Cup-a-Joe

InfoTrend’s Jeff Hays had a few comments about relavency in the publishing and marketing industry.  It’s worth checking out and considering what “long-term” affects these changes could have on print producers.

And You Too Apple?  As of this morning, Apple has joined the fray in the world of digitizing textbooks.  For the publishing industry, does this hasten the demise of the printed page, or is it just another company (is Apple “another” company?) trying to position itself for a piece of the pie?  Regardless, there is no ignoring this player who has historically been very much a part of the education community.  More importantly is that the world of print is being affected by sources who were once considered suppliers (Apple, Adobe, etc.) and are now both partners and competitors.

For those of us who make a living in the world of commercial printing and say, “but I don’t print books,” don’t forget that the quicker people get used to using digital tablets for communication, that the day-to-day uses of print become threatened.  And for many in our industry, that will create business opportunities.  Content may be king, but those who can format content sit at the right hand of the king.

I purchased an iPad2 over the Holidays.  Mea culpa.  Why did I do it?  Supposedly it was to better understand the competition — and make my mobile communication easier.  Or that’s what I told myself.

Getting set up was a bit tricky, but that’s what tekkie sons are for.  James had recently purchased  his iPad and helped his old man get setup and introduced to a variety of applications — and games — of course.

Although I’ve carried a laptop for years and a smart phone for the past two, this device takes it to a new level.  NO, it doesn’t replace the smart phone, but once I get the right apps setup it will replace the laptop.  More importantly I am starting to see why it’s a game changer for the publishing industry.  And in turn it will affect many of the ways print will be used in the future.

I challenge you to make the investment (it’s not small) because it’s important for us in the world of print to understand the different ways people use to visually communicate.  If we are going to succeed in our business, we need to understand this technology rather than condemn it.  It’s the old adage — “Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.”  And while you’re thinking about that line, check out this recent WSJ article on Eastman Kodak.

OK, it’s now time to check out how my Angry Birds are doing.

Everyone in the print industry is constantly hearing about the need to re-invent oneself.  While there’s a lot of truth to that concept, it’s more important for company CEOs and their teams to understand the environment and then develop the winning strategy.  There are a lot of thought leaders out there on this topic, but I just finished reading a text which should be on every print CEO’s “must read” list.

The book, which is a very quick and straight-forward read, is titled “Business Transformation, A New Path to Profit for the Printing Industry.” The author is John Foley, Jr., and unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock for the past six months, you’ll recognize John as one of the industry’s voices on social media.

I thought John’s book was chockfull of information and more importantly contains the steps one needs to take to either re-invent their company, or to make modifications to be properly positioned in the visual communications industry (we used to call it print.).

I just finished reading an article in this morning’s Wall Street Journal on the hacking which occurred at Sony, which comes on the heels of our website getting hacked several weeks ago.  We’re still in the process of re-building.

Here’s a key excerpt from the WSJ interview of Howard Stringer, Sony’s CEO, “He said the security breach at PSN, Sony Online Entertainment, an online game service for personal computer users, and its Qriocity streaming video and music network could lead the way to bigger problems well beyond Sony, or the gaming industry. He warned the attacks may one day target the global financial system, the power grid, or air traffic control systems.

“It’s the beginning, unfortunately, or the shape of things to come,” said Mr. Stringer. “It’s not a brave new world; it’s a bad new world,” he said.

Given all they hype of cloud computing and our ability to more readily communicate any time, any place, I don’t know whether I should cry or be happy.

If you are one of those folks who think the Post Office needs to start re-inventing itself, pay close attention.  The most recent foray is a move to integrate mobile media advertising (think mobile bar codes, e.g. QR Codes) and direct mail.   Along with the recent “Every Door Direct Mail” option, we’re starting to see a USPS thinking out of the box – in terms of product and marketing.  It still needs to deal with its infrastructure of too many employees and an attitude that says we’ll just move the deck chairs around until we find the right combination.

On a lighter note (not really), check out this WSJ cartoon which reflects a pervasive attitude of society.  It was published in the online WSJ on Monday, April 18th.

Last week Google was attempting to purchase Groupon for about $5-6 Billion (Groupon since then has decided to stay independent).  Groupon is a company that is only two years old and carving out new ways to offer local advertising and promotion services. The purchase price for this fledgling company was a number that FAR exceeds the annual profits for the entire printing industry.  Although one has to question whether this could be a good use of funds for Google, or that Andrew Mason, Groupon’s founder, was a fool for not taking the money, we can not ignore the fact that there are new players in the world which was historically dominated by print producers.  read more »

For the past decade, we have heard from the manufacturers of variable print equipment about the power of 1:1 marketing.  Yet, it’s been a very slow struggle to get there.  Initially it was technology.  Remember the first variable print engines? RIP processing speeds?  The cost?  The quality (lack thereof)?  Those are no longer issues.  Yet, the needle is still moving slowly. 

A recent study by the Annenberg School for Communication, UC Berkeley School of Law, and the Annenberg Public Policy Center shines an interesting light on how consumers react when they realize how data is gathered.  Check out this interesting summary on Print In The Mix.  The issue of 1:1 marketing is a lot more complex than what one is led to believe.

The folks at CEO Forum provided an interesting link this morning – no, it’s not an April Fool’s Joke.  Seton Hill University, a small Catholic Liberal Arts university in Pennsylvania, will provide 2010 incoming Freshman with MacBook laptop and an iPad.  Why?  Let me quote from their website, Twenty-first century students live in a world of technology and collaboration where learning happens 24 hours a day and is supported by professors, friends, professional experts, and fellow learners in the classroom, on the web, and around the world.

The Griffin Technology Advantage, Seton Hill’s commitment to provide students with the best in technology and collaborative learning tools, ensures that Seton Hill students will be uniquely suited to whatever careers they choose – even those that have not yet been created.I think this is very representative of the changes which are rapidly affecting print and visual communications.  What are you doing to become more knowledgeable about the tools which will continue to impact the way we communicate — today and in the future?

I recently sat in on a webinar produced by Mike Messemer with XMPie.  The gist of the presentation dealt with the complexity of variable data projects and that many sales reps (and their companies) are poorly prepared to deal with them.  He stressed the need for good planning and the need to communicate effectively with the client regarding expected results from these types of projects.  Boy, did he hit the nail on the head. read more »