Tens of thousands of Americans took part in the California Gold Rush of 1849. At that time, everyone in our fledgling country could envision the seemingly limitless opportunities available in the great, untamed West. Fewer were actually willing to venture out into that wild territory to mine those hills, and fewer still were prepared with the knowledge, mindset and tools to overcome the challenges of doing so. While there was no doubt gold was in those hills — it was only the well-prepared and well-informed who ultimately struck it rich! For NPES members, today’s global business opportunities are not unlike the 1849 California
Based on PRIMIR’s recently completed study, “Small Commercial and Quick Printer Study 2006-2011,” in which more than 300 small or quick printers were interviewed – a world of opportunity awaits. Revealing their overall optimism, 84% of the surveyed respondents projected their revenues would be higher in 2011, and 72% expected higher profits as well. According to John Zarwan of J. Zarwan Partners and Cary Sherburne of Sherburne & Associates, who conducted this PRIMIR research, the survey reveals good news for a market segment that has seen steep declines in the number of establishments and experienced flat to declining shipments over the last several years.
Mail Moves America Mail Moves America is a recently formed coalition of trade associations and corporations with the mission of educating state and federal government decision-makers on the vital role advertising mail plays in the commerce and economy of the United States. A major component of this mission is monitoring and, when necessary, intervening to block so-called “Do-not-mail” legislation at both the state and federal level. These initiatives are the next extension of efforts spawned by public sentiments that lead to similar efforts to ban or limit unauthorized telephone, fax and e-mail solicitations. NPES is an active participant in the coalition, which currently numbers 48
The so-called “Employee Free Choice Act” passed in the House of Representatives via a 241-185 vote. Three Republican-offered amendments were considered on the floor, but all three failed. As mentioned last month, the legislation would take away workers’ rights to a federally supervised secret ballot election, when deciding whether or not to join a union. The fear is this would leave workers open to strong-arm tactics during union organizing drives. The PIA issued a “key industry vote card” to every U.S. Representative in advance of the vote, sending the message that the industry would be watching the vote tally of what is considered to be the
AS GRAPHIC communications professionals, we must work within a global supply chain. In today’s industry, is that a problem? Not all the time. But, even under the best conditions, there can be slight alterations in the chain, particularly with regard to material composition, that will create minor glitches or delays that affect the quality of the projects that come off-press—or, at least, the costs and the timing involved in moving those projects through the printing process. It’s the graphic communications version of the Butterfly Effect, also known as the Chaos Theory, which holds that a small change in the manufacture of one component in, say, China,
I JUST finished reading a terrific book, “What Sticks: Why Most Advertising Fails and How to Guarantee Yours Succeeds,” by Rex Briggs and Greg Stuart. The authors did in-depth research with 30 Fortune 200 companies, measuring more than $1 billion in advertising spend. They concluded that of the $300 billion annual advertising spend in the United States, $112 billion, or 47 percent, is wasted. Not surprisingly, they concluded that marketing is broken and that, as we pointed out last month, just because something worked in the 1980s, it is not necessarily going to work today—although a lot of companies still operate that way. Their research
FOR DECADES, the printing industry’s “Terms and Conditions for Sale” was a keystone in helping printing companies and their customers work together. Created by the major printer associations, the “Terms and Conditions for Sale” document sought to establish acceptable standards of doing business between printers and their customers. This document was created to establish “rules” to minimize the number of conflicts between printers and their customers, and diminish a printer’s financial liability when a job went awry. These standards were set up by parties that represent printers so, understandably, those terms and conditions were fashioned to primarily protect printers. Over the past several
DOES ANYBODY really, really, ever, ever listen when a recorded message tells you, “This call may be monitored for quality?”
I don’t think so. I don’t believe there are any monitors. Monitors are a fictitious form of marketing communication. The company is just telling us, “We care about quality, and so we are monitoring this call!”
Or, maybe I’ve got it wrong. Maybe they are monitoring my quality. Like maybe they are checking on the quality of my baritone, my diction or my rationale for the call.
Why else would they give me a warning that the call was being monitored?
I’ve been through some tortuous
Friesens Corporation, Lawton Printing, and Corporate Press Join Organization’s Growing Membership WASHINGTON, DC—March 22, 2007—The Print Council, a national business development initiative dedicated to promoting the greater use of printing and print media, today announced that Lawton Printing, The Friesens Corporation and Corporate Press have joined the organization’s growing membership. As new members of the Council, these well-regarded printers will be working with other companies to increase demand for printed materials. Members of The Print Council include commercial printers, paper manufacturers, press, ink and equipment manufacturers, publishers, industry associations, ad agencies, and public relations firms. Through advertising and speaking engagements, The Print Council is
Request Reconsideration for Some Mail Classes; Approve Shape-Based Pricing Board of Governors Set May 14 for New Prices WASHINGTON, DC—03/19/07—The Governors of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) today approved an increase in the price of a First-Class stamp to 41 cents, authorized the issuance of the Forever Stamp, approved shape-based pricing, and set May 14 as the date for implementation of these changes. (See chart below.) However, they delayed implementation of new prices for periodicals and requested reconsideration for some mail classes. USPS proposed new rates on May 3, 2006, and the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) issued its recommendation on Feb. 26, 2007. The Governors spent considerable
