Bill Lowe

I RECENTLY had the opportunity to attend ad:tech at Moscone West in San Francisco. This conference and trade show takes place annually in nine different venues around the globe (www.ad-tech.com). It is an interactive advertising and technology conference and exhibition that blends keynote speakers, topic-driven panels and workshops to provide attendees with the tools and techniques they need to compete in a changing world.

I WAS recently at the On Demand show in Philadelphia. For any of you who attended, I am sure you would agree that it was small, but vibrant. There is a growing emphasis by suppliers to the industry on the delivery of integrated—rather than point—solutions, which was very evident at this show.

HAVE YOU added one-to-one communications or variable data printing to your portfolio of offerings yet? Although we have been talking about variable data printing as a value-added service for a decade now, adoption rates have been slower than the pundits projected. But that all seems poised to change.

I’M NOT A big fan of defending print. I know, a strange way to start a column in a printing trade magazine. Clearly, the graphic arts industry is undergoing a time of dramatic change, and we speak a great deal about competition from alternative media and why print is still important in the media mix.

WITH AN uncertain 2009 facing us, it is now more important than ever to diversify your services. One way to do this quickly and affordably is by partnering with others in the graphic arts supply chain. This serves three important functions:

HAVE written a great deal about marketing strategies in this space, including everything from marketing basics to self-promotion and integrated communications strategies. One area of marketing that is often overlooked is the role of providing support to the sales force.

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