Comments on: What’s in a Name? http://thedigitalnirvana.com/2010/02/whats-in-a-name/ Transpromo, Short-Run Book Publishing, Inkjet and other Printing Industry Issues Mon, 21 May 2012 14:35:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Chuck http://thedigitalnirvana.com/2010/02/whats-in-a-name/comment-page-1/#comment-3207 Chuck Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:56:52 +0000 http://thedigitalnirvana.com/?p=1109#comment-3207 Although the name "Marketing Service Provider" is ambiguous and also doesn't describe much of what an evolving, modern printing company could and/or should do to be successful, that isn't the primary problem. I wholeheartedly agree with Margie Dana that PSPs (by the way, a term that I find completely acceptable) calling themselves MSPs and then continuing to have an equipment list and nothing but printer's services on their (often poorly designed and constructed) website is just wrong, wrong, wrong and will not lead to success. The real problem is, the hype surrounding "Marketing Service Provider", and the lack of meaningful analysis and advice for printers to succeed in this-- as well as the almost complete absence of alternative business improvement ideas that might be better suited to many of today's printers looking to improve or regain profitability. If you don't know anything about marketing, why on earth would you try to help other people market? If your print business is in trouble, adding "marketing services" isn't going to help you-- focus on marketing your own core value prop (or figuring out what it is, for starters). Although the name “Marketing Service Provider” is ambiguous and also doesn’t describe much of what an evolving, modern printing company could and/or should do to be successful, that isn’t the primary problem. I wholeheartedly agree with Margie Dana that PSPs (by the way, a term that I find completely acceptable) calling themselves MSPs and then continuing to have an equipment list and nothing but printer’s services on their (often poorly designed and constructed) website is just wrong, wrong, wrong and will not lead to success. The real problem is, the hype surrounding “Marketing Service Provider”, and the lack of meaningful analysis and advice for printers to succeed in this– as well as the almost complete absence of alternative business improvement ideas that might be better suited to many of today’s printers looking to improve or regain profitability. If you don’t know anything about marketing, why on earth would you try to help other people market? If your print business is in trouble, adding “marketing services” isn’t going to help you– focus on marketing your own core value prop (or figuring out what it is, for starters).

]]> By: Michael Josefowicz http://thedigitalnirvana.com/2010/02/whats-in-a-name/comment-page-1/#comment-3169 Michael Josefowicz Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:15:41 +0000 http://thedigitalnirvana.com/?p=1109#comment-3169 During the last years with digital creating one of the many disruptive innovations in our industry, I think it makes sense that lots of folks have been struglling with the right words to describe what we do. Now that high speed ink jet web presses are getting to market, my sense is that the disruptive innovation is drawing to a close and the period going forward will be more sustainable innovation. From what I can tell it seems that heavy metal is now convinced that digital is a reasonable addition to their services. CGX installing a Prosper is just the tip of the iceberg. It seems as if IPEX is going to be a real mix up of heavy metal and heavy duty ink jet digital output from Oce, Screen, Fuji, HP, Kodak and Xerox. My vote is that going forward the indsutry is best described as the Print industry. We've always been a embedded in every business. In house, print for pay, industrial strength. The nature of the business is that no other single word describes what we really do. To me mind the only word that captures it is Printer who specializes in ..... This might be helpful in turning the focus of the conversation from joining an "innovative" industry to innovative Print Centric solutions for every industry. During the last years with digital creating one of the many disruptive innovations in our industry, I think it makes sense that lots of folks have been struglling with the right words to describe what we do. Now that high speed ink jet web presses are getting to market, my sense is that the disruptive innovation is drawing to a close and the period going forward will be more sustainable innovation.

From what I can tell it seems that heavy metal is now convinced that digital is a reasonable addition to their services. CGX installing a Prosper is just the tip of the iceberg. It seems as if IPEX is going to be a real mix up of heavy metal and heavy duty ink jet digital output from Oce, Screen, Fuji, HP, Kodak and Xerox.

My vote is that going forward the indsutry is best described as the Print industry. We’ve always been a embedded in every business. In house, print for pay, industrial strength. The nature of the business is that no other single word describes what we really do. To me mind the only word that captures it is Printer who specializes in …..

This might be helpful in turning the focus of the conversation from joining an “innovative” industry to innovative Print Centric solutions for every industry.

]]> By: Jim Olsen http://thedigitalnirvana.com/2010/02/whats-in-a-name/comment-page-1/#comment-3143 Jim Olsen Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:43:18 +0000 http://thedigitalnirvana.com/?p=1109#comment-3143 Bryan great post. Frankly, we've been struggling with what we should call the "printing industry" ever since the "digital age" came upon us. A company doesn't need to present itself to a customers as being from a particular industry. It is more important that they clearly present their story as to how they can help that customer prosper. The organizations that need to know who "we" are, are the manufacturers that supply us, the trade associations that serve us, and the governments that set the rules and tax us. Jim Olsen Imagination, Ink. jim@imaginationink.com 518-852-1219 Bryan great post. Frankly, we’ve been struggling with what we should call the “printing industry” ever since the “digital age” came upon us.

A company doesn’t need to present itself to a customers as being from a particular industry. It is more important that they clearly present their story as to how they can help that customer prosper.

The organizations that need to know who “we” are, are the manufacturers that supply us, the trade associations that serve us, and the governments that set the rules and tax us.

Jim Olsen
Imagination, Ink.
jim@imaginationink.com
518-852-1219

]]>