How Will the (Defeated) Jobs Bill & the (Passed) Chinese Currency Bill Impact Connecticut Manufacturers?

On Tuesday, two very controversial bills, President Obama's jobs bill and the Chinese currency bill were voted on by congress...

We Asked, And They Told Us: "Just Keep Printing!"

We recently asked our clients to complete a five question survey on services we could provide to help them in their business.  In a nutshell, they told us to not focus on ancillary offerings we had been considering, and "Just Keep Printing!"

Moving Planet Day

Saturday, September 24, 2011 is Moving Planet Day.

Crop Walk September 25th

Join us this Sunday, September 25, 2011 at the Middletown CROP Hunger walk to stomp out hunger.

Hey Lollipop!

Looking for something unique to offer at your next trade show or event?  Want to offer something as a friendly gesture as your customer comes or goes from your place of business?  Custom logo lollipops will make a sweet impression.

Summer T-Shirt Special Receives Overwhelming Response

Where can you get a T-shirt for $2.99 sporting your logo?  At Young's Printing during our Summer T-Shirt Sale! 

Venerable Norwich Printing Company Call It Quits

Thames Printing has called it quits after 72 years in the printing business.

Summer Blowout Savings from Young's Printing!

Branded T-shirts as low as $2.99!

3 + 3 QR Code Mailing Campaign

Time is ticking!  Just 40 days left to the 3 + 3 QR Code Mailing Campaign. 

Rainy Day Trivia Contest

With all the rain we have been receiving we thought it might be fun to have a Rainy Day Trivia contest.

Help A Veteran!

Thanks to our veterans, and those before them, on July 4th our country will once again celebrate Independence Day.

Happy Summer! Rainy Day Trivia Answers

Happy 1st Day of Summer!

Impressionator Sighting!

The Impressionator spotted at Rock Cats Baseball Game!

Social Media ROI Requires Effort

As the saying goes "some of the best things in life are free" and Social Media through the various internet sites is an outstanding opportunity that all businesses should be taking advantage of.

Run a QR Code Campaign and save 6% on Postage

It's time to get your creative juices flowing and take advantage of the USPS discount on direct mailings that involve QR campaigns.  This summer during the month of July and August the USPS will give a 3% DISCOUNT to both First Class mail and Standard Class mail that displays a QR code outside or within their mailing pieces for purpose of  marketing, promoting, or educating mailing recipients.

Young's Printing will MATCH the USPS incentive and will provide an ADDITIONAL 3% DISCOUNT on postage during the USPS promotion period.  All together you would be saving 6% on postage AND also benefit from the QR codes themselves.

"How can I use QR codes?" you ask.  Your offering can provide recipients to on-line content, special offers, and competitions.  Here are a few examples:

1. How about a contest?  Example:

We are currently producing a mailing for Goodspeed Musicals that is promoting "Cutman" at boxing musical at the Normal Terris Theatre in Chester, CT.  This mailing contains a QR code that when scanned by a smart phone will bring you to the Goodspeed's website where you can enter a chance to win tickets.




2.  Do you have a special promotion?  Example:

Macy's  has incorporated a QR code image into their well known red star logo that is showing up on their website, Facebook page, window displays, print ads, and around the neck of every employee. Macy's has successfully created interest with the QR code which when scanned can link customers to special promotions, fashion designers, and or promotion videos.


3.  Are you marketing a product where a demonstration might be helpful?  Why not use a QR code to link to an on-line demonstration video that you have posted to YouTube.  Example:
The German company MyToys.de came up with a very creative way to increase sales on  Lego toy products.  Play the video to see the details of this promotion.

To receive our MATCHING 3% promotion scan the QR code below and print the coupon, or display the coupon on your smart phone at Young's to receive a secret offer.

New Client Innovation Board

Twitter link

Now Introducing: Youngs2.0 Innovation Board!!

Whether you're an individual, a Fortune 500 corporation, or something in between, tell us how you are changing the world. 

Have you redefined your industry with a new environmentally-friendly process?  Have you built a better "mousetrap"?  Young's 2.0 (the online persona of Young's Printing) is building an electronic bulletin board of innovation. 

We do this as a service to our clients and because it could be a truly fascinating read.

