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3D printing: the marketing solution
3D printers are an extraordinary digital revolution. These little jewels of innovation can be used to create products in record time. Professionals and private individuals alike have been won over by the enthusiasm generated by this cutting-edge printing technology.
3D printing: a technological revolution
The 3D printer was designed to produce a real object, making the concrete virtual. This printer is used to manufacture various functional parts.
It's true that 3D printing has invaded a number of sectors, including aeronautics, video games, the army, the car industry and medicine. It also features prominently in well-known American TV series and animated films. It works in a similar way to a conventional 2D printer. To explain how it works, it's worth pointing out that a qualified and experienced operator draws an object on a screen, using a computer-aided design machine. This 3D file is then sent to a special printer, which cuts the object into various slices. It then solidifies the material layer by layer to produce the final product.
3D printing: an excellent communication medium
3D printing, or three-dimensional printing, opens up a wide range of possibilities. Printers benefit from an excellent tool for bold corporate advertising.
Some major groups, such as Michelin and Nike, have understood this and have incorporated 3D printing into their advertising campaigns.
Nike recently collaborated with Prodways to design 3D printed shoes. Prodways Group has created a material, TPU, thermoplastic polyurethane, which can be used with a 3D printer. As a result, a partnership has been signed with Nike to launch 3D-printed sports shoes. The Nike Rapid Prototyping division has chosen this Prodways technology to enhance the development of the items produced by this team, with a view to mass production at a later date. When advertising marketing rhymes with 3D printing, it is also possible to highlight the future Michelin tyre model, which uses this technology.
Animated films are also taking advantage of the 3D printing trend. So-called "stop motion" creations usually use figurines and decorative elements designed by hand. This work can now be facilitated by 3D printing. The distribution of these works is a real media coup.
The 3D printer: a professional tool for businesses
For effective communication promoting the merits of 3D printers, there are a few compelling examples of high-performance professional use to be highlighted.
Printers are using this impressive machine to create innovative objects. Recently, Formlabs, for example, revealed its latest production, a 3D printer called Fuse 1. This 3D printer uses the modern technique of selective laser sintering. Pre-orders have been taken for delivery in 2018.
In video games, a brand new 3D printed snake game was unveiled, the PropHelix, which can move in 3D through a holographic universe.
3D printing has also been used to create a concrete bridge, thanks to the collaboration between the Technical University of Eindhoven and the company BAM Infra, for a device that reinforces concrete using imposing metal rods, similar to reinforced concrete.
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Lyon hosted the 2017 edition of the Southern European Printing Congress
The 3rd edition of the Southern European Printing Congress was held in Lyon on 26 and 27 June at the Palais de la Bourse.
An international event
After Barcelona in 2015 and Milan in 2016, the 3rd edition of the Southern European Printing Congress was held in Lyon. The event is organised by four associations: FESPA (Federation of European Screen Printers Associations) France, FESPA Espana, FESPA Italia and Apigraf (Portugal). FESPA France brings together screen printing and large-format digital printing professionals. The association was created (formerly GPSF) in 1951 to meet the challenges of new markets. These printing techniques are particularly effective communication tools for marketing, creativity and design.
Today, the association brings together companies and managers from different countries who are keen to give new impetus to their businesses.
The four associations present have worked hand in hand to set up and support emerging projects in printing solutions for the industrial and communications markets.
The aim of the event is also to encourage closer links and interaction between members of the associations, their customers and the market as a whole. Networking is a fundamental element of the Congress.
Format of the event
The event was spread over two half-days. After a welcome coffee at 2pm on 26 June, participants were taken through a series of conferences focusing on the various sectors of the printing market.
Printing professionals and experts were also able to meet for networking sessions, including the "Speedy meeting", a short 5-minute discussion format. This was an opportunity for all the speakers and participants to meet and present their companies and projects. The idea was to facilitate future collaborations and exchange ideas. The first day ended with a networking dinner, also designed to encourage exchanges between colleagues. The event's sponsor manufacturers, Hexis and ESKO, were also present.
Conferences resumed the following day at 9.30am. The event ended at 2pm with a cocktail reception.
The programme also included conferences on textiles, packaging and decoration.
All the conferences were simultaneously translated into French, Spanish, Italian, English and Portuguese, to reflect the international dimension of the event.
Access conditions
The event was open to members of each FESPA association on payment of a fee, as well as to the entire printing community in member countries.
EDP Award 2017
At the show, manufacturer SwissQprint won 2 EDP Awards:
- For its large-format flatbed printer
- For its loading and unloading robot
A few words about previous editions
The 2016 edition of the Southern European Printing Congress was held in Milan, following the success of the 2015 edition in Barcelona. The event was a great success in 2016, as it was in 2015. Sean Holt, General Secretary of FESPA, hailed the success of the event, stressing the importance of networking to share knowledge and skills.
There's every chance that these first three editions will be the first steps towards a long-term event for the future. A conference to watch...
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What communication media should your company use?
Advertising is essential to developing your reputation, your customer base and therefore your sales. However, there's no need to advertise all over the place: the most expensive marketing is not always the most effective. Here's our advice on how to match your target, your messages and the means of conveying them.
Media or non-media communication?
When it comes to advertising, there are two worlds. The first is the media: the written press (local or national), television, radio, the web (classic websites) and urban billboards.
These communication media are extremely powerful: they can reach millions of people in record time. However, this type of marketing is also the most expensive and leads to wastage: of the millions of people reached by a TV campaign, how many will actually be interested in the subject?
Given its specific characteristics and cost, media communication is better suited to the promotion of a mass-market product and to larger companies. Non-media communications, on the other hand, are highly varied and particularly appropriate for promoting a particular product or service.
These include direct marketing (e.g. a stand at trade fairs and exhibitions), promotional items, event sponsorship and a strong presence on social networks. Far less expensive than a media campaign and easier to implement for a small company, this communication strategy also has the advantage of precisely targeting the target audience, creating a valuable close relationship with your