Świat Druku (World of Printing): What are the main reasons for growing importance of cross media strategies?

Trevor Crawford: Digital media is growing quickly, and today’s consumers are demanding easier access to the information they want, on their platform of choice. In this fast-moving and competitive promotional marketing industry, marketers are increasingly crossing media boundaries for their content marketing campaigns. Savvy brands are cleverly integrating print with digital content, delivering campaigns via web, social and mobile platforms to target customers off- and online.

These cross media, or multi-channel, marketing campaigns involves creating ‘bridges’ from conventional media - like direct mail and promotional collateral - to digital and mobile media, and back again. The goal is to engage the consumer across multiple platforms, building relationships, capturing data and driving increased response.

ŚD: What does this popularity means for the printing industry in general, and for printing houses in particular?

TC: Print is part of an ever more integrated marketing value chain, which makes it increasingly important for print service providers (PSPs) to speak the language of the marketing decision makers and be able to promote the role of print in the mix. By doing so, it brings printers closer to their customers.

Informa Exhibitions commissioned an independent market study in Q4 2012 to carry out market research on the future of the printing industry. One of the results of this research highlights a significant trend of PSPs looking to diversify. One major global PSP commented: “The requirement from our customers for printed products is reducing so we have to rapidly adapt and offer alternatives to traditional print. We are moving more in the direction of online and digital, whilst also maintaining very high quality for our traditional printed products.”

If these PSPs are to meet the full breadth of their clients’ needs, they must operate across both channels. As a result, a number of PSPs are evolving to become marketing service providers (MSPs) with multi-channel capabilities to offer services in other channels that compliment print. For example, publication printers are offering electronic publishing, while printers of marketing materials are evolving into full marketing service providers which offer end-to-end, cross-channel marketing to corporate clients.

I believe that we will continue to see more PSPs moving to become MSPs in the future. And, what is interesting to see, is that these PSPs aren’t just the large printing houses, but also the SMEs that diversify their offering to maintain and grow their business. 25% of our global independent research global survey respondents already offer non print-related services, while 21% plan to, either through development of their own service portfolio or though partnership. A further 21% are undecided with regard to diversification, highlighting a significant opportunity for vendors offering solutions that can help PSPs of all sizes pursue opportunities beyond print.

ŚD: Which companies related to the cross media area will be present at the event?

TC: Konica, Ricoh, Xeikon, Fujifilm, Shuttleworth, EFI, Optimus, Imprint Business Systems, Tharstern, Taopix, DirectSmile, Clarity Software, Printflow, Studio RIP, Chilli Publish, Sefas Innovation, CGS, GMG.