Q&A With John Hamm on the Digital Printing Outlook
NPES news
August 2006
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One on One With John Hamm
A 35-year veteran in the graphic communications industry, John Hamm has exten-sive applied experience on both sides of the fence. Following nine years in sales and management at Xerox, he enjoyed a fruitful 20-year career in commercial print-ing, growing and presiding over an industry-leading firm in the DC area (Balmar Inc.). In 1999, Hamm rejoined Xerox to lead its Worldwide marketing efforts and create market demand for a new breed of innovative commercial printing technology. Most recently, he launched his own business and market develop-ment consulting firm, John M. Hamm & Associates, LLC, based in Annapolis, Maryland. Our interview took place in mid-June.
– Doug Sprei
You recently were commissioned to co-produce (with Boston-based State Street Consultants) a major new market research study for PRIMIR, entitled The Digital Printing Outlook in a Production Environment. How’s it going, and who are some of the companies you’re interviewing?
I have been interviewing a variety of companies from throughout the U.S. and Canada, and am thoroughly enjoying the project. Surveying more than 500 firms throughout North America, State Street is performing the quantitative analysis, while I am conducting in-depth interviews with 25 firms. We’ve targeted a wide cross-section of firms by geography, market segments, size, and the niches that they serve –such as those who are producing only digital printing, commercial printers who have added digital to complement their offset services, book printers, web-enabled digital print, direct mail, and more. And we’re also talking with many of the major suppliers in the digital print space.
Are you looking toward vertical markets and demand for digital printing there; as for instance how one-to-one marketing might play out in a healthcare or real estate environment?
Yes. As an example at the moment, I am inter-viewing a large financial services enterprise that is using personalized, digital printing to achieve measurable business results with their documents.
What’s your access route into learning about how print communication produces improved business results in such markets?
It’s through identifying document applications that these enterprise companies are producing in support of their go-to-market strategies. Among the most successful opportunities are multimedia programs that create numerous touch points with the ultimate customer and drive them toward buying decisions. Such cross-media programs may include the combination of print with personalized web sites (PURL’s), e-mail follow up, and personal selling.
A 35-year veteran in the graphic communications industry, John Hamm has exten-sive applied experience on both sides of the fence. Following nine years in sales and management at Xerox, he enjoyed a fruitful 20-year career in commercial print-ing, growing and presiding over an industry-leading firm in the DC area (Balmar Inc.). In 1999, Hamm rejoined Xerox to lead its Worldwide marketing efforts and create market demand for a new breed of innovative commercial printing technology. Most recently, he launched his own business and market develop-ment consulting firm, John M. Hamm & Associates, LLC, based in Annapolis, Maryland. Our interview took place in mid-June.
– Doug Sprei
You recently were commissioned to co-produce (with Boston-based State Street Consultants) a major new market research study for PRIMIR, entitled The Digital Printing Outlook in a Production Environment. How’s it going, and who are some of the companies you’re interviewing?
I have been interviewing a variety of companies from throughout the U.S. and Canada, and am thoroughly enjoying the project. Surveying more than 500 firms throughout North America, State Street is performing the quantitative analysis, while I am conducting in-depth interviews with 25 firms. We’ve targeted a wide cross-section of firms by geography, market segments, size, and the niches that they serve –such as those who are producing only digital printing, commercial printers who have added digital to complement their offset services, book printers, web-enabled digital print, direct mail, and more. And we’re also talking with many of the major suppliers in the digital print space.
Are you looking toward vertical markets and demand for digital printing there; as for instance how one-to-one marketing might play out in a healthcare or real estate environment?
Yes. As an example at the moment, I am inter-viewing a large financial services enterprise that is using personalized, digital printing to achieve measurable business results with their documents.
What’s your access route into learning about how print communication produces improved business results in such markets?
It’s through identifying document applications that these enterprise companies are producing in support of their go-to-market strategies. Among the most successful opportunities are multimedia programs that create numerous touch points with the ultimate customer and drive them toward buying decisions. Such cross-media programs may include the combination of print with personalized web sites (PURL’s), e-mail follow up, and personal selling.
Companies Mentioned:
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