energy winter 2015

A MAGAZINE OF NEW IDEAS, DEVELOPMENTS AND SOLUTIONS VOL. 5, ISSUE 4

IN THIS ISSUE GOLD INK AWARDSENERGY RECEIVES ACCOLADE

SPOTLIGHT ON SGIA EXPO 2015

How innovative print applications inspire word-of-mouth marketing

Touch the pine trees,they are scent-sational!

1 The tried and trueA letter from Todd Zimmerman

From the show floorMeet Fujifilm’s newest members of the wide format family

Gold Ink AwardsEnergy is recognized by prestigious industry print competition

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Socially speaking Overheard on social media

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William RongeyEditor> [email protected]

ENERGY is published quarterly by FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division Copyright 2015 All rights reserved www.fujifilmgraphics.com

Strength in numbersHow partnerships have become the cornerstones for success

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Best foot forwardHow the Acuity F is paying huge dividends for Midwest Graphics

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old calling.” What’s the first emotion or word that comes to mind for you? For many, it could be something comparable to “annoying, a waste of my time” or “the caller is just reading a script and hoping for a fit.” In today’s increasingly digital world, ‘cold calling’ can also be sent via a boilerplate email - one size fits all - which can be deleted instantly and

added to a spam filter to prevent future occurrences. If you scan the bestseller list within the business sections these days, you’re bound to find countless titles that talk about undoing the past. Titles such as “Rework” or “Unselling” talk about new ways of accomplishing tasks, and conducting business. Specifi-cally, these books seem to have a common theme that promotes a more personal level of engagement in a landscape that is very different from the past. And how does every personal or professional relationship start? With the initial meeting - the cold call. The difference today is that there is no excuse for a previous generation’s version of the cold call. Whether it’s personal or professional networks, social media or a Google search, the caller should be prepared to communicate how their product or service can help add value to you, your business, and your clients. While the new age books talk about what it takes in the current environment, I would submit to you that our industry is well ahead of many others. We built our respective businesses by investing in building long-term relationships, which have been mutually beneficial to each of us. Innovative print applications, such as the ones utilized on the cover of this issue, allow people to become engaged in conversation; and innovative print applications can create priceless word-of-mouth marketing to reach a large audience quickly and effectively. What better ‘leave be-hind’ for the well prepared cold-caller than a personalized, high-quality print piece that connects with the prospect in a way that a generic collateral piece never could. Print may very well be built on relationships, but I believe that some pretty amazing relation-ships were built through print. I am pleased to share with you our final issue of 2015, and look forward to con-tinuing the Energy momentum into 2016. This issue’s cover story, “REACH - How Innovative Print Applications Inspire Word-of-Mouth Marketing” discusses the art of winning more work in the new age of print-ing and our changing clients. The second feature, “Strength in Numbers” talks to the depth needed within partnerships, and how they have become the cornerstone for success. Both articles are quick and energizing reads, and emphasize our collective dedication to deep and meaningful personal connections. Enjoy, and happy holidays,

Todd Zimmerman Division President, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division Corporate Vice President, FUJIFILM Global Graphic Systems

A LETTER FROM TODD ZIMMERMAN

The tried and true

Print may very well be built on relationships, but I believe that some pretty

amazing relationships were built through print.

ENERGY 1

CHow innovative print applications inspire word-of-mouth marketing

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ust like the scent of pine trees on our cover can evoke memories of winters past and get people engaged in conversation, innovative

print applictions can create priceless word-of-mouth marketing to reach a large audience quickly and effectively. To maximize exposure, marketers are using various methods and techniques to develop user-experiences, creating new memories of their brand.

Take for example a peculiar scene that unfolded in Ala-bama on August 1st, when 75 fans from both sides of the state’s biggest football rivalry showed up deck out in team regalia at the same picnic area for a tailgating party. All of them had been invited to the event by a Florida company that had sold them insulated plastic tumblers emblazoned with logos of either the Alabama Crimson Tide or Auburn Tigers.

The company, Tervis, had asked fans of both teams to come decked out in their team’s regalia, including their favorite Tervis tumbler. But Tervis withheld one detail by not mentioning they had invited their arch rivals.

A mistake? Hardly. Tervis had hired police to staff the event in case hostility broke out. But quite the oppo-site occurred. Tervis divided the group into two teams comprised of roughly equal numbers of fans from each team, and then sent them off to battle each other in a series of tug-of-war, bean bag, pie eating and football throwing contests. – Kevin Layton, CEO, Data-Dynamix

The reality is that even though price [is] important, trust [is] just as important. B2B businesses need that relationship. And B2B customers need to trust their suppliers for quality, consistency and delivery.

