Recruiting print champions to spearhead a new PrintNZ campaign called Part of Life, PrintNZ aims to lift the profile of printed products and make the general public aware of how great a role printed materials play in our everyday lives. Dave MacIntyre outlines the campaign and how print champions can help the industry
Over 500 champions will be leading the Part of Life campaign by the time it moves into full swing in the middle of the year, with buyers of print and the general public being targeted by sensitive advertisements and messages highlighting the importance of printed products such as books, newspapers and packaging.
The worth of these champions will be in producing a multiplier effect – each one taking an active and personal role in influencing the promotion of printed products within their own firms or industry sectors, and with their own customers, to produce a sum total of value way beyond the actual campaign budget.
Part of Life’s creation followed research conducted for PrintNZ by Wellington company Chilli Marketing into buyer and consumer perceptions of print. Chilli and PrintNZ have worked together, since 2007, on strategies to raise the profile of the industry across all of its sectors, from print finishers to label manufacturers, paperboard packaging companies to prepress, and copy centres to screen printers.
The initial research concentrated on getting data on how print buyers and consumers perceived print, what their attitudes were and what behaviours they exhibited as a result.
Everyone sees print differently
Print buyers were found to have a positive impression from interactions with individual printers and print suppliers, not believing any more in the messy printer image. They see the industry as one trying to evolve and addressing issues such as environmental concerns and customer service. They are likely to be interested in ongoing environmental and sustainability improvements.
However, the industry is also seen to be aggressive, overcrowded and in a self-perpetuating cycle of cutting costs, competing internally and giving away more for less.
For buyers, the most important factors when choosing a printer were found to be cost against value, timing and quality. Relationships with the printer were a point of competitive difference.
Digital print was seen as the future of the industry, whereas more traditional offset epitomises quality in the buyers’ minds. This leaves the challenge for printers to get the best out of both processes.
Designers were seen to love print and its tactile qualities. However a love/hate relationship with the print industry needs to be explored more.
Overall, the perceived strengths of print are quality, value, permanence and usefulness, including portability. Its main weakness is speed of delivery and cost comparative to online alternatives.
Targeting the three Cs
This led to the researchers concluding that a successful marketing campaign for the industry needs to reach audiences among print buyers, designers, consumers and the industry itself. The four key messages will be environmental sustainability, innovation, benefits and value.
Joan Grace, chief executive PrintNZ, believes the research had given the industry the facts needed to move forward. She says, “I really wanted this to be a campaign based on knowledge of what buyers and consumers think. If we are to increase the profile of print we need to know what people’s attitudes are, and what we have to change. “It has given us the data to begin targeting the three Cs – Customers, Capital (for investment in the industry) and Careers.”
Grace says the campaign will aim to show people subtly how print fits into their everyday lives, and remind them how life is enhanced by having a printed product. Advertising designs capture, for example, a father reading a story to his daughter, a man reading a paper while relaxing in a hammock, and a woman reading a book while lying back in a bubble bath.
All are images that could not be replicated with, for example, a laptop in the same settings. Therefore, the portability of print is emphasised.
Other images may show a person in a supermarket cashing in a discount coupon, or someone reading a wine label. These would emphasise the practical usefulness of print.
Grace says, “These are images which can be slipped on to a magazine page, or a billboard, and this is where the role of print champions comes in. Some of our champions will be involved in publishing. When a magazine or a newspaper has a hole to fill, one of these images can be used. When a billboard is awaiting a booking for a new display, one of these images can occupy the space in the meantime.”
Part of Life will go on
She adds, “There are many opportunities that could be seized by our Champions at little or no cost. These champions will pay $200 to adopt that title, but their efforts could make that small investment grow many times because of the worth of their commercial placements.”
PrintNZ’s original target was to have 50 champions in place by Christmas but this had already been exceeded by early December and is well on track to have 500 in place by the end of June.
Grace adds, “These can be individuals, companies, associations, and universities... anyone with an interest in and connection with print. They will be briefed on the goals of Part of Life and will be asked to convey a simple and consistent message to print buyers and the public.
“These champions will be at the forefront as we move into the second part of the campaign, in which we begin to target print buyers more particularly, perhaps with teaser direct mail, and the third part in which we try to appeal direct to consumers. That is when we want to reinforce in people’s minds just how printed products are a valuable part of their everyday existence.”
Grace advises that says Part of Life will become an ongoing part of PrintNZ marketing rather than being a finite campaign. For extra information about Part of Life, and for non-members wishing to inquire about the benefits of membership, please contact PrintNZ at 0800-654-455.
