By Carro Ford Weston January 30, 2006 -- Commercial printers are bombarded with the message that they must re-invent themselves. Those that are actually taking the plunge, like Gordon Bernard Commercial, make for very interesting stories. Gordon Bernard Commercial ( www.gordonbernard.com) is a new division of a 56-year-old calendar printer based in Milford, Ohio. Since 1949, the parent company's niche has been manufacturing and distributing custom-printed short-run calendars for non-profit fund raising groups. Today, the company is carving a new niche as a regional leader in variable data printing. Management wanted a focus for their commercial division, and VDP appeared to be a viable strategy for their market area. Owner Bob Sherman said "Our calendar division does one thing and does it well," and this became the strategic theme for the new commercial division: "Do VDP and do it well." "In a nutshell, we are a new start-up digital printer within an old established niche calendar company," said Gary Littleton, Director of Business Development. "We are already producing some variable data, and our strategic plan calls for a serious shift in marketing efforts to VDP beginning in January 2006." Littleton joined the company in 2004 to help develop a commercial digital operation. He brought nearly 30 years' experience in commercial graphic communications, as well as more recent experience in digital variable data printing. Color Opened Door for VDP Strategy In mid-2004, a Xerox iGen3 was installed for producing a component of the calendars, and the emphasis to date has been on-demand short run color for the trade. In fact, the idea for the commercial division was probably planted during early discussions with Xerox, mused Littleton. The new technology associated with the iGen3 provided new opportunities for the company to expand into on demand short run color and VDP. "I'm surprised at how much everyone is thinking about potential VDP applications for our own self-promotion, as well as for our clients," The move to color was itself something of a transformation. Although today it is a key element of the VDP strategy, color wasn't an area of expertise until a few years ago. "Actually, our in house color capabilities were quite limited prior to the iGen3," he said. "Most four-color work was outsourced. Our prepress expert has taken advantage of outside training in addition to Xerox resources to implement color management." Marketing Efforts Support Shift to VDP Gordon Bernard has worked aggressively on its VDP business, marketing and training strategies since late 2004. "We engaged a part-time marketing director/consultant to help us pursue VDP marketing strategies," Littleton said. "He directs a marketing team that includes our owner, sales staff and our in-house graphic designer/prepress expert. Our marketing team has established potential target markets that best fit our capabilities, developed selling strategies, and we're prepared to ramp up our VDP efforts during 2006." Resources and inspiration for the project have come from VDP conferences and seminars, PODi case studies, trade publications including OnDemandJournal.com and WhatTheyThink.com. "I'm surprised at how much everyone is thinking about potential VDP applications for our own self-promotion, as well as for our clients," he noted. "We are incorporating VDP into our fund-raising calendar marketing, which provides experience needed to help outside clients." Start Up Sticking Points "It is ironic that the 56-year-old company is one of the top 25 printers among more than 400 printing establishments in Greater Cincinnati, and yet few people have ever heard of us!" declared Littleton. "This is due to our niche calendar market and few local shipments. As a result, our new start up division can't exploit a highly recognizable parent company name." The marketing team decided that the new commercial/VDP division will need to establish a separate identity with its own website and other branding elements. Our strategy includes targeting small groups of potential clients and educating them about the advantages of VDP. Client understanding is another hurdle, according to Littleton. "Many potential clients still do not even think about VDP applications for marketing. Or, even if they do, they don't think they have the resources to take advantage of it. For these reasons, our strategy includes targeting small groups of potential clients and educating them about the advantages of VDP." A Little Strategic Partnering Goes a Long Way Littleton said their VDP strategy will also benefit from work that will originate with their new strategic partners. Gordon Bernard's primary expertise includes digital color printing and routine bindery, and they recently formed a strategic alliance with a small start-up marketing company that specializes in development of cross-media custom marketing. "We have established some strategic alliances that will help us accelerate our move toward becoming a prominent regional VDP service provider," he explained. "They have the technical expertise for database management, VDP programming, web-to-print and mailing. We have become their exclusive digital service provider, and they provide our much-needed front end and mailing capabilities. "I'm most proud of our team efforts," Littleton declared. "Everyone seems to be on board with the VDP. This is a new and mysterious experience for everyone, and this seems to promote cooperation. Everyone listens to one another and I think we all feel that it is a fun adventure." Next month, we'll continue with the story of Gordon Bernard Commercial and some of the lessons they've learned in launching a successful VDP business.