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Soon, the throng forgot their collegiate alliances and celebrat-ed their similarities and uncommon bonds, including their love for college football, the state of Alabama – and yes – their Tervis tumblers.

Why go to so much trouble?

“Using standard product benefits to get our message across is a hard thing considering we’re insulated plastic drinkware,” says Nick Riegal, senior director of brand and marketing com-munications at Tervis. “But highlighting the emotional connec-tions our consumers have with the product takes our message to another level.”

While making plastic tumblers may seem a world away, Tervis is facing many of the same challenges as commercial printers. It is, after all, a domestic manufacturer trying to carve out a pre-mium niche in a commodity business by using mass customiza-tion. At the end of the day, the company is trying to win trust one customer at a time, and hope that occasionally a few will reciprocate by advocating for the brand.

DIALING IN WORD-OF-MOUTH METRICSThanks to smartphones, tablets and social media, marketers are dialing in to exactly how potent such word-of-mouth recommendations are.

Marketers working for major consumer brands sur-veyed last year attributed on average 13 percent of their sales to consumer-to-consumer conversations, both online and off, and including amplification of

paid media, according to a study commissioned by the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, which

is pioneering the development of such metrics.

The percentage rose to 25 percent in some product categories. Two-thirds of that impact

came offline, while one-third came online. Paid marketing, by comparison, accounted for 20-to-30 percent of sales.

Such word-of-mouth recommendations are every bit as influential when it comes to selling goods and services to organizations, says Kev-in Layton, CEO of Data-Dynamix, a company that provides demographic data, digital mar-keting campaigns and advertising sales train-ing to top tier ad agencies and media groups.

“When I was running the ERA Beyond Radar, a world recognized lead-er in next generation air traffic

control systems, we had many suppliers from printer manufac-turers, to single board computer suppliers, to third party soft-ware vendors,” Layton says. “I personally was inundated with companies wanting to sell to me, but the reality is that even though price was important, trust was just as important. B2B businesses need that relationship. And B2B customers need to trust their suppliers for quality, consistency and delivery.”

In his latest book, “The New Rules of Customer Engagement,” Daniel L. Newman argues dramatic shifts in consumer shop-ping behavior are amplifying the importance of such connec-tions and transforming how organizations do business.

“This is more than just a trend,” Newman wrote in a blog post promoting his book. “These new rules are already impacting everything transactional – not only how we as consumers buy things personally, but how businesses consume as well. B2B, B2C, P2P… it doesn’t matter. We are all consumers looking to buy in a new economy.”

Consider today’s typical used car buyer. Over the course of a few weeks, and from the comfort of her couch, she can check on her credit score and used car loan rates, and poll friends on Facebook for recommendations on what models and deal-ers to avoid.

Once she has narrowed in on a few specific models, she can check used car ratings on consumerreports.com, review trade-in and resale prices on kbb.com, monitor local dealer inventory and pricing on autotrader.com, and subscribe to a monitoring service with individual dealers that will alert her the moment a car meeting their criteria hits the lot. By the time she arrives on the dealer’s lot, she is 80 percent of the way down her path to purchase.

THE PATH AHEADIn this environment, companies that don’t reach out online risk not only not being noticed by potential customers, but being seen as disengaged by existing customers. This is a substan-tial risk for any business in today’s fast moving and hypercom-petitive economy, but it is especially risky for industries like

REACH

In this environment, companies that don’t reach out online risk not only not being noticed by potential customers, but being seen as disengaged by existing customers.

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commercial printing, where long-term success hinges on em-bracing a more relationship-based approach to business.

“PIA (Printing Industries of America) sees the print marketplace evolving in a very specific direction – from the simple provi-sion of printed products, to adding ancillary services, to pro-viding communications solutions, to offering totally integrated outsourced print management services,” says Ronnie H. Davis, Ph.D., senior VP and chief economist for PIA, and author of its industry briefing reports.

“By print management services, we mean the practice of a customer outsourcing all of their print needs to a commercial printer – not just on a job by job basis,” Davis says. “The com-mercial printer is managing the overall printing process for the customer. Some or all of the operation could actually be an in-plant inside the customer facility managed and staffed by the printer.”

To grow, printers must know where their customers – and potential customers – are headed and position themselves accordingly.

The good news is that Google Analytics and social media provide marketers with very cost effective ways of not only tracking that journey, but engaging customers along the way. Leading companies have learned that social media’s greatest value lies in listening to, and engaging, customers to create a potent feedback loop that can drive product innovation as well as sales.

