Today’s customers are demanding much more than print, and service providers are stepping up to challenge. Success in the new media world demands that firms transform from print service providers into cross-media and marketing service providers. Making this transformation requires business repositioning, innovation, and redefinition of the overall value proposition. New products and services must be developed and incorporated into the service provider’s offerings, and staff must be trained on how to sell and execute these new business components. It’s clear that service providers are getting the message. They are working to gain a solid understanding of the next phase in the cross-media value chain and implications for their businesses as they strive to meet marketers’ needs.

Transforming from a print service provider to a cross-media and marketing service provider requires business repositioning, innovation, and redefinition of the overall value proposition.

According to InfoTrends’ recently published multi-client study entitled Production Print Services in North America: An Evolution in Progress, service providers are investing in new software tools as well as staffing to sell and execute these new, innovative offerings. They are focusing on the marketing services evolution in terms of how the market will embrace print, online, social, mobile, and whatever media comes next.