NEW YORK -- December 2, 2003 -- TrendWatch Graphic Arts today announced the results of a landmark multi-client study to objectively examine the expectations, influences, and critical buying requirements of print and media buyers. The TWGA "Media Requirements Study" is an in-depth perspective on how media buying behaviors are changing in the printing and related industries. Most of the study findings were gleaned from an extensive series of interviews conducted with a broad swath of printers, corporate media buyers, graphic designers and ad agencies, publishers, graphic arts dealers and distributors, and graphic arts product manufacturers and suppliers. According to the study, one of the most prevailing trends concerns the core essence of purpose and planning. The findings indicate that graphic communication is now more about strategy than anything else. The increased media mix means that any kind of marketing campaign now requires extensive advanced planning. Campaign strategists must first define a medium or combination of media that most effectively reaches the target audience that the client wants to reach. Historically, print was an overwhelming and popular choice, but now the marketers' choices are much more vast and interwoven. For more information about the study, please visit the TrendWatch Graphic Arts website (www.trendwatchgraphicarts.com). Researcher's Quote... "Many feel that the advent of new medias [i.e. the Internet] are a force to be reckoned with, as they compete for the same marketing dollars as print," notes Vince Naselli, TrendWatch Director. "We're witnessing an increasingly diverse media mix. Print is not the only game in town anymore, and there is television (broadcast and cable), motion pictures, radio, the Web, e-magazines, e-letters, direct e-mail, CD-ROMs, DVDs, PDFs, PDAs, and so much more. The upshot is that people creating marketing campaigns have more media than ever to consider and to create content for, and print is simply just one of the tools to choose from. As we move forward, the increased media mix means marketers have to carefully pick and choose the medium that is the most effective for a particular client trying to reach a particular audience. It would seem to be marketing 101, but it's a far more complex an issue." Multi-Client Study: Answers from the Source... By collaborating the interviews of the top print and media buyers, TWGA offers a unique perspective into the trends and perceptions at play in the industry. Here's just a glimpse into the study's revelations and conclusions: -- ELECTRONIC IMPACT: The majority of the graphic design firms didn't see electronic alternatives to print having any impact on their print business -- nor did they think that there was any decline or real change at all in the overall effectiveness of print. Many tended to be of the opinion that, if print is declining in effectiveness, it's because of the ineffective design of any given piece, not print in general; -- ENOUGH PROOF: There is a demand for fewer proofs. One PDF can take the place of many hard-copy proofs. Even if PDFs aren't always used for color proofing, there are many other reasons why proofs are made -- and PDF is ideal for them. PDFs also facilitate remote proofing, which can speed turnaround, and the faster the turnaround the better. -- DIGITAL PRINT vs. OFFSET: The jobs for which digital printing is well-suited are becoming more common than the jobs for which offset printing is suited. Digital printing is NOT "replacing" offset printing. Rather, digital printing jobs are replacing offset printing jobs. The technology is almost irrelevant. The job and the other ancillary needs of the client define the technology that is used. About the Study... TWGA's primary research for this study centered upon first-hand interviews (conducted in the Summer and Fall 2003) with top executives from: -- Printers (small, mid-size, large, and those classified as digital); -- Corporate Media Buyers (corporate media and insert buyers); -- Creative Firms (graphic designers and ad agencies); -- Publishers (book and magazine); -- Catalog Publishers/Printers; -- Graphic Arts Dealers and Distributors; -- Graphic Arts Product Manufacturers and Suppliers. In each of the 10 sections of the study, TWGA details the results of the open-ended, unstructured interviews. The executives, chosen for interview, were selected because they were considered to be making "cutting-edge" decisions in leading organizations. TWGA then combined the results of the interviews with analysis including charts detailing subject matter with data. The result is a study that offers both personal reflection of top industry insiders and historical trend analysis. Availability... The TrendWatch Graphic Arts "Media Requirements Study: The TrendWatch Graphic Arts Perspective on how Media Buying Behaviors are Changing in the Printing and Related Industries" report is available for purchase by visiting the secure TrendWatch Graphic Arts eStore online at www.trendwatchgraphicarts.com or by phone at 866-873-6310. The price for this landmark primary research multiclient study is $20,000. TrendWatch Graphic Arts eStore customers can receive this report in PDF Acrobat format immediately after purchase.