In a challenging profit environment, knowing your customers better than the competition may even enable you to raise prices – the most effective lever for increasing profits – earlier than competitors and with less negative consequences.

While it’s still too early to measure return on investment on Tervis’ Alabama tailgating party, it has generated engaging and unique content for the brand’s Facebook page and its first televi-sion commercial, which Riegal expects will take the brand to a new level of awareness and sales.

In the meantime, staying connected to consumers is providing invaluable insight to every department in the company.

“We learn about the positives and how to build upon them,” Riegal says. “We learn about the negatives and how to im-prove. In terms of using our consumers in the advertising, we believe this gives us a sense of credibility as we expose the brand to a new audience. And for the 200 or so people who were featured in our commercials, it was a great way to just entertain them for a day and let them be involved in something special.”

Highlighting the emotional connections our consumers have with the product takes our message to another level. – Nick Riegal, senior director of brand & marketing communications, Tervis

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CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

Ask Mike LaLonde about the Acuity F, and he’ll tell about its high-speed production capabilities, its near photographic image quality, its versatility and ease of use. He’ll also tell you how it is another sales asset in the never-ending quest to exceed your customers’ expectations. With Fujifilm’s Acuity F, the newest flatbed press in the Acuity platform, Midwest Graphics is expanding the scope of its business in the display and signage arena. “The output we are getting from the Acuity F is far superior compared to our previous press, and as a result we are now able to get a much better product out the door,” says LaLonde, co-owner and president of the Indianapolis-based print provider. Founded in 1989, Midwest Graphics quickly is approaching 1.5 million square feet on its Acuity F, since its install earlier this year. The Acuity F features dual work zones and registration pins standard, and is capable of producing exceptional print quality at speeds up to 1,668 square feet per hour. Typically configured with seven colors, including light inks and white, the Acuity F maintains all the advantages of the popular and successful Acuity series, including near-photographic image quality, versatility and ease of use; and also has been optimized for the efficient and high-speed production of rigid media applications. “It absolutely helps in sales process with new and existing customers,” LaLonde says. “The sheer output of our Acuity F enables us to be very flexible and cost-competitive, and our jobs are turning much quicker. It gives us an enormous advantage and the versatility is tremendous. It has been a big help sales-wise because it’s a big help production-wise.” Equipped with a state-of-the-art platform, the Acuity F is capable of a wide range of print applications that allows for efficient and high quality output.

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“The Acuity F’s speed and impressive quality has increased our throughput, and improved our bottom line,” says Craig Heavener, Midwest’s research and development & wide format specialist. “Fujifilm is always very accommodating to us. It was an easy decision to purchase another Acuity; specifically because of our great relationship with Fujifilm. Having Fujifilm with us years ago when we made the transition from analog to digital printing has been an important part of our success.” The Midwest Graphics’ team had its first experience with the Acuity F at Fujifilm’s Chicago Technology Center. Right away, they knew it was the press for them. “We quickly learned how we can put more sheets on the larger bed, allowing more through-put for corrugated and packaging workflow, and not just signage and POP type jobs,” LaLonde says. Today, the Acuity F is the third press within Midwest Graphic’s Acuity line-up, joining the Acuity HD-2504, installed in 2008, and the Acuity Advance, installed in 2011, both of which remain active equipment on their production floor.

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SNAPSHOTS ON INNOVATION What’s new with Fujifilm

Overheard on social media

#onsetXseries @FUJIFILMGS Onset X Series at #SGIAExpo last week

In-Plant Graphics @IPGBob

Talking about the B2 digital market & the @FUJIFILMGS J Press 720 S (photo by Jon Sall @Jon509)

Jim Hamilton @jrhinfotrends

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White ink on clear non-slip floor graphics that we made on with our @FUJIFILMGS acuity. Thanks @sdsmt @AdobaHotelRC

Simpsons Printing @SimpsonsPrint

@FUJIFILMGS booth awesome display of the Power Of Print #SGIAExpo2015 @InfoTrends

Stephen Urmano @StephenUrmano

@DirectEdgeMedia makes displays POP thanks to @FujifilmPrint @FUJIFILMGS Read about its work for a major shoe maker bit.ly/1lx6KbH

Digital Output @DO_Magazine

Follow @FUJIFILMGS

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n July 15, Apple CEO Tim Cook and IBM CEO Ginni Rometty met at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., to announce a global strategic partnership of mass proportions. The two CEOs

from seemingly opposite ends (Mac versus PC) of the personal computer universe were joining forces to redefine the way work gets done. Apple and IBM embarked on a partnership that is transforming the way businesses and employees use mobile technology through a new class of business apps that brings IBM’s big data and analytics capabilities to iPhones and iPads.

