How the iPad Impacts Print —Sherburne

APPLE IS very good at generating a lot of buzz around new product announcements, and the company seems to be getting better with each attempt. Less than a week after its announcement, a Google search for "iPad" resulted in more than 13 million hits. And, I watched more than a dozen new results being fed, in real time, from Twitter and other sources in the few moments I spent on that search page.

Some pundits pronounced that even Apple didn't expect this much attention, although I am sure they are not complaining. Others suggest that Apple will enjoy sales of more than 4 million of these devices in 2010. (Note: Sales of the Apple iPhone doubled when comparing the first quarter of Apple's 2010 financial year with the corresponding 2009 quarter, and nearly 50 million have been sold since it was launched in June 2007.)

But is the media frenzy around the iPad hype, or is it the beginning of something new? Either way, how will the iPad and other follow-on "tablets" affect your business?

Certainly, products like the iPad and the Amazon Kindle (which is under a lot of pressure from publishers as a result of Apple offering to sell e-books for more than the Kindle's standard $9.99 price) are changing the world of book publishing. In fact, Amazon has reported that six out of every 10 books it sells are in the Kindle version, if there is a Kindle version available, up from 35 percent not too long ago.

Impact Undefined

Not that all the kinks have been worked out…In a dispute surrounding Apple's higher pricing model, publisher Macmillan pulled all of its books from the Kindle store. Although that dispute is likely to be resolved quickly, it demonstrates the struggle facing publishers, in terms of how to price and distribute books, and hang on to as much control (and revenue) as possible. Likewise, Simon & Schuster is trying to exercise control by delaying e-book availability on its titles for four months after the hardback is released.

Well, of course, what seems to be missing in this conversation is what the consumer wants, and publishers should be cognizant that consumers will vote with their pocketbooks, which will exert a great deal of influence on the ultimate outcome of this whole scenario. Either way, book printers should be watching this trend carefully and planning for the worst (whether it happens or not).

If you are not a book printer, you may think that this whole iPad hoo-ha has little to do with your business. But, you would be wrong. Many marketers are looking to mobile as the next big thing for getting their messages out.

The iPad—as well as other similar tablets that are likely to follow—presents a stunning platform for those messages with its bigger screen; ease of use; nearly full-size, touch keyboard; and many, many other features (even though Adobe Flash, the medium for many online ads, doesn't work on this first iteration of the iPad).

These lightweight devices make it easy to view content anywhere you happen to be, without squinting at a small screen. It allows people to be mobile, yet connected, to just about any information or entertainment source. It is really designed more for content consumption than for content creation.

Hmmm….Puts me in mind of paper and printed materials, although you can create content on an iPad just as you can create content on paper with pen and ink. Nonetheless, just how long it will take for the iPad, and its cousins from other suppliers, to make a dent in already lagging print volumes remains to be seen. But there is no question in my mind that there will be an effect.

So, that brings us back to what impact this device and others like it will have on your business. Your customers are creating content for consumption. That content may be transmitted via physical atoms—paper—or electrons or both. Your content-creation customers are also trying to figure out how the iPad affects their businesses and how to leverage it, along with smarter smart phones and the Internet in general.

They are directing an increasing amount of attention to social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, and experimenting with how those venues can impact their brand. Believe me, those iPad users will be spending a lot of time in those venues, maybe even more than they already are with their iPhones.

There is no way to predict what the ultimate impact will be. But, the message to the printing community is clear: We need to be paying attention and figuring out how we can help our clients effectively deliver their content to more than one channel, and how we can help them design campaigns and projects that leverage the force-multiplier strength of multiple channels.

This will require, more than likely, the addition of even more new products and services, as well as specialized staff or partnerships. These are some of the "value-added services" that our associations keep telling us we must include, and it doesn't mean installing a new folder, laminator or diecutter—although those can be useful.

Business Survival

It is much more far reaching, will take a great deal of planning and thought, and—don't forget—discussions with your customers to understand what they are thinking and how you can best add value.

This is not a discussion about defending the value of print. This is a life-and-death discussion about the future of our businesses and the role they will ultimately play in helping customers achieve business objectives. It can be scary, no question. But, it is also one of the most exciting times to be in business.

Many of those who are already leading the pack in delivering these new applications and services are growing their top and bottom lines, regardless of what the economy is doing. And many will tell you they are also having fun doing it.

Maybe now is not the time to rush out and purchase an iPad. But read some of the reviews, understand the issues—it's not perfect!—and get started with those customer conversations and internal strategic planning sessions.

I know I have used this quote in this space before, but it is even more relevant than ever before: "Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."—Will Rogers

So get that train moving. Your future depends on it. PI

—Cary Sherburne

About the Author
Cary Sherburne is a well-known author, journalist and marketing consultant whose practice is focused on marketing communications strategies for the printing and publishing industries. She was recognized as a 2009 Woman of Distinction and was awarded the 2009 Thomas McMillan Award for excellence in journalism. Sherburne has written six books, including "Digital Paths to Profit," published by NAPL; and, most recently, "No-Nonsense Innovation: Practical Strategies for Success," written with Bill Lowe, the Father of the IBM PC and available on Amazon. She can be reached at Cary@SherburneAssociates.com.

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