Documobi came into my life during GRAPH EXPO. Nigel Cliffe (the CEO of PMC) was going on about this new technology for print and insisting I look at it – which for a Brit was pretty dramatic. The problem was, we couldn’t get near the booth. Apparently there was something to see, and the word had gotten out. Nigel as it turned out knows Peter Lancaster so we were able to sit with him and his partner Larry for a little time to discuss their product. I have to admit, at first glance I wasn’t convinced. To me, Documobi was a QR code in a fancier package and it was cool, but wasnt NFC – and if you follow PMC you know I am jonesing for that tech. After Nigel and I left our impromptu meeting, he very patiently and meticulously started chipping away at my QR comparison, every chance he got. Finally, the a-ha moment came! For pretty much the rest of our time in Chicago I was thinking of ways to use Documobi, and while there are some similarities in the process – Documobi and QR codes are world’s apart. THIS TECH IS GOING TO CHANGE PRINT! and there are two very smart and connected guys behind this project so unlike me, have an open mind and enjoy some quality time with Peter…
DC: Who is Peter Lancaster and what do you do?
PL: I’m the COO and Co-Founder of Documobi, Inc, based in Houston Texas together with my business partner, Larry Vaughn, founder and Chairman of Dscoop.
I used to work for Compugraphic, Dupont, Scitex and Indigo. Joining the Printer’s side of the fence, I launched Europe’s first Web-to-Print system and then became Managing Director of St Ives Graphic Media, the digital division of Europe’s largest Printing Business. As an independent Consultant, I work with HP, Canon, Oce and Printers, writing and delivering workshops and seminars around the world on how to take Print online (Web-to-Print and Print-to-Web). Technically, I live in England but spend much of my time in US and Europe.
DC: Documobi is certainly on the path to becoming a game changer, can you please describe how it works and how it came about.
PL: Many young marketers consider Print to be analog, offline and out-dated. The printing industry calls it ‘digital’ print but in reality there’s nothing digital (in a marketing sense) about ink or toner on paper. Just because the Print has my name on it in white out text it’s not going to make me buy, I’ve been called Peter Lancaster for 52 years now, personalization doesn’t impress me any more!
Being an early adopter, I was excited by the opportunities that technologies like Microsoft Tag announced at CES in January 2009 and Digital Watermarking from Digimarc later that year could offer. However these technologies, together with QR Codes, require that Pre-Press be performed to place the code or mark into the design. This means that the Print itself isn’t the digital bridge, it’s only the code! Take this to its logical conclusion and we’ll see more instances of what’s happening at Best Buy. The shelf-edge product labels are basically now just a black and white QR Code printed on a desktop inkjet. So how does this benefit the Print Industry? I’m sure we’ll get some short-term benefit from Codes and Tags but medium term, I felt there had to be a better way. Printers need a system that is simple, effective and low cost if marketers are going to take them seriously. The market here is not Nike, Pepsi or any of the big brands. It is the smaller brands that don’t use Madison Avenue agencies and would give integrated mobile campaigns to a Printer with the credibility, the right tools and a results-driven approach.
Documobi makes any Print digital. By ‘digital’, I mean anything ever printed, or yet to be printed, can be made interactive so that a smartphone can take the reader to mobile-optimized content which can then be managed, tracked, re-directed and analyzed. No codes, no tags and no pre-press, the print itself is interactive and works on billboards, brochures, labels, packaging, floor graphics, posters, direct mail, hats, mugs etc. The Documobi API provides a turnkey solution for Printers (Capture-Manage-Measure) that is incredibly easy to sell, easy to use and easy to manage.
The business model is based on providing Printers with an opportunity make Print work harder and smarter and to charge good money for that. The License Fee costs $1995 per year and a piece of Print that is indexed (which could be a billboard or a postcard) will cost $2 per month to hold in the Cloud. When scanned with the free Reader app, a 20 cent charge is made for what we call a ‘STAR’, which includes the Scan, Track, Analyze and Re-Direct for that Print. A minimum monthly charge of $50 gets you 25 indexed images and 100 STARs per month.
Printers will be able to charge application and vertical market specific set up fees, management fees and at least 50 cents per STAR. Documobi also provides other partnership and revenue opportunities for content-creation such as video and mobile websites.
Subscribers to the excellent PrintMediaCentr Newsletter are the kind of forward thinking business people that could benefit most from intelligent Print Recognition. So I’m pleased to be able to offer a discount of $300 to PMC readers for signup before the end of November. Just use the PromoCode PMC12 at checkout, making your total $1695 http://www.documobi.com/
DC: What makes this intelligent Print Recognition (iPR) technology different than a QR code?
PL: iPR creates a ‘digital’ version of the whole of a page/label/pack and uploads it into the cloud. This can be from a pdf via the DocumobiConnect portal or from the Documobi Creator App for iPhone/iPad2. In this case, a piece of print (or tabletop, floor graphic, painting, wallpaper, mug, menu, graffiti, label, sign, vehicle wrap, book, photograph, coaster, mailer et al) is photographed by the app, a destination url is typed in and the upload button pressed. The entire process can take less than 30 seconds. Wherever that piece of Print is in the world, it is now interactive and measurable in real-time. The Reader App is a free download available for Apple and Android devices.
