Lights, Camera ...
ON YOUR most recent visit to the IPG Web site you probably noticed a new feature. We have added video presentations to the wealth of information available there.
Attendees of the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association conference may have spotted me toting a camera around, taking video of them as they nervously tried to act natural. I shot more video at the Association of College and University Printers conference. It brought me back to my post-college days as a wedding videographer.
Our aim with these videos is to capture some of the action and enthusiasm at in-plant industry events and let you experience them on your computer. Also in our plans are video tours of in-plants and interviews with industry experts.
But why, you may ask, are we venturing into this new realm instead of sticking with what we know—articles and photos?
The publishing industry is changing; it has been for years. Publishers have to provide a wider variety of content to catch the attention of an increasingly distracted audience. Their Web sites are offering more than just the text of that issue’s stories. Many publications—the New York Times, for example—feature video reports on their sites. You even can watch a weekly talk show, hosted by Bill Maher, on Amazon.com.
In the same way, your organization’s communications needs keep changing, requiring you to add new services so your in-plant will remain valuable. Printing documents may not be enough to keep your operation relevant.
All across the country, in-plants are introducing services like Web development, CD production and even video. At the IPMA conference, Sally Miller, of LIMRA International, told me how she oversees printing, design, Web and video—all important parts of LIMRA’s marketing strategy.
More than 17 percent of in-plants provide photography or video services, while 16.4 percent offer Internet services, according to new IPG market research (see our report on page 20). The report also details other new services in-plants are offering, like scanning, Web design and fulfillment.
To survive, in-plants have to look beyond printing. Wayne Riggal, of the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, feels that document content is the answer. In a soon-to-be-published IPG article, he says the opportunity for in-plants lies in the capture and intelligent management of document content (i.e. the organization’s knowledge). By moving into content capture, storage, retrieval and multimedia delivery, in-plants can contribute more to their organizations’ strategic objectives.
So just as we at IPG are thinking about our place as information providers in your busy lives—and updating our Web site to offer you more—you should be contemplating your future role in an organization whose communication and document needs keep changing.
