High-Quality—The Future of Print
Andrew Davis, Chief Strategy Officer & Co-Founder of Tippingpoint Labs, and author of Brandscaping, will deliver the keynote presentation at the 2013 Integrated Print Forum. Davis, whose research has resulted in the creation of innovative online metrics, will inspire attendants to re-think the print, digital, and mobile strategies that they and their customers employ—and consider aligning them as a content continuum instead of disparate and unrelated initiatives. We caught up with Davis recently, and he was kind enough to share his thoughts about print’s role in the content continuum.
How can print help content generators (marketers, publishers, etc.) differentiate themselves?
Over the last five years marketers and publishers have invested boatloads of resources in creating digital assets, and in the process they’ve shifted their spending away from the more traditional print products they leveraged in the past. Paradoxically, this has led to an opportunity to leverage high-quality (and that’s the key—HIGH-QUALITY) print products as a significant point of differentiation in the marketplace. Digital content and platforms are commoditized, they all look the same and the experience is fleeting—that’s not the case with a well-crafted print product. There’s longer engagement, deeper relationships, and even higher pass-along rates that come with the perceived value of print. Here’s the catch—you don’t have long to leverage this opportunity to shift marketers’ and publishers’ perspectives. You need to challenge them today to print something different, something unique and valuable.
What can printers do to convince content generators that print should remain an integral part of their communication strategies?
You’ll never convince people that print will remain an integral part of their communication strategy, but you can show them. There’s a content continuum that begins online—where they can rapidly create, test, and generate content to see what resonates with their audience. The best content—the stuff that generates the highest return on investment—can then be elevated, enhanced, and delivered as a highly valuable print product. This way your digital assets, which have a very short lifespan, build a long term and sustainable ROI. It’s not easy, but it works. Start consuming every piece of content your clients create in the digital world. Find the best stuff and pitch a high-quality print product. I’m willing to bet they’ll be impressed and intrigued enough to buy!
