't choose economic conditions, but they can choose their means of navigation.

April US Commercial Printing Shipments Down -3.4%; Shipments Down 12 of Last 13 Months

Published June 6, 2012

Latest Recovery Indicators Take a Step Back as Economy Continues Lackluster Growth

Published June 5, 2012

Commerce Department Revises Years of US Commercial Printing Shipments Data; Downward Revisions from 2009 through 2012

Published May 21, 2012

Running Toward Confusion is Good Advice

Published May 21, 2012

Dr. Joe is frequently asked questions at conferences, webinars, and by e-mail from around the world that sometimes turn into columns. This week, as a result of some of those questions, he explains why confusion is good, misconceptions start with ourselves, not others; how digital natives affect the workforce; and other matters. And then, there are those seemingly innocent news items that he puts into a different context. That Dr. Joe... he makes your head hurt sometimes.

The “Half of All Workers Don't Pay Taxes” Mantra is Starting to Get Taxing

Published May 14, 2012

You've heard it many times from many quarters: “Half of all workers don't pay taxes.” Dr. Joe has gotten tired of hearing this and offers a different perspective. He explores who actually pays taxes, why what you commonly hear about taxes is always out of context, and how the benefits of tax avoidance are immediate, predictable, and risk-free. That's exactly what the economy does not need. Everyone will find something to dislike in this column.

Unemployment Better Until You Peek Behind the Curtain; Printing Employment Flat with March

Published May 9, 2012

Recovery Indicators Mixed... Again

Published May 3, 2012

March 2012 US Commercial Printing Shipments $7.145 Billion, Down -4.2% Compared to March 2011

Published May 2, 2012

If Marketing Services Does Not Include Apps, then It's Not Really Marketing Services

Published April 23, 2012

Another drupa is Upon Us... Now What?

Published April 23, 2012

Dr. Joe tells us what drupa and other trade shows mean to the new capital investment patterns of our industry. He thinks capital investments are becoming more tactical than strategic, more continuous than discrete. This is a problem, because “capex” often locks in a vision of media markets, making it harder to adjust to market changes. Just what we need: Dr. Joe having visions again.

Rising Inflation, Deteriorating Worker Earnings, and a Warning About Economic Data Conspiracy Theories

Published April 19, 2012

Unemployment Improves as Workers Leave; Printing Employment Shrinks; A Small Business Setback

Published April 10, 2012

February US Commercial Printing Shipments Flat with 2011

Published April 4, 2012

Recovery Indicators Make a Sideways Move

Published April 4, 2012

Profits Winning Streak Over: Industry Has -$276 Million Loss in 4Q-2011; Finishes 2011 with $2.78 Billion in Profits

Published March 27, 2012

Economic Overview; Changing Channels Not Just for TV

Published March 19, 2012

Dr. Joe tiptoes through the economic data, discusses the nature of efficiency and expansion, and then pontificates about channels that are not of the TV kind. Then he explains why a new high in a stock index is not what it seems. Did we really say tiptoe? Where are the tulips?

Content's Being Created, but Revenue Data Show that if Content is King, it's of a Small Country

Published March 13, 2012

A Sideways Pause in the Recovery Indicators

Published March 6, 2012

January US Commercial Printing Shipments Down -2.4% Compared to 2011

Published March 6, 2012

Cautious Upward Tilt to the Economy Continues

Published March 1, 2012

Bo Sacks's Publishing Perspective as Technology Disrupts the Future

Published February 24, 2012

Head of Precision Media Bo Sacks shares his perspective on the evolving publishing industry with Dr. Joe Webb.

News Stories Underscore Today’s Media Shift and The Need for Action by Print CEOs

Published February 20, 2012

Procter & Gamble, tablet computing, and the S&P 499... Dr. Joe ties them all together and comes up with urgency and entrepreneurship and something about backbones. He even includes one of those really cluttered charts that he's famous for. It's just another Dr. Joe column, but this one might rattle the common wisdom when it doesn't want to be rattled... again.

A Contrarian Word about Economic Data and Forecasts; The US Commercial Printing Forecast 2012-2018

Published February 15, 2012

Dr. Joe and Bo Sacks Talk about Getting Customers to Pay for Digital Content

Published February 10, 2012

Bo Sacks of Precision Media and WhatTheyThink's Dr. Joe Webb have an in-depth discussion about the progression of pay wall business.

US Commercial Printing Shipments End 2011 on Sour Note

Published February 6, 2012

Unemployment Rate Drops, Conspiracy Theories Rise, Economy Improves

Published February 6, 2012

GDP Better on the Surface, but Disappoints; Big Week for Economic Data Ahead

Published January 29, 2012

Welcome Back: I Was Wrong

Published January 23, 2012

Dr. Joe is back and he admits he was wrong. There's a season for everything, it turns out, but not the same ones there used to be. He explains how to be a hit at cocktail parties, and then wonders why we should care about economic forecasting, if at all. Sounds like he's been away from the WhatTheyThink pages a little too long...

Articles by Dr. Joe Webb