The McKinsey Killer: How Print Leaders are Accessing Strategic Advice Without the Six-Figure Price Tag

What if you could have a team of PhD-level researchers and McKinsey consultants working for your printing business at a fraction of the cost? The emerging combination of deep reasoning and research AI models isn't just changing the game—it's creating an entirely new playing field for businesses of all sizes. The intelligence that was once the exclusive domain of enterprise corporations is now available to everyone bold enough to embrace it.

In the rapidly evolving AI landscape, a transformation is underway that's reshaping how businesses access intelligence. Just six months ago, it existed only in research labs. Today, it's accessible to businesses of all sizes, including those in the printing and packaging industry. I'm talking about the emergence of deep reasoning and deep research AI models—a development so significant that it's democratizing what was once the exclusive domain of enterprise-level corporations with six-figure research budgets.

Related story: PRINTING United Alliance and IMAGINE AI LIVE Partner for AI Workshop

1. Deep Reasoning Models: The AI That Actually Thinks

The first whispers of truly "thinking" AI emerged last November when OpenAI unveiled their 'o' series models. Unlike conventional AI that simply responds to prompts with pre-programmed answers, these deep reasoning models actually think through problems.

The difference is profound. With traditional AI, you need to specify both what you want and how to achieve it. With deep reasoning models, you simply define the what—and the AI determines the how. This shift represents more than incremental improvement; it's a fundamental reimagining of human-machine collaboration.

The race to develop these reasoning capabilities has accelerated dramatically. Beyond OpenAI's pioneering work, we're seeing Elon Musk's XAI enter the arena with Grok 3, while Chinese company DeepSeek has launched their R1 model at a fraction of previous costs. This competition is driving both faster processing times and dramatically lower costs, making enterprise-level AI reasoning accessible to businesses of all sizes.

For printing and packaging leaders grappling with production challenges, operational inefficiencies, or growth strategies, these models offer unprecedented support. Imagine having a PhD-level sidekick available to every leader and operator in your company—even on the production floor, where a deep reasoning model could troubleshoot press issues in real-time.

2. Deep Research Models: Your MBA Team on Demand

If deep reasoning models represent the thinking side of next-generation AI, deep research models constitute the knowledge-gathering component. These specialized AIs scour the internet to conduct comprehensive research on any topic you specify.

Consider what this means in practical terms. Tasks that once required hiring expensive MBA graduates or engaging consulting firms like McKinsey or Boston Consulting Group—often at costs reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars—can now be accomplished in minutes. Whether you need strategic research in your market niche or analysis of emerging industry trends, these models can compile information that would take weeks of manual Google searches, even for experts.

The deep research landscape includes offerings from the expected players like OpenAI and Google (whose Gemini models leverage the company's search expertise), as well as specialized platforms like Perplexity. Each brings unique strengths to the research process, often yielding different but complementary insights.

3. The Synergy Effect: Combining Reasoning and Research

While each type of model delivers impressive capabilities independently, their true power emerges when used in combination. I've developed a three-step process that unlocks this synergy:

1. Define Your Goal: Start with a baseline AI like ChatGPT 4.5 or Claude Sonnet 3.7 to articulate your research objective. For example: "I need to research regional AI interest groups for potential partnerships."
2. Optimize with Reasoning: Take that initial prompt to a deep reasoning model like OpenAI's o1 Pro. Ask it to refine your research prompt, letting it think through the optimal approach. This creates an expert-level prompt specifically crafted for deep research.
3. Deploy Multiple Research Models: Take the optimized prompt and simultaneously feed it to several deep research platforms—OpenAI, Google Gemini, and Perplexity, for example. This parallel approach yields diverse perspectives and more comprehensive results.

The outcome? In roughly 30 minutes, you'll receive detailed, citation-rich reports that would have previously cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and taken months to produce. This isn't just faster research—it's research that was previously unattainable for most businesses.

4. Real-World Applications for Print and Packaging

For printing and packaging companies, these capabilities translate into tangible advantages:

• Production Optimization: Deep reasoning models can analyze complex manufacturing variables, identifying inefficiencies invisible to human operators.
• Market Expansion: Research models can identify untapped niches or emerging trends, helping companies pivot toward growth opportunities.
• Competitive Intelligence: Combined reasoning and research can provide comprehensive competitor analysis, highlighting vulnerabilities and opportunities.
• Strategic Partnerships: As we've done at IMAGINE AI LIVE, you can identify potential strategic partners or acquisition targets with unprecedented efficiency.

The defining skill of 2025 and beyond will be the ability to effectively prompt and utilize these advanced AI capabilities. As knowledge becomes available "on tap" to everyone, those who master these tools will possess a decisive advantage.

The Bottom Line: Enterprise Intelligence Goes Mainstream

The emergence of deep reasoning and research models represents nothing less than the democratization of enterprise-level intelligence. What was once available only to corporations with vast resources is now accessible to businesses of all sizes, including printers and packagers.

This isn't simply an evolution of existing technology—it's a revolution in how businesses access intelligence. By combining the problem-solving power of deep reasoning with the comprehensive data-gathering of deep research, companies can achieve insights that were previously unimaginable at their resource level.

For leaders ready to embrace this transformation, the opportunity is now. Those who develop proficiency with these tools today will find themselves at a significant advantage tomorrow, equipped with capabilities that fundamentally alter the competitive landscape.

Ready to dive deeper? Join us at IMAGINE AI LIVE '25, happening May 28-30, 2025, in Las Vegas. We'll be hosting a special printing industry track on May 28th in partnership with PRINTING United Alliance, where you'll learn how to become a prompt engineer, implement AI automation, and deploy AI agents in your business. Spots are filling quickly, so don't miss this opportunity to position your company at the forefront of the AI revolution.

Key Takeaways:

• "The combination of deep reasoning and deep research AI delivers enterprise-level intelligence at a fraction of traditional costs."
• "Mastering these AI capabilities isn't just a technical skill—it's the defining business advantage of the next decade."
• "For printing and packaging companies, these tools offer unprecedented opportunities to optimize operations and identify growth strategies."

The future isn't just approaching—it's here. The question isn't whether these tools will transform your business, but how quickly you'll harness their power to transform it yourself.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions.