The Print Buyers of Today & TomorrowMargie DanaMargiedana.com

March 6, 2014Graphic Arts Association

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ARE YOU READY?

IMPORTANT INFORMATIONCOMING YOUR WAY

PRINT BUYERINTELLIGENCE 2014!

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Latest Research Is Why I’m “Here”

o Surveyed 315 print buyers in July 2013

Why? To identify changes to role of print buyers & develop a current, reliable profile of typical buyer

o Partnered with consultant John Zarwan

J Zarwan Partners, independent consultancy. Dr. Zarwan is internationally known for his knowledge & independent perspective. www.johnzarwan.com

o No one else is studying this community

o Research benefits buyers, print providers, suppliers

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What to Expect This Morning

o 60-75 minute presentationo Q & Ao Our key findings in this researcho A peek at what today’s “New Print

Buyers” look likeo Implications for print service providerso My predictions

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Steeped in “print buyer-hood”o Former print buyer 15+ years

o Founder of Print Buyers International (2006-2012)

o Produced 9 PBI Print & Media Conferences

o Write weekly Print Tips (since 1999)

o Manage buyers-only PBI LinkedIn Group

o Wrote 3 books about print buying & print selling

o New business: content provider

o Conduct market research on print buyers

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What I Can Do for You

1 Content marketing strategy – determine where you need more or better content

2 Social media jumpstart plan – 3 months

3 Develop excellent blogs – inbound marketing

4 Develop spot-on email newsletters – a specialty

5 Audit & improve your web site

6 Consult with you on print customer issues

7 Public speaking – for sales teams, print CEOs

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The New Print Buyers Report

315 print buyers

Across all industries

90% US, 10% Canada

Anonymous. They trusted us with the data.

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Key Demographics

o Work in 1 of 3 types of businesses: companies that buy print (59%); creatives, agencies (29%); brokers, independent buyers, print managers (12%).

o For most, print buying still important part of their job. Only 20% said not a core responsibility.

o Printers were not eligible.

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How much print do they buy?

In aggregate? $1 billion - $1.5 billion.

Half spend over $1 million annually.

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What are they buying? You name it.

Brochures, collat. 80% Direct mail 56% Flyers 51% Posters 50% Sign/display 49% P-cards/rack cards 46% Stationery 38%

Ad inserts31%

Packaging, labels 30%

POP27%

Publications26%

Catalogs25%

Manuals, doc 22% Forms 20%

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Gender? Age? Experience?

The interesting stuff no one bothers to find out.

We did.

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63% were women

Women are more

experienced

Women more likely to be in corporate

environments

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Most respondents

over 4525% are

younger than that

So…typical print buyer today is a woman over 45

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How experienced are they?

39% had over 20 years18% had 16 – 20 years20% had 11 – 15 years16% had 6 – 10 years 5% had 1 – 5 yearsOnly 2% had under 1 year

Their print buying roles differed.

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Where do you think they work?

- Corporate communications?

- Marketing?

- Creative/graphic design?

- Purchasing?

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Take a look…

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March marketing. Echoes 1st study

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Implications? Job titles moving away from Print Buyer &

Production Manager.

Movement towards Marketing

In January study, only 18% had titles of Print Buyer

30% were Production Managers

Roughly 50% had other titles

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This study’s findings are

representative of the print

buying universe.

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What other roles do print buyers have?

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Print buying “Plus”

97% of buyers do something in addition to buying print

56% buy other things

43% do marketing-related functions

29% do production/manufacturing

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In this sense, buyers

shadowing print industry

evolution.

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Print buying becoming more diffuse

Others in organizations are ALSO involved in buying print, like these:

30% purchasing/procurement21% marketing communications23% general administrative groups

Implications?

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Buyers seek help

internally. Who’s #1?

Graphic designers.

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What value-add services

do buyers REALLY want

from printers?

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76% - ideas about new print concepts, innovation

67% - mailing/fulfillment

44% - personalization

26% - web-to-print

24% - multichannel support

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Pure Printers or MSPs?

Just 13% of survey respondents said,

“I only want my printers to print.”

Implications?

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From Jan 2013:

How important is a printer’s expertise in

color management?

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I consider expertise in color management from my printers…

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So, do these buyers choose printers based on color certification/s?

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o61% said NOo 27% look for G7 certification

o 21% look for GRACoL certification

How do they decide? Subjective criteria:o Experience of supervisor/pressmen

o Experience working with the printer

o “I trust my own eye for color”

Implications?

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Print volumes in 2013… Up? Down?

39%: about the same27%: down more than -5%16%: up more than 5%10%: down less than -5% 8%: up less than 5%

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Related findings

Largest increase from agencies

Companies that spend a lot now will likely increase print

Buyers of $1 - $5 million annually most likely to show large increases

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Does equipment really matter?

Yes, indeed!

73% YES

23% SOMETIMES

4% NO

Implications?

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How to feature your equipment

- Easy to find on your site. Current & complete.

- Featured in banners on your site. Be creative. Infographic?

- Build a postcard campaign with your best, most versatile presses. Think “What YOU can use this for,” not “Its bells & whistles.”

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My predictions for print buying

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March towards marketing continueso Buyers as communication or media

specialists – more likely to work in a marketing environment

o Buyers handling more types of products: commercial print, mail/fulfillment, digital ad purchases. Common thread? Brand color control.

o Buyers’ roles will continue to evolve.

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Pure buying roles will fade away

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The Savvy

TheNewbies

Widening knowledge gap

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Ramifications of this?

MAJOR effect for printers: need to reach & teach all customer groups

Opportunities growing for printers to reach youngest workforce members

Likely that print sourcing will move online in a significant way

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New workforce will do their sourcing online

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How will they interact?

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Relevant traits of Gen Y & Gen CRelationship-oriented purchasing.

Friends’/peers’ recommendations highly valued.

Instant communication.Crave innovation.Playful mentality.Visuals matter more.

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What do I make of all this?

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How should printers prepare? o Know your customers: seniors as well as

freshman class

o Focus business development on Marketing & Purchasing units in companies

o Enhance your online presence especially for the next wave of customers (Gen Y & C)

o Join marketing/direct marketing associations

o Tout your value-added services

o Engage with customers/prospects via conversational content (blogs, posts, videos)

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How should buyers prepare? o Expand their skills & expertise, maybe

marketing

o Avoid print-centricity on resume, in job hunt

o Quantify their accomplishments in biz terms that managers identify with

o Get comfortable with social media & digital marketing disciplines

o Build a peer group to network with

o Know that their print expertise is valuable to future employers

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Future of print buying?

o 100% online engagement?o No more door-to-door sales reps?o Mobile devices preferred tools?o Virtual events & videos for

education?o Peer reviews matter to you, a la

Amazon, TripAdvisor, Facebook

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“The challenge for the communication &

technology industries will be to abandon successful

but outlived business models & refocus on what it takes to thrive in the Gen

C environment.”

The Rise of Generation C: Implications for the World of 2020

Booz & Company, 2010

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The New Print Buyers Report

40-page PDF

Filled with data

Authors’ conclusions

$99

www.margiedana.com/store/reports

Code: GAA for $15 off!

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Questions? Thanks!

Margie Dana, Content Providermargie@margiedana.com 617.730.5951

Visit www.margiedana.com

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