Creating an Ecosystem for Print Buyers
by Steve Barrett
In the modern world, we are bombarded by advertising. To capture the attention of the audience has become a formidable goal. Solid and consistent branding is more important than ever and the sheer volume of advertising has raised the bar to even gain someone’s attention in the first place. Print manufacturers, now more than ever, are required to be a part of the entire marketing process.
What does this mean for printers? A lot. This means that today’s marketing campaigns must be highly targeted, cross multiple mediums and they must also be vibrant enough to remain memorable. The bright side is that printers’ capabilities have blossomed over the last few years. Modern machines like the MGI Meteor DP8700XL can output highly visual printed pieces that can be tailored to their audience with variable data printing. It can also output envelopes that are a perfect match with flat work. This helps to maintain company branding.
Attention is critical. Novel approaches to advertising like bright digital-billboards and talking gas pumps have tuned our brains to overlook advertising. It’s harder than ever to awaken the brain’s reticular activation system, the section of the cortex that dictates attention. In print we have the same dynamic with our customers and printers are constantly searching for new and fun ways to snap our reader’s eyeballs onto our message. The MGI JetVarnish 3D is a prime example of this, the texture effect on print brings an otherwise flat message into our spatial reality.
Most print manufacturers are well aware of these dynamics and many have already incorporated them into their business models. Printers are no longer in the business of laying ink on paper. Instead it’s critical that we help our customer’s to develop these complex marketing campaigns and provide as many pieces of the puzzle as possible. If a print buyer needs to go anywhere else for a part of the campaign, they might just take the whole project with them.
Mid-State Litho, Inc.
5459 Fenton Rd.
Flint, MI 48507
Toll Free: 1-800-343-4231
midstatelitho.com
