By Trish Witkowski on April 1st, 2013 - Comment
This week we look at the Awesome Spiral Accordion Mailer – it’s a must see mailer! Design by CSG Creative in Alexandria, VA. and produced by ITP in Elizabethtown, PA. This 2-part direct mail piece features a post card and circular piece that fits inside a mylar envelope, mailed first class. The circular piece unfolds in a spiral accordion patterns which opens…
By Richard Losch on March 29th, 2013 - 1 Comment
The March 1st issue of In-Plant Graphics had an article titled “Inkjet Summit’s Unique Format is a Win-Win. The article talks about the upcoming invitation-only three day event for ” for senior managers and business executives who want to understand how current and future inkjet technology trends, software, consumables and finishing solutions are and will…
By Elizabeth Gooding on March 28th, 2013 - 2 Comments
Last week, Canon hosted a cross-section of prominent companies from the graphic arts, book, direct mail and transaction printing segments in Munich Germany. The majority of attendees, despite disparate business models, were evaluating the transition to inkjet or expanding on an existing inkjet implementation. The top three reasons cited:
By John Foley on March 27th, 2013 - Comment
It’s natural to avoid asking for help. You worry that it makes you appear weak. That it makes you appear ignorant or uninformed. Like you can’t do your job, or are just plain unable to get the job done. Asking for help doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In fact, it can lead to…
By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on March 27th, 2013 - Comment
I recently had a very interesting conversation with James Michelson, president and founder of JFM Concepts, about text messaging in the printing industry. We were talking about multichannel marketing and how text messaging fits in. Michelson wanted to talk about the use of text messaging in a way we rarely hear it being talked about—to…
By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on March 22nd, 2013 - 1 Comment
I recently did some research around the industry on the impact of the upcoming Saturday First-Class mail stoppage. In the end, the consensus seems to be that it might be highly inconvenience for awhile, but marketers will figure it out. One of the biggest concerns is for bill payments since consumers will have one less…
By John Foley on March 20th, 2013 - Comment
Spring is the perfect time to make a proverbial clean sweep of your marketing efforts and see what needs to be cleaned up, decluttered or re-vamped. (Of course, scheduling something like this once a year, no matter what time of the year, can be a great thing). By springtime, all those resolutions you made at New…
By Nancy Scott on March 20th, 2013 - Comment
Oddly enough, with the digital tsunami drowning us, print has taken on a fresh personality. What some once derided as “junk” is becoming semi-precious. That thought prompted me to consider options for less-often-seen print marketing. Here’s my list. 1. Personalized print products used post-purchase to bolster relationships. We’ve got the usual, of course — gifts,…
By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on March 19th, 2013 - 2 Comments
Years ago, I wrote about a study conducted by the Digital Printing Council on the lamination (or non-lamination) of direct mail and how the various toner-based presses fared in the mail stream. The topic is still around apparently, since it is kicking up quite a storm in one of the industry discussion groups. The poster…
By Nicole Schappert on March 18th, 2013 - Comment
I read an interesting article today on Printing Impressions’ Digital Printing center which surveyed in-plant managers on their purchasing processes. The article prompted managers to reflect on what they wish they had done during the purchasing process of digital color presses. Benefits from digital color presses are abundant: the ability to finish jobs quicker (and cheaper), the…
By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on March 15th, 2013 - Comment
Yesterday, I updated “Digital Printing: Transforming Marketing and Print Management,” my primer on how digital production (toner, inkjet) changes how businesses view and manage their marketing. Every time I do a major update, it’s always interesting to me what portions of the report get updated because it’s like a running history of our industry. This…
By John Foley on March 13th, 2013 - Comment
Your online image is a huge component of your business reputation. Just because you haven’t (hopefully) been embroiled in any controversy or involved in a major business showdown that made you come out smelling anything but roses, it doesn’t mean you don’t have a bit of polishing to do. Let’s face it, we all need…
By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on March 12th, 2013 - 1 Comment
We are hearing a lot about content marketing these days. Much of this is being done online, but have you thought about how your clients’ online content can drive their investment in print? According to the Content Marketing Institute: 26% of B2B marketers’ total budgets are spent on content marketing 60% of B2B marketers plan…
By Elizabeth Gooding on March 11th, 2013 - 3 Comments
There nearly 1 million insurance agents and brokers employed in the U.S. and you would think that they would be fiercely competitive with each other. More and more, agencies are merging, consolidating and forming agency networks to compete with the real enemy – Direct Writers. Creating innovative communications has historically not been a core competency of insurance agencies but most recognize that this needs to change. As the demand for more effective and consistent customer touches continues to grow, agencies are looking for partners to help them execute regular, cost effective communications programs with their customers.
By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on March 10th, 2013 - 3 Comments
This is for all those claiming that print is dead . . . or who want to respond to those who do. No commentary necessary. This ad speaks for itself. Enjoy! Watch the ad Warning: It is highly recommended that you not watch while drinking hot liquid.