Do you have something big that you're proud of to announce.  If so, send us a tweet or an e-mail, and we'll help you get the word out. 

Artistic Printing

Photo courtesy of www.criterionventures.com

One of the benefits of being in the Printing Industry is that we get to produce materials of all shapes, sizes and designs for all types and sizes of businesses.  Criterion Ventures is one client which really uses print to define and enhance its brand, and which we're really proud of in general.

Truth be told, Criterion Ventures is a very small consulting firm, based in nearby Haddam, CT.  They are small, but mighty, with a collection of highly-educated and well-trained consultants geared up to tackle the world's most challenging issues, from healthcare reform to complex business structuring. 

If you met one of their consultants and saw the materials they print, you would think they could give McKinsey and Bain a run for their money.  Highly unusual print plus highly unusual brains have created a dynamite combination, translating into new client opportunities, as well as the respect consultants need to facilitate meetings, pursuade doubters, and lead change.

We have just completed multi-piece invitation package for an upcoming Criterion Ventures conference, for example.  The invitation is full of abstract imagery and powerful, thought-provoking descriptions, all printed in an artistic gold/black duotone.  It is different from any invitation you are likely to see.  For one, it is beautiful enough to frame and put on the wall.  Second, the package jumps out and says to you: "Wow!  These people are creative.  They really have something to say.  I better get some more information on this event or I may really miss something." 

It is one thing to tell people you are creative, but another entirely to demonstrate it.  At the end of the day, it is creativity and innovation that are driving a lot of business value in today's economy.  Criterion Ventures gets it, but far too many others don't make the connection.

The Emerging Business Model In The Printing Industry

As the printing industry evolves in today's ultra-competitive business environment, the printing companies still standing are, by and large, pretty well-run organizations.  Some have focused on a product niche such as short-run invitations or personalized childrens books.  Others have utilized Web technology to reduce transaction costs and build scale.  The vast majority, however, have managed to survive and prosper through some sort of diversification.

In this blog, we take a quick pulse on how this industry diversification is reshaping what it means to be a "printer" in the 21st century.  We surveyed publicly available information on what appear to be the world's five largest printing firms (sadly, only one of which is based in the U.S., and it is only #3), which are:

1. Toppan Printing (Japan)
2. Dai Nippon Printing (Japan)
3. Donnelley (R.R.) & Sons Co. (US)
4. Quebecor (Canada)
5. Rexam PLC (Germany),

to see what business models are emerging.  We found generally more forward-looking business planning at some (e.g., Toppan and Donnelley) than others, but all are doing more than putting ink on paper.

From the chart above, you can see what is called Concentric Diversification (in black).  These are really product extensions, which use the same or similar technology and sell to the same market.  Packaging, for example, is quite similar to traditional commercial printing.  Similarly, "creative" or graphic design is closely related to the pre-press work every printer requires to prepare files to print.  Mailing and fulfillment are also not big leaps, as printers have always had to distribute product.  All five of the companies we analyzed -- and most other commercial printers that we know -- have gotten through at least this level of concentric diversification.

Many of these large firms have ventured beyond concentric diversification, into horizontal and vertical integration (in gray).  Horizontal Integration occurs when products are produced with quite different technologies than the core business, but which are sold to the same market or channel. This strategy proves to be advantageous in a competitive market scenario, wherein the company has a loyal customer base.  Example: a hot dog vendor expanding to sell hamburgers.

Example of horizontal integration among the Top 5 include products like real-time point of purchase displays, e-paper, security tags, and semi-conductors, all of which have something to do with printing; and services like database, target marketing, video production, call centers, community social media hubs. 

Vertical Integration occurs when a company invests in it's own product supply chain to increase or guaranty market share or insure quality of production inputs.  Example 1: car company buys tire manufacturing business (backward vertical integration, as it is closer to the raw material).  Example 2 car company buys dealerships (forward vertical integration, as it is closest to the customer).  The only clear example of vertical integration we saw is one company's investment in a paper mill.

