With Digital Printing still proving to be a growth area for the Print Industry and the PODi AppForum approaching (PMC is a proud supporter and Media Sponsor), I recently caught up with Dave Erlandson to ask him a few questions regarding both subjects…
DC: Who is Dave Erlandson and what does he do?
DE: As General Manager of Caslon and PODi, my primary responsibility is to help companies take advantage of all the profitable new business opportunities that are being enabled by digital printing.
DC: What is PODi and who can join?
DE: PODi is a global, member-supported not-for-profit organization. Our goal is to drive demand for marketing applications powered by digital print & help our members build successful digital print businesses.
PODi members are industry leaders representing all facets of the digital printing ecosystem, including print and marketing service providers, enterprise marketers, and manufacturers of software and hardware systems and substrate suppliers. People can see all the benefits of membership here.
DC: What is the relationship between Caslon and PODi?
DE: PODi is a nonprofit, vendor-neutral association. We’re managed and operated by Caslon & Company. PODi also has international affiliates in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, so our community is growing.
DC: The 9th Annual PODi AppForum is coming up in Las Vegas Jan 31-Feb 2nd 2011… can you give us an overview of the event and who should attend?
DE: Digital printing has grown incredibly over the past 15 years, and the opportunities are constantly changing. In order for businesses to really profit from it all, they need an unbiased source to help them sort it out. That is where PODi and AppForum come in.
The AppForum is the one place where people in this industry can come to hear the whole story. We provide a venue where everything comes together. All the latest technology, business strategies, cool applications, and direct marketing ideas in one place. The AppForum is our chance to create a totally open, face-to-face forum for the world’s digital printing community. It’s where leaders meet to learn, share ideas, network, and plan for dynamic digital growth. In fact, we often hear comments from people who are amazed by how much others are willing to share during these three days.
In addition, many of the biggest players in the industry support the event, giving attendees a chance to have in-depth conversations with vendors who can help them put their ideas into action. I think that what makes AppForum really different is the caliber of our speakers. They are all industry practitioners and users, not just theoreticians. They all have actually done what they are speaking about – and done it successfully!
Sessions cover a full range of topics – from working with nonprofits, brand managers, and agencies to data analytics, value stream mapping, and VDP. And the latest advances in relevant direct marketing, web-to-print, QRcodes, personalized packaging, and lots more.
As to who attends, just about anyone whose business plan includes growth powered by digital printing applications, relevant direct marketing tactics, or print-on-demand technology. 2010 attendees traveled from across the U.S., Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Guam, India, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, and the UK. Last year’s attendance was up 20% and we expect it to continue to grow.
DC: Are you a gambling man? And if so do you have any tips to help attendees win at the tables?
DE: What I do at PODi is all about minimizing risk by increasing knowledge. Smart money says house always wins…
DC: Printers as Marketers is a hot topic. What are your thoughts on this and which Cross-Media services should they be integrating, if any?
DE: By moving up the value chain, helping customers create and print marketing campaigns or better manage their collateral, printers can move out of a commodity business and begin to enjoy higher margins. So for those that have marketing savvy and the ability to sell solutions, there is a great opportunity.
It’s a multimedia world and it’s proven that using cross-media communications to reach prospects and customers provides better response rates and improved ROI. Today even the most basic cross-media campaigns integrate direct mail, email, and personalized landing pages via Personalized URLs. Now we see mobile being integrated with QR codes and social media brought into the mix as well. The key aspect is the ability to track response and measure ROI.
How is PODi using social media to market its endeavors including growing membership and promoting the AppForum?
DE: Like many businesses, we’re still learning. We’re building an AppForum presence on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, and we’re beginning to reach a greater audience who may not have heard of us before. So that is very exciting. Social media are also a great place for attendees to begin connecting – last year, the networking continued long after the event ended, so it was great seeing people enjoying that.
Lastly, if you were to give the commencement speech at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, what would be your message be regarding the future of Digital Printing?
DE: My message would be that the market for color digital printing remains a bright spot in the printing market. The combination of digital printing and digital technologies with new marketing strategies creates higher value-added and thus higher margin business opportunities. It’s a huge improvement over simply using the technology to replace offset printing for short runs. For example, with digital printing and related technologies you can improve the response rates in direct marketing via Personalized direct mail, Integrated web & print with Personalized URLs, TransPromo, Web-to-Print (Print-on-Demand, Collateral management). These new applications create additional value for customers and create exciting opportunities for service providers.
I would also include this message: Digital printing has much more room to grow as digital page volumes are still under 10% of total print volume. It’s not too late to get in the game!
Author’s Note: Enter by Dec. 31st to win a FREE 2011 PODi Membership and receive $100 off AppForum Registration here
Related articles
- What’s the Difference Between Offset Printing and Digital Printing? (brighthub.com)
- Targeted Direct Mail Is Growing, and Fast, at this Digital Print and Marketing Firm (prweb.com)
- How to Choose Between Offset Printing and Digital Printing (brighthub.com)
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