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Traditional Publishing Ebbs, and Oh, Those CMOs

Remember that “content is king” thing? The king is losing money. Worldwide ad agency Carat is forecasting moderate growth in advertising, but major shifts in the way ad budgets are spent. It's a fascinating look at worldwide communications with significant implications for printers of all sizes. And then those CMOs... just when they think they have it figured out, they're getting fired again.

Monday, September 19, 2016

New! Monthly Economics Update Webinar, this Wednesday, September 21 at 2pm EDT: Join us for a 30 minute overview of the latest assessment of the printing industry's economic situation, print business insights, and the national economy. Sign up at the registration page. If you can't join us on Wednesday, please sign up to get the link to the archive which will be available the next day. This month, we'll have some insights into shipments, profits, economic issues related to the presidential election, and other topics. It's an information-packed 30 minutes with Dr. Joe. Sign up now! 

Catch Dr. Joe at Graph Expo: Dr. Joe Webb will be presenting the results of the IPMA “The State of the Industry: Outlook, Challenges, and Opportunities” survey sponsored by IPMA. That event is Monday, starting at 11:30am, and pre-registration details can be found at their site. On Monday at 2:00pm, Dr. Joe will be on a panel at the Printerverse booth (#701) about digital publishing and digital printing. On Tuesday at 2:00pm, catch Dr. Joe at the Canon booth (#1500) for Conversations@Canon about the “Roadmap to Relevance” for in-plant departments.

Get Your Copy of UnSquaring the Wheel and Meet the Authors, Courtesy of HP: Dr. Joe will be at the HP booth (#1825) every show day with co-authors Prof. Chris Bondy of RIT and consultant Wayne Peterson of Black Canyon Consulting Group. They will be signing copies of their business transformation guide, UnSquaring the Wheel. The Sunday booksigning will be from 2:30pm to 4:00pm; on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday the signings and discussions are from 10:30am to 12 noon.


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About Dr. Joe Webb

Dr. Joe Webb is one of the graphic arts industry's best-known consultants, forecasters, and commentators. He is the director of WhatTheyThink's Economics and Research Center.

Recent Articles from Dr. Joe Webb

Big Printers' Writedowns and Interest Payments Are a Big Drag on Printing Industry Profits

Big Printers' Writedowns and Interest Payments Are a Big Drag on Printing Industry Profits

Writedowns in the first quarter of 2018 for commercial printers with $25 million or more in assets were $157 million, or 1.9% of sales. The assets may be written down, but the borrowing that was created to finance them remains. Interest expense was 4.8% of sales. For the quarter, losses were -1.47% of sales. That rate of loss made average profits before taxes for the industry a mediocre 3% of sales—which means that printers with less than $25 million in assets must have done well. Read More

The Final Column: The Security Guard Will Take Your Badge and Escort You to the Lobby

Back in 2002, Dr. Joe agreed to do a regular column for WhatTheyThink for “only one year and no more”...for 15 years. This farewell column explains how it started, behind-the-scenes intrigue, the problems, and why it turned out the way it did. And then…he explains the exciting adventures ahead. Read More

Full-Time Employment, Sets New Record, Up +904,000, But Does It Really Feel that Good?

Full-Time Employment, Sets New Record, Up +904,000, But Does It Really Feel that Good?

The May employment report was regarded as good, but when you dig past the top-level numbers, it was better than it looked. However, while the 3.8% unemployment rate looks good on the surface, it really can’t be compared to when it was last attained nearly 20 years ago. So many workers left the workforce that this figure implies a tighter labor than it really is. We will really know we have a strong economy when the active labor force starts increasing. Read More

Good News Could Be a Full-Time Job, but for Most Economists It’s Only Part-Time

Some people say that the news is always bad, and they wish someone would report good news now and then. There is good news but no one seems to report it. You’d think that would be a full time job for someone. The economy has set a record for full time employment, and all we hear are crickets. The economy has been doing better lately in some key measures of employment, but the Fed is scaring markets by preparing to raise rates. TINA, meet TAMA, the result of the Fed’s actions; don’t worry, we’ll explain it. The statisticians at the Commerce Department revised printing shipments data. Revising data seems to be a full time job in the Beltway. Dr. Joe clarifies it all for one nearly last time. Read More

Consumer Durable Goods Orders Moving at Almost 2X GDP Rate

Consumer Durable Goods Orders Moving at Almost 2X GDP Rate

Durable goods orders for consumers (less transportation) are growing at a rate almost two times faster than Real GDP. This data series remains -14% below where it was at the start of the recession in December 2017, and is a critical one to monitor for indications of an improved economy. Read More