Many of these big printers have diversified even further away from their cores, into what's called Conglomerate Diversification (in white), where there is little or no connection to the core technology or market.  This is very similar to an investor holding a mix of stocks and bonds and precious metals to smooth out cyclical ups and downs.  At the still recognizably-related level, one company has invested in a writer's consortium.   Another claims to offer workforce solutions, an extension of outsourced fulfillment services.  In fact, Donnelley markets itself as a business process outsourcer like IBM or Accenture, and has even acquired OfficeTiger and Astron, allowing them to "create processes and distribution for mission-critical information for the world’s largest companies."

Many of the Top 5, particularly the Japanese printers, are actually part of large highly-diversified conglomerates, in which printing is just one line of business, not necessarily the "core".  We have not even bothered to chart these businesses, because they do not really indicate a new or emerging business model in the industry.

So, what does this all mean?  What will these Top 5 printers and other printers be doing in twenty years or fifty years?  Unfortunately, we do not have all of the answers, but we feel like Donnelley and Toppan are companies to watch.  The vision seems to extend well beyond becoming a multi-channel communications company -- they seem to be thinking about a tightly integrated but diverse set of products and services pushing in every direction.  The main connective tissue between the set of offerings will probably remain the customer -- a common market or channel.  It will be an interesting ride!

3D or not 3D

photo:  http://johnbalistreriartist.com

Is 3D Printing Really Printing?  So when someone first mentioned 3D printing to me I thought of traditional printing methods that were enhanced so that the end product would have some build up of materials that presented an image in a 3 dimension view or was what we all know as pop-up cards.  However, 3D printing is the actual creation of objects --not the enhancement of them -- such as ceramic sculptures, prosthetic limbs, to possible houses.

3D printing is a fascinating process where a three dimensional object is created by laying down successive layers of material. A 3D printer working with a 3D computer file makes a series of cross-sectional slices. Each slice is then printed one on top of the other to create the 3D object.

Professor John Balistreri and his team at Bowling Green State University created a binder material that was added to the direct printing of clay objects which enabled it to be fit for firing in a kiln.  Using this binder and the direct ceramic printing any virtual design that can be created as a 3D image can now be produced.

Whats even more incredible?  3D printing technology is currently being studied by biotech firms and academia for possible use in tissue engineering applications where organs and body parts are built using inkjet techniques.  3D printing can produce a personalized hip replacement in one pass

The use of 3D scanning technologies allow the replication of real objects without the use of molding techniques.

Currently the leading industries using 3D print technology include:  jewelry, footwear, industrial design, architecture, engineering and construction, automotive, aerospace, dental and medical industries.

So there may be no limit to the application of 3D print technology, but is it printing?  According to The American Heritage Dictionary, printing is "A mark or impression made in or on a surface by pressure."  I don't think 3D printing qualifies. Maybe it should be called 3D Print Fabrication, 3D Manufacturing, or 3D Formation?

Want to learn more about 3D Printing? Play the video to see a short demonstration or follow these links:


3D Printing is Spurring a Manufacturing Revolution
John Balistreri Ceramic Printing
The Next Trillion Dollar Industry: 3D Printing

Coffee Trivia Answers

Congratulations to Jessica Hilbert of Lobo & Pascale a financial planning firm in Wallingford, CT.  Jessica is our MEGA GRAND PRIZE winner!  She wins a month's worth of coffee and a beautiful new ceramic mug in which to enjoy it.  Our four other runners up also get the same ceramic mugs. 

We sent approximately 2,400 e-mails out.  Winners were supposed to answer all of the questions right, but this ended up being a tougher survey than we expected. Nobody got them all right; though some got close.  We picked the Top 5 responders instead.

The much ballyhooed MEGA GRAND PRIZE Bonus Round consisted of an additional coffee trivia question delivered via a broadcast text message to our
Top 5.   The M.G.P.B.R.winner was the first person to respond with the correct answer.  And that actually happened!

FYI, our bonus question was:  How many beans fit into an average coffee sack?  The answer: 600,000.

Here are the answers to the trivia survey.  As always thanks for playing!


Question 1:  The first Parisian cafe dedicated to serving coffee opened in 1689.  The majority of you answered this one correctly, but we tripped up a few with 1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

Question 2:  How many coffee bars are there in Italy? There are 200,000 coffee bars.

Question 3:  How many cups of coffee are consumed by the average American each year?  Well the answer is 400.  A lot of you went for the 1,400 which would work out to almost 4 cups of coffee a day.  BUZZZZZZ.

