Print Video Rocks YouTube Community —Cagle

BITS AND PIECES

WHEN YOU combine new technology with old-school craft and a little in-your-face attitude, the result is side-splitting laughter. And it’s also perhaps the biggest electronic boost for the printing industry.

Pazazz, a commercial and package printer based in Montréal, was looking to put together a fun, if a bit unconventional, promotional video. So Warren Werbitt, president and CEO of Pazazz, donned a company uniform and went on an almost four-minute rant near his loading dock that was reminiscent of Dennis Leary’s hyperactive style. The video, called “Printing’s Alive,” was posted on YouTube and immediately took off. By early February, the video had cleared 70,000 views and earned a rating of four stars out of five. This definitely isn’t your grandfather’s print marketing campaign.

“We have received more than 500 e-mails from people telling us that they laughed so hard, their faces hurt,” notes Lori Cohen, Pazazz marketing director. “The truth is, we work in an old industry with old ways and some old leadership that has yet to ‘get it.’ We need to bring Pazazz into the new age. We need to make printing fun, so we can attract young and creative people.”

Werbitt gets on a roll and doesn’t let up. He dispels a few myths, including “Steve Guttenberg didn’t invent the printing press.” He professes his love for ink, claiming that “I like to spread it on my toast like (expletive) nutella,” and “OK, I drank some once. Big deal, who hasn’t?” Werbitt defends printing as a craft and scoffs at the computer’s role in making print obsolete.

“Can you string a computer across the wall that says ‘Happy Birthday’?” he asks.

But we don’t want to give too much away. The video ends with a group of Pazazz employees, Werbitt included, tearfully waving goodbye to a finished print job as it is trucked off to the customer.