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The partnership gives Apple access to an IBM sales force that will recommend Apple’s devices to customers in industries such as health care and banking – something that has never been prioritized for the consumer-focused iPhone maker. It also en-ables Apple to pursue a larger slice of the market for corporate users of wireless devices. While many businesses allow the use of iPhones and iPads for checking email and other tasks, some longtime PC users running Microsoft Corp.’s Windows software had remained reluctant to adopt its gadgets. On IBM’s part, it gets a boost in a long-running effort to sell software and services to companies seeking to manage workers’ smartphones and tablets. The alliance also may aid its efforts to gain ground after watching other technology companies, Apple included, engulf the growing popularity of mobile devices.

Perhaps Bridget Van Kralingen, IBM’s senior VP of global busi-ness services, summed it up best when she said that both companies recognized almost simultaneously that they could be uniquely helpful to one another’s strategy and that there was literally no overlap. Regardless of the scale (it doesn’t get much bigger than Apple/IBM), partnerships are becoming a more intricate part of the technological landscape. Alan Himler, senior director of busi-ness development at Wombat Security Technologies, says to-day’s global business environment requires companies to be agile and quickly invest in areas that offer promise and/or dump opportunities that don’t meet their business metrics. “Now more than ever, multi-national corporations require com-panies to sell and support solutions in multiple countries,” says Himler, who for the past 25 years has structured and managed partnerships ranging from reseller agreements, technology in-tegrations and co-branding.

When it comes to partnerships, the devil, as they say, is in the details. For example, Himler says it is very hard for emerging growth companies to invest in a global sales force and to de-velop and execute on national/regional marketing campaigns to support that sales force. “Partnerships offer an opportunity to expand into new mar-kets while jointly taking advantage of the partner’s people and cultural expertise in those markets,” Himler says. “The advantage is quicker and more cost effective go-to market plan, while leveraging the partner’s strong relationships with existing customers.” In today’s ever-increasing competitive landscape, partnerships are becoming the cornerstones of success for brands that can see the benefits. The key is to find companies that believe a joint solution will provide them a quantifiable business advan-tage. “This is crucial,” Himler says. “Both sides must really know that they can deliver on what they are committing to in the partnership agreement.”

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

The best partnerships happen when people

realize and know what they are good at and what

they are not good at, and as a result, need a partner

to offer that expertise. – Todd Cohen, Sales culture expert, speaker and author

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And while this sounds simple, in actuality, Himler says it is usually not that easy. For example, can a North American company really fulfill a commitment to having trained support personnel available during standard business hours in China? While it is 2 p.m. in China, it is 2 a.m. in the States. Are they really willing to make that investment upfront and dig deep into how they operationalize the agreement? These factors go a long way to ensuring the success of the partnership.

“I think the best partnerships are those that open new markets to both partners,” Himler says. “Granted, this is not easy. Sell-ing a joint solution to existing clients is good because it extends the customer’s value for both partners. Though, what is great is when your joint offering appeals to new prospects for both partners. Now you are tapping into prospects that they never would have been able to obtain without a partnership. Lower customer acquisition costs is key to driving dollars to your bot-tom line and invigorates both companies.” DEFINING THE ART OF THE PARTNERSHIPAs an accomplished and sought after speaker, sales culture expert and author, Todd Cohen has had a first-hand look at the ever-changing business landscape. Over the years, as the leader of sales teams that have delivered more than $850 million in revenue for the likes of Xerox and Thomson-Reuters, he has seen his share of partnerships come and go. Ask him, and Cohen will tell you that partnerships are more important today than ever before. “It is more and more chal-lenging to accomplish what we need to do,” he says. “To accomplish what we need means we need the expertise and skills of more people who can complete the sales cycle or who offer advantages and skills we don’t have ourselves. Partner-ing is a way to extend our reach.” Not being able to extend their reach is something that too many companies recognize too late. That’s what makes partnerships so vital. Finding a partner means reaching new clients and of-fering more solutions. It’s all about gaining a competitive edge. “The best partnerships happen when people realize and know what they are good at and what they are not good at, and as a result need a partner to offer that expertise,” Cohen says. “Ev-ery time I have added someone to my team who brings a skill that I don’t have or they do something I don’t like to do or holds me back from what I am good at, it has been a successful one. It’s about chemistry, compatibility and monetary similarity.” For example, Cohen recently partnered with a firm that helped build his website and strengthen his approach to branding. Forg-ing that partnership helped him expand his business acumen. Like any business decision you make, the key is in the ap-proach. “Just be smart about who you partner with,” Cohen says. “Make sure you take the time to evaluate what they offer and to ensure that it matches what you do. Trust your gut, but verify that they are who they say they are and can deliver what they say they can. Talk to others who have worked with them. Do your due diligence.”

