Print Council Educates Agency Heavyweights on the Power of Print with a Multimedia Seminar

WASHINGTON, DC—August 27, 2009—Print is more persuasive than ever as an advertising and marketing tool. So print should always be considered as an integral part of any commercial communications campaign. That’s the message top advertising agency executives are receiving and heeding, thanks to a new “lunch and learn” seminar being presented by The Print Council.

Titled Print Delivers, the lunchtime learning experience has already been presented at two top advertising agencies, the Starcom Media Group and Campbell Ewald, to rave reviews. The multimedia workshop is presented by a multi-talented panel comprised of representatives from the US Postal Service, major print providers, paper manufacturers, equipment suppliers, and The Print Council.

The presidents of Starcom and Campbell Ewald welcomed The Print Council panelists to a roomful of agency staffers — senior management, planners, strategists, account representatives, digital and print media specialists, art directors and other professionals who work on major accounts.

Premiere Performances Get High Marks

Those who participated in the first two road shows found these audiences to be highly receptive to the presentation and its message. According to David Mastervich from the USPS: “The Campbell Ewald audience wanted more, stating it was the best lunch and learn session ever. They thought we were very well organized. Just shows what a team of professionals who have a passion for the same subject can do.”

A Starcom managing director with multi-million dollar client billings offered this assessment: “We need to be doing more of this – to be educated about how print can be connecting and adding value to multiple communication and activation strategies. It is paramount to providing value for our clients. Our people have little knowledge how print has evolved outside of publishing, but the metrics associated with the customization tactics certainly line up with what we are being asked to provide. This has certainly created about 100 questions that we need to answer to use print to add value to our clients’ spend.”

One of the panelists, Rick Merdan from NewPage, had this reaction: “The attendance was great and the message was received. The quote of the session came from the designer who stated she only prints five times a year but now is encouraged to take another look at print.”

Joe Duncan of Leo Burnett pointed to the “big picture” perspective: “Media strategists and activation groups are being challenged every day by their clients to connect all of the communication needs of the marketer with the desires and options available to the consumer. No media does that better than print.”

And Ben Cooper from The Print Council commented: “There is growing number of media decision-makers who are not aware of print’s ability to persuade and inform. Print Delivers lets them know what they’re missing and shows them how easy and effective it has become to add print to their communications mix.”

Proving Print’s Power

Designed for presentation to any large agency or corporate communications group, Print Delivers takes media heavyweights on a fact-filled tour of print’s successful career as a key communications device. The multimedia show includes data from Print in the Mix, the print marketing clearinghouse, and case studies from Print Council members. It begins with the Bare Necessities video case study from the USPS’s Results Driven Marketing campaign, and goes on to portray print as measurable, personal, renewable, trustworthy, and manageable.

In the premier presentations, panelists presented specific case studies from Harley-Davidson, Maine Office of Tourism, Three Musketeers/Mars, Crate and Barrel, Pantone, Verizon, Hallmark, universities, casinos, and more. These case studies offered actual response/sales data as well as creative ideas and examples from successful campaigns.

In addition, the panelists spoke about how print can transform the viewing experience by appealing to multiple senses, engage a reader beyond the printed word, and communicate a brand in a way that is not possible through the computer screen, TV or radio.

The seminar concluded with a Q&A session, which was highlighted with a discussion on the environmental sustainability of direct marketing and renewability of print on paper. Questions on a variety of issues were addressed, including the measurability and ROI of print, emerging technologies, recycling, targeting.

To date, members of The Print Council from Kodak, Xerox, Sappi, NewPage, IWCO Direct, Sandy Alexander, Heidelberg, and the US Postal Service have participated in the presentations. An event is planned with a multinational media strategy and buying organization in NYC this Fall.

In addition, tiers of specialists from The Print Council membership are being developed and will be deployed to agencies at the national, regional, and local levels for future Print Delivers presentations.

About The Print Council
Through education, awareness, market development, advocacy and research, The Print Council serves the industry to develop, maintain and increase the market for printed materials. The Print Council can be contacted through Ben Cooper, Executive Director, at 202-973-5977, by e-mail at bycooper@wms-jen.com, or on the Web at www.ThePrintCouncil.org.

MEMBERS: Alcom Printing Group; Appleton Coated; Broadford & Maloney Inc.; Classic Graphics; Colorado Printing; Continental Web Press; Corporate Press; Custom Data Imaging; EFI; Friesens Corp.; GLS Companies; HBP Inc.; Heidelberg USA; The Hickory Printing Group; International Paper; IWCO Direct; Jacob North Printing: Japs-Olson; Jet, Inc.; The John Roberts Company; Kodak; Lake County Press; Lawton Printing; Lecta North America; Leo Burnett USA; Mitsubishi Lithographic Presses; Mohawk Fine Papers; Mossberg & Company; NAK Marketing & Communications; NewPage; The P.A. Hutchison Co.; Panaprint, Inc.; Pitney Bowes; Sandy Alexander; Sappi Fine Paper; Unisource; U.S. Postal Service; Westamerica Graphics; Williamson Printing; Xerox

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS: Arizona State University; Cal Poly; CUNY; Cygnus Business Media; DMA; EDSF; EMA; GAA; Graphic Communications World; Group M; HSPR; IAPHC; IdeaAlliance; InfoTrends; Kean University; Liberty or Death Communications; Media Ink; MFSA: NAPIM; NAPL; New England Printer & Publisher; North American Publishing; NPES; NPTA; NYU; OutputLinks; PennWell; PICA; Press+; Penton Media; Print Buyers Online; Printer’s NW Trader; Printing Industries of America; Printing Industries Alliance; Reed Business; RIT; Rogers Media; TAGA; WhatTheyThink.com; Xplor International