SEWICKLEY, PA - September 9, 2007 - PIA/GATF's Digital Printing Council (DPC) announces the availability of the latest set of reports from its groundbreaking Marketing 4 Digital (M4D) research project. This latest set of reports is the fourth in the M4D series giving digital and conventional printers the information and insight they need to sell their services to specific vertical market segments. This fourth set brings the number of vertical segments covered, thus far, to 32.
The newest set of reports focuses on: architecture, beverage market, book publishing, fashion and apparel, franchise operations, greeting cards, high technology, and the toys and games industries.
According to Julie Shaffer, DPC's director, "Since the release of the first installment (Set 1) of Marketing4Digital: A Guide to Print Markets (M4D) in early 2006, this landmark research study has been hailed by recipients as an invaluable tool not only for digital printing companies but for any printing establishments interested in learning more about their potential clients. Together with the first three M4D sets, these vertical segments represent over 80% of all print buying in the United States. We are very proud of the M4D program."
"Meanwhile, our members continue to tell us that the M4D reports are making a real difference. M4D is helping them to reinforce existing strategies as well as develop new marketing pitches and programs to reach customers, which is in line with our core mission to help our members in building profitable digital businesses," says Shaffer.
Shaffer says that professionals should look for additional M4D studies and related resources designed to offer even more added value for PIA/GATF and DPC members to come in the near future.
M4D Making a Difference
"We use Marketing4Digital to gauge how strong our value proposition can be in a given market," David Trombino, CEO of TecDocDigital based in Hudson, MA, explains, adding that his view of the data is about being selective. Trombino says Marketing4Digital data is helping TecDocDigital hone in on segments where it currently has a small foothold and presents an immediate opportunity to provide effective solutions - in this case, insurance and banking. It's in these markets that TecDocDigital can bring the strongest value proposition; i.e., the best ROI for higher response rates.
TecDocDigital also uses Marketing4Digital to identify the top companies M4D lists in each of the (thus far) 24 vertical markets it has reported on. "We take it a notch down from these larger companies because we always want to be in a position to over deliver - and we can only do that by being practical about serving appropriately sized organizations and projects."
CLARiGO Marketing, a division of Express Press, a well-established printer based in Rochester, NY, has been working on new business opportunities. In his search for partners to build the company's unique marketing, digital printing and fulfillment services for customers, Ron Buckman, Director of Business Development for CLARiGO, has been using M4D research to put together new business proposals and presentations. He uses the M4D market statistics to show potential partners the market opportunities by vertical segment and for different proposed services. "The Marketing4Digital research is something I've come to rely on, to help me quickly pull together the important detailed research and data I need to present winning campaigns to my customers."
M4D - Powerful, Practical, Easily- Implemented Tools for Selling
Each M4D report describes a specific industry, its trends, major companies, marketing budget, industry- specific terminology, print requirements and purchases, including digital printing opportunities. M4D helps sales staff "speak the specific language" - the internal lingo -- of vertical customers, and will give them a deep understanding of each segment's respective environments and unique requirements.
All Digital Printing Council Premier-level members receive the entire initial series of 24 reports, plus this new fourth set, as a benefit of membership. In addition, the studies are available for purchase through the PIA/GATF bookstore.
New discounted pricing - Packages of 8 reports each are priced at $150 per set for PIA/GATF members, and $400 per set for non-PIA/GATF members. The initial 24-part series can be purchased for $400 (members)/$1000 (non-members) through the PIA/GATF Bookstore at www.gain.net.
About Digital Printing Council The Digital Printing Council (DPC) provides its members and the printing industry with informative tools and publications that are designed to help firms be more productive, efficient, and generate more sales with new digital technologies. The DPC offers two levels of membership, with the basic level included as a core service of PIA/GATF (Printing Industries of America, Inc. and the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation). DPC also makes available a Premier- level membership for individuals interested in even more in-depth, digital printing-related intelligence.
For more information, please visit the DPC web pages on: www.digitalprintingcouncil.com.