When it comes to partnerships, the devil, as they say, is in the details.

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If you want to “win more work,” you’ve got to see the latest wide format solutions from Fujifilm! The Onset X Series (Onset X1, Onset X2 and Onset X3), the Uvistar Hybrid 320, the Acu-ity LED 1600 II, Acuity Select 8 and the Acuity F. These in-novative wide format printing solutions recently were unveiled at the SGIA Expo in Atlanta.

Making its worldwide debut at SGIA was the Onset X Series – a high productivity, high-quality flatbed press from Inca Digital. The Onset X Series, which helps take flexibility and performance to a whole new level, marks a major evolution of Inca Digital’s pioneering “scalable architecture” concept. Models within the series can be configured with different FUJIF-ILM Dimatix printheads and can be fitted with up to 14 channels to jet several combinations of Fujifilm Uvijet inks. This enables customers to customize their Onset X press for the combina-tion of productivity, color and quality that best meets their ever-changing production requirements. The Onset X Series features three presses, the Onset X1, Onset X2 and Onset X3. In addition, every Onset X Series press includes

a new 25-zone vacuum table that completely eliminates bed masking for substrates of any size, greatly reducing set-up times. The Series includes:

• The Onset X1 features eight active channels, with four channels printing CMYK. The remaining channels con-figured as needed using a combination of light magenta, light cyan, White and Orange (Lm, Lc, White, Orange).

• With a second set of CMYK, the Onset X2 delivers even higher productivity of over 7,800 square feet per hour (148 beds/hr) – while an optional six channels can be populated to add versatility.

• Sitting at the pinnacle of productivity, the Onset X3 fea-tures three times CMYK ink channels, plus the choice of White or Orange, and throughput is increased to nearly 10,000 square feet per hour, or 180 beds.

The Acuity F, the newest flatbed press in the Acuity platform, features an all-new ink set, Uvijet WH. The Acuity F, typically configured with seven colors, including White, maintains all the

FROM THE SHOW FLOORMeet Fujifilm’s newest members of the wide format family

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advantages of the popular and successful Acuity series, includ-ing near-photographic image quality, versatility and ease of use; and also has been optimized for the efficient and high-speed production of rigid media applications.

The Acuity LED 1600 II features a faster printing mode at 355 square feet per hour, which is 65 percent faster than the previ-ous model. The LED II also improves its application offering by adding two-layer and three-layer printing modes in a single pass. Added benefits include its media adaptability with expanded vacuum modes and increased quality at larger head gaps.

One of the models within the Acuity flatbed series, the Acuity Select 8, features Fujifilm’s newest ink, Uvijet KN, designed for optimal color gamut with enhanced adhesion. It also runs Uvijet KV, designed for the production of decorative print in deep draw thermoforming applications. The inks have been developed to be printed on the Fujifilm Acuity Select line-up, opening the door for creative design and customization oppor-tunities for thermoformed products.

Also debuting at SGIA, the all-new Uvistar Hybrid 320, a 3.2m combination flatbed and roll printer capable of producing high quality output at speeds of up to 2,100 square feet per hour. Utiliz-ing FUJIFILM Dimatix Q-Class printheads and Fujifilm Uvijet inks, the Uvistar Hybrid 320 prints full grayscale output of exceptional quality and delivers a wide gamut of vibrant colors. The patented tri-lobal belt and six-zone intelligent vacuum system delivers best-in-class media handling and ensures that all types of substrates track accurately in roll or flatbed mode. The press, avail-able in an eight-channel configuration, delivers CMYK, Lc, Lm, Lk and Orange inks. You can add a nine-channel configuration for White ink.

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Final preparations being made within Fujifilm’s 5,000 square foot booth just before the doors open at SGIA Expo 2015, in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Energy magazine recently has been cited by the

“2015 Gold Ink Awards” within the “Trade Magazines –

Sheetfed” category. The Gold Ink Awards are recognized as

the industry’s most prestigious print competition.

Now, there’s an all-new site with everything you need. When you need it. Register today.

www.fujifilmdirect.com

Outside the U.S. call 1-800-255-4562

No matter how you print, we have the supplies you need. Real-time.

www.fujifilmdirect.com

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