Question 4:  How many cups of coffee are consumed each year worldwide?  The majority of you were correct on this question answering 400 billion cups of coffee.  Wow!

Question 5:  Which country/region has the world's highest per capita annual coffee consumption?  The Scandanavians hold the title for this question.  Probably cold up there, huh?

Question 6:  For how long is coffee typically roasted?  10-20 minutes is the correct answer.  Only half of you got that right, but, at least, nobody said, "1 year."

Question 7:  If you request a latte in Italy, you'll be served a glass of milk.  That's what "latte" means.  Of course, everything tastes better over there, including the milk.

Question 8:  Coffee was allegedly discovered by a goat-herder in Ethiopia.  As legend has it, this occurred when after he noticed that his goats perked up a lot after eating some coffee cherries off the bush.

Question 9:  Cowboys made their coffee by putting ground coffee into a clean sock, immersing it in cold water, and heating it over a campfire.  When ready they would pour the coffee into tin cups to drink.  We're not sure how clean those socks were either!

Thanks for playing!!!!

Coffee Trivia

Okay coffee expert... See how well you do with our coffee trivia survey below.

Respondents with all correct answers will win a ceramic coffee mug AND qualify for our Bonus Round (texting capabilities required). 

Our bonus round Mega-Grand Prize is soooo big, it's sure to give you a buzz.  So check back on Thursday, March 3, 2011 to see your results and whether or not you qualify.  We will have Round 1 answers posted by noon... and further instructions about the Bonus Round at that time.

Good Luck!

Survey:

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Interactive Marketing

Are all of your customers and prospects identical?  Of course not.  Then stop generalizing your marketing and talk to them as individuals!

Interactive Marketing is the ability to have ever more personalized conversations with your prospects and customers, as you learn their wants and needs.  It employs a combination of traditional marketing methods and on-line methods.

Try on the Young's Communications Interactive Marketing/Fishing model for size. You start with a lure and a hook to build awareness and pique interest in your offering.  Then, once they're on your line, you reel your prospect in very gradually and carefully with one-to-one communications.  Then, if you have executed flawlessly, out comes the net and wham-o! They are yours!  See the new YCIM/F Model below:

The lure:

Get your message out!  Whether it is by traditional or electronic marketing means.  Who are you?  What do you sell?  Why are you great?  Why do I care?

The hook:

Give them a reason to opt-in via a website, personalized url, e-mail, snail mail, or text back a special code, or all of the above.  They're not ready to buy, so why should they talk to you?  Will your prospect gain access to a special affinity group, receive an informative newsletter or e-newsletter, get a free promotional item, get 10% off something?

The Line:

Now, you've got them where you want them and can begin your real one-to-one marketing efforts.  You know what they like, which channel to use to communicate, what type of offers will motivate them.  With each communication, you learn a bit more, and your prospect enjoys being a part of the community you have created.  Slowly, slowly, you reel them in...  Then the net comes out...

The Net:

... and boom!  The net is down.  They buy your product or service via the Web, a face-to-face sale, an SMS text.  They're all yours!  And, of course, the transaction data from the sale feeds right back into your database.  One more piece of information to inform your next interactive marketing communication.

Is your company ready to build an interactive marketing strategy that works?  Call us today at 860-347-8567 or drop us a line: E-Mail

One Stop Shopping for Trade Shows

Are you getting ready for a Trade Show?  Let Young's Printing be your One-Stop-Shop.  We've got it all!

• Print collateral (of course!)
• Promotional Items
• Displays/pop-ups/banners
• Podium cases/transport boxes
• Retractable displays/roll-ups
• Brochure holders
• Lighting
• Flag Stands

February Trade Show Special: 20% OFF on orders over $1,500.  Give us a call at 860-347-8567 or drop us an e-mail.

January Trivia Results

Our January Trivia contest is complete and we are happy to announce the winners of the contest along with the correct answers to our trivia questions.  This contest was a little more challenging because you needed to scan the QR Code to bring you to MadTV's "Bon Qui Qui at King Burger" video on YouTube.  If you were not able to scan the QR Code, or if you just want to watch this comedy video again and review the correct answers to our trivia questions follow this link to the video:  YouTube King Burger

Here are the answers to our trivia questions:  Unfortunately we couldn't chop up the video and give you the answers in short segments, so we did the next best thing and have provided the actual script.

