2014 Hot Markets: Packaging, Pharma Head List

Recently OK'd in six states, online/mobile gaming could be legal in all but a few by year-end 2014. Because the United States represents 67 percent of the global market, and most states are desperate to tax "sins," many chips are on the line for online. It will be a winning hand for print with a cross-media flush of NFC pull and SMS push. The state/province lotteries (+2 percent) are easier to play as they deal the bids and are not open to suggestion.

Scratch-offs will continue to be the biggest game, but only a few companies have all the work. Better to go after retail signage, displays, billboards and FSIs. A 2014 event for print will be the cross-state promotion of online lottery subscription.

Entertainment ($909B, -1 percent; with $6.0B to print, +

As with No. 22 Leisure Activity ($195B, 0 percent; with $3.9B to print, -3 percent), consumers lack time and money for sports, recreation and hobbies, and most of these categories are at saturation and in decline.

Oppositely, Discount Retail ($1.5T, +

At No. 21 is Security/Protection ($228B, +3 percent; with $4.5B to print, 0 percent). Imaging technology in good hands can now prevent ID theft, product tampering, counterfeiting, false documentation and all criminal intent. Most in our industry won't take the trouble to master the methods, though we're the ones who logically should be in front of it.

A national ID smart-card is coming, and most everything printed could have a security feature stamped, image-embedded or otherwise included in the substrate or film; a big value-added for the buyer (and for us, of course)!

Logistics/Freight ($752B, +6 percent; with $3.8B to print, -4 percent) is No. 23 and dropping. Overall postal volumes and multi-modal freight shipments are victims of technology, economy and politics. Any revenue growth will be from fuel surcharges rather than demand. Multi-part shipping forms, envelopes, folding cartons and POS print will remain flat. The online retail giants will do everything in-house, including product labels.