It is this ability to make any print interactive, even if there is no digital file, which allows iPR to be used in campaigns and in ways QR Codes can never do. Most brands will not entertain the idea of reprinting everything just so that they can incorporate a QR Code, it’s simply too expensive and unrealistic. Documobi overcomes that objection.
Documobi gives Printers an incredibly dynamic selling tool. Now you can walk into a potential customer’s office and make all their existing print interactive, while they watch. Then show them the analytics of the scan you just made – then change the URL and scan again to visit the new destination. All this can be done in under 90 seconds using just your phone and it really is going to change the game.
Many brands do not like the idea of having QR Codes spoil the integrity of their brand design, with Documobi, it is the design itself that is interactive. There are 270 QR Code readers out there and they don’t all work; this is causing confusion in the marketplace. QR Code creation is open source, unrestricted and open to copyright abuse. There are serious concerns over ‘codejacking’, which allows anyone with access to a color-copier to create a print version with their own QR Code leading to their payment gateway/malware/dubious URLs etc. Documobi is licensed to Printers that sign legal terms and conditions of use, thereby giving brands complete protection and audit trail.
DC: The US is really just beginning to embrace QR codes, and even with all the information out there, this technology is still widely underused and executed poorly as far as providing added value to the consumer, and especially neglected on the mobile end of things. What sort of training and education is going to be needed for Documobi and can the lessons we’ve learned from QR codes be applied?
PL: One of the key aspects of any interactive print campaign is the user experience. If that is poor, it won’t matter what technology was used or how well it was promoted in the first place. Many QR Code ‘campaigns’ merely point to a static website. This is simply not good enough and will only serve to reinforce the idea that Print is struggling to get to grips with a digital world. Documobi is a Licensed solution for Printers that includes webinar training and best practice methodology. In addition, Documobi has partnered with the Mobile Marketing Association (the global leader on all things mobile marketing) to provide co-branded advanced training and accreditation. This will be rolled out in the New Year, giving added credibility to Documobi Licensees.
Furthermore, there are certain applications and vertical markets out there that lend themselves particularly well to iPR. This low-hanging fruit is discussed at length during the webinar series for Licensees.
DC: What sort of analytical information does Documobi provide for a customer and how can that data be applied to future projects?
PL: As part of the Documobi ecosystem, the Connect Portal gives real-time access to very granular analytics. Data such as time of scan, handset make, unique or repeat user, GPS Location data (assuming user clicked ‘allow’, like all other phone apps). Reporting parameters can be specified to create custom reports and this can be on a ‘self-serve’ basis by Printer’s clients or generated by the Printer.
Documobi exists in the Cloud (Amazon EC2 and MS Azure to be precise) and is creating robust APIs so Printers can create (or partner with) business rule automation routines that deliver dynamic mobile content based on a real-time location/time/history basis. This means that someone scanning a poster in a specific location between 9am to 11am could get a special offer for the shop across the road and the offer could change after 11am. A poster on the next street would point to a different offer based on that location.
QR Codes can drive this kind of interaction. The difference here is that it is the Printer and the Print that controls the game, not a QR Code generated by the Agency for which the Printer will receive no money.
DC: Can a Print or Marketing Service Provider white label Documobi into their capabilities, or do all customers come directly through you?
PL: There are a limited number of White Label opportunities but they would have to be fairly substantial in nature. Documobi is already a Cloud-based PaaS (Platform as a Service) solution and the Portal will be branded to each Licensed Printer. We are open to discussion.
DC: Switching to one of your many other hats, what is the state of W2P today, and what are the areas you see need adjustment/improvement?
PL: W2P has still yet to see the level of successful adoption it deserves. Too many Printers have purchased, tried and not really succeeded and this is due to a combination of factors. Many systems were written too many years ago and just haven’t evolved. Now is the time to do your homework all over again and bite the bullet. Many Printers did not realize that implementing W2P was no walk in the park so they stalled or stopped. Now is time to revisit the entire project. Sales people need an effective and clear-cut bonus scheme to sell W2P or they just won’t bother, it’s not in their interests! Now is the time to invest in your sales people – or change them. Most importantly, CEOs need to get behind the W2P project right now, before it’s too late. Do you remember the last time you didn’t use the internet to book a flight?
DC: In doing some background research on you it was quite evident that you are a man constantly on the move and in demand as an industry expert. How can people “follow” you and also find out when and where you are speaking?
PL: I’d welcome followers on Twitter @Print20 and I can be contacted at peter@documobi.com
I’ll be speaking in Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan in late November/early December, US and Europe in the New Year.
DC: Lastly, if you were to do a presentation for students what would your message be in regard to choosing Print as a career, and what advice would you give them for success?
PL: Print is not going to die anytime soon, but it is going through massive changes. Printing is 572 years old and so are some printers! It has an aging management structure and therein lays the opportunity for young blood. Bring your knowledge of technology and social media and inject your youth, vitality and vision to make Print online, digital and dynamic. You will be well rewarded!