Question 1:  What is the name of Bon Qui Qui's boss?

 "Oh hey Mr Williams how are you doing today sir?"

The majority of you answered this question correctly.  Mr. Williams is Bon Qui Qui's boss.

Question 2:  What is the name of the program the Bon Qui Qui is from?
"I'm sorry she's from our out of the hood program."

Although Outward Bound, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Youth at Risk are excellent programs, the majority of you have excellent listening skills and knew that Bon Qui Qui's boss said she was from the Out of the Hood Program.

Question 3:  What does Bon Qui Qui's "boyfriend" order?  
"Umm give me a number 3 instead of fries give me some onion rings"

Most of you answered this one correctly too!  He wanted a #3 with onion rings instead of fries. 

Question 4:  How many strikes does Bon Qui Qui's "boyfriend" have?
"psh k psh k o
on the mic is the queen so listen to me sing he wanna number 3 super sized onion ring he come out the house with no anckle braclet on but he got 2 strikes so don't get is order wrong"

Well if you listened carefully you heard that he was not under house arrest anymore and when Bon Qui Qui puts in his order she says that he has two strikes already so you better get his order right.  The correct answer is Two.

Question 5: Bon Qui Qui calls security on a woman and accuses her of:
Biting her

This question had two possible answers that would have been acceptable.  Either Biting her or Yelling at Her.  Biting her was the answer that we were going for and our two winners did choose that correct answer.

Thanks again for participating in our contest and if this was your first time using a QR Code we hope that it was an enjoyable experience.  Now that you have experienced a QR Code you may notice that they are being used more and more in advertising and getting information across.

And now it is time to announce our winners who will each receive a $25 gift certificate to Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

January Contest

Due to the overwhelming response to our "Vortex" contest in late December, we have decided to make this a monthly event!  So here's our January contest rules:

To enter just answer the questions on the linked survey and provide your name and e-mail or telephone number so that we may contact you if you are a winner.  There will be two lucky winners to this contest.  This contest will not only test your listening comprehension skills, but will also require you to access information using a QR code, which is a good thing for you to know how to do anyway. The lucky winners of this contest will be respondents number 5 and number 25, and will need to have ALL questions correctly answered.  (Don't worry.  This is not such a big challenge as you can replay the video as many times as you need to!)  Winners of this contest will be announced on our blog by noon on Tuesday, January 18, 2011.

Our prize this month will be a $25 gift certificate to Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

Good Luck!  We know you can do it!

The Contest:

Please answer the questions linked to the QR below.  What?  It's easy.  Again, stop worrying!  To access the information scan the QR code with your smart phone.  You will need a QR Code Reader/Bar Code Reader on your smart phone to scan the QR code.

If you are still not sure how QR Codes work and how to use them see our previous blog called "QR Codes: What are they and How Can they work for You?" published on November 2, 2010.  This blog can be accessed by using the link on the right side of our blog called "Blog Categories"  Click on "Multi-Channel Marketing" under Blog Categories and scroll down to view the QR Code blog.

If you need a QR Code reader application there are many available on-line to download and many of them are free.  You can search for them yourself, or use one of the links we have provided.  It may take a few minutes to download the reader.  Be patient!
Mobile Barcodes
2d Code 
QR Code resources

Scan this QR Code:

Answers these trivia questions:
Please Note:  The prizes will will be $25 gift certificates to Five Guys Burgers and Fries.  As you know, Five Guys provides excellent customer service and serves delicious burgers and fries, but they are in no way associated with Young's Printing or this contest.  (Therefore, please don't sue us, Five Guys, if you're reading this.)

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Thanks for participating!

Holiday Fun (A/K/A Vortex) Survey Winners

Oolong tea prize

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the Holiday Fun Vortex Survey and congratulations to Marlene Kurban and Alan Hagyard our Holiday Fun Survey winners.  Marlene and Alan's grand prize was a 1lb bag of high-quality Taiwan Oolong tea, direct from Flushing, Queens as shown in the photo.  

Please check back soon as we are about to announce our January trivia contest with more chances to win.