While change is a key theme in the print industry, speakers at the conference discussed the challenges of new media and encouraged the audience of print managers and trade manufacturers to embrace the digital era.
Jo Lloyd, non-executive director of Z Card, which owns patented foldable guide Pocketmedia, said huge changes had been brought about by the digital age.
Exploration of alternative media led to falling print volumes and meant that companies needed "budgets to work harder for them" according to Lloyd. The company employed a team of designers and web developers to bolster Z Card’s offerings, including apps, mobile sites and QR codes.
This was integral to Z Card’s success for the future, said Lloyd, which went out of business nine years ago before Pocketmedia creator George McDonald bought back the rights and the business was reshaped.
Lloyd said: "Don’t ever be afraid of change: it is not a sign of weakness."
RSA chief marketing officer Pete Markey, responsible for marketing operations across RSA Group and More Than brands, spoke about the advertising challenges brought about by the digital era.
Insurance company More Than began with a reliance on direct mail marketing, and so digital advertising meant that changes were essential in Markey’s department, he said.
He added: "So much changed with digital coming in, we needed to enrich and enhance the customer experience further."
While print still accounts for one third of More Than’s marketing, 50% of the company’s sales now come from online leads.
Markey argued that social media was killing off email, and urged delegates to embrace online communities as a direct and engaging way to connect with customers. He cited the case of IBM: the multinational consultancy company no longer relies on email but distributes message across an internal network likened to LinkedIn.
Markey added: "More Than’s brand is based on trust rather than pric. We had to evolve our telecommunication department to provide a different experience for customers who did not want to pay online but were genuine leads needing to connect with staff to ask questions and make a transaction with what they see is a more trustworthy source.
"The brand evolved but the raison d'être remained the same."
