While the QR campaign seemed to have the same overall effect on sales, it gave the client’s marketers a better idea of which shoppers engaged with their product and the POS, and how.
"It really opened some eyes and some great opportunities for the future," explains Augustus Martin group sales director Daniel Pattison.
This outcome was only achieved because the client was receptive to its print partner’s suggestions and because Augustus Martin was involved early enough in the design process to make a difference
Clued-up printers
The above scenario is one that has become more commonplace over the past few years as clients – and in turn their designers – look for a greater ROI on their printed collateral. And it’s presenting greater opportunities for clued-up printers to show how print can be used to its fullest effect.
It’s a refreshing reversal of the age-old tradition of clients/designers telling their printer exactly what they want and when they want it. The relationship between printer and designer has historically been fraught with tension, but thanks to the on-going turmoil in the financial markets and constrained budgets, a new era of collaboration has commenced. The outcome? Greater levels of creativity and more efficient and effective printed products.
Take the example of Tunbridge Wells-based Reflex Printed Plastics. It recently produced a lenticular cover for a limited edition DVD boxset of the cult 1970s US TV show The Time Tunnel, which – as the name suggests – centres around the main characters being transported back and forth through time.
"The artwork supplied was largely taken from 1970s originals. It was retro and basic in form, which was not entirely suitable for us to achieve the desired effect," explains Reflex process development manager Simon Joy. However, after consulting with the client, Reflex’s studio was given free rein to work with the artwork and produce its own interpretation in addition to something that was more along the lines of the brief specified by the client.
"We presented two proofs – the original as-supplied artwork, plus our own rendition," says Joy. "Our client was delighted with the modified version, which was exactly what they had hoped for, as it perfectly captured the essence of the tunnel and movement of the main characters being sucked into it. Our involvement from the outset presented a well-executed, efficient and cost-saving production to the extent that this piece now features on their promotional website."
These are exactly the kinds of attributes that clients are looking for in such cash-strapped times, according to Fraser Church, head of marketing at IOS, which recently bought the Lateral Group. While companies like Lateral are only too happy to provide creative input into a piece, often the kind of input required by clients can be much more basic, such as making sure that they elect formats that are suitable for the job in question. As a result, it is a printer’s responsibility to ensure that they establish an open relationship with clients, so that they can help to guide them down the right path, says Church.
"We spend a lot of time talking to our clients about optimum formats and about the various different finishing options to make sure that they are making the best use of their money and designing something that is in the most economical format," he explains. "We’re increasingly finding that
clients want us to be involved at an early stage and on a number of occasions they’ve virtually invited us to design the piece."
Lateral is not alone in this regard. It’s a growing phenomenon that carries with it attractive benefits for clients and printers, says AGI’s packaging service centre manager Chris Donnelly.
"Instead of spending money on agencies for creative ideas and concepts, many of our clients appreciate the fact that AGI can have a great creative input as well as giving technical advice," he reveals. "Ultimately, it saves money to get it all done under the same roof."
New ideas
But it’s not just cost savings that companies like AGI bring to the table. In addition to bringing expertise in artworking, structural design and print and packaging, printers can "propose new ideas based on print-manufacturing techniques that a standard design agency won’t necessarily be aware of," says Donnelly.
He cites the example of work the company undertook for Disney to promote the release of its sci-fi film Tron. AGI employed its patented ‘Micro Motion’ technology to produce ‘O-ring’ disc packaging that showcased the 3D element of the film, in addition to a 1,000-unit limited edition cube that was mainly assembled by hand.
"The Tron cube as a structural concept or the Tron Micro Motion O-ring as a packaging concept – both of which were acclaimed by PrintWeek Awards judges last month – are two perfect examples where the client gave us free rein to come up with creative solutions within timelines and budgets," says Donnelly.
And the reins are actually expected to get even freer in the future, as clients start looking to generate greater ROI from their print investment. This pressure, then, presents an opportunity for printers that can offer services that go beyond merely sticking ink on paper, believes ProCo sales director Jon Bailey.
"One of the main issues with being ‘just a printer’ is that you are further down the process than other suppliers, which means that a lot of the production advantages, the experience and ideas have already been decided by the time you get involved," he says. "This means there is often little chance of adding any extra value or building the relationship at the right level with the client. By getting in at the right level, you are seen as a marketing services provider, often dealing with the decision-maker and advising on what could be produced for the best cost, meaning you are integral to the process."
So there is now growing pressure on printers to stop relying on traditional processes and embrace the idea that they need to change or expand their offerings if they want to remain relevant. For example, adding design capabilities to the mix is sure to find favour with clients, according to Phil Dean, managing director of creative services at Communisis.
"Printers who broaden their service to include a design capability are able to produce an impactful job, as they are able to better address a brief by drawing upon in-depth knowledge of print processes, products and capabilities and to define and inform design production," says Dean.
And the ability to provide this type of function is heightened because of the growing pressure on budgets, which is a factor that is unlikely to disappear in the near future.
"With clients constantly keeping an eye out for ways to reduce cost and make briefs more efficient, it makes sense for them to cut any middleman element out of the process," explains Dean. "The greater the number of people involved, the more stretched-out the end-to-end process is. There is then a much higher possibility of confusion, miscommunication and, ultimately, time wastage. As a consequence, clients are beginning to realise that a one-stop shop has the potential to be far more beneficial to them."
Clients are also beginning to realise the numerous benefits of involving printers as early in the process as possible, which in-turn is seeing printers become much more proactive about their involvement in the planning stages, with many starting to ask their clients as a matter of course if they can get involved in the production process as early as possible. Some companies are going even further than that.
"We love the challenge to respond, to put forward spontaneous ideas which we think would meet our clients’ needs , even if that wasn’t requested," says AGI’s Donnelly. "Our proactive approach allows us to always be one step ahead."
In these tough economic times, staying one step ahead of the competition is crucial because the pressure to achieve more for less is likely to be a trend that sticks around for some time. Printers have to challenge and change what they have previously done, says ProCo’s Jon Bailey.
"With things being so volatile, there is a lot of pressure on people to deliver, and change is a big thing to do when people are under pressure," he explains. "I think the print industry has got better at it and, as is so often the case with our industry, has led the way in having the confidence to change and to continue to be a key player in the marketing process."
Going forward, printers need to continue embracing this kind of change to ensure that clients understand how powerful a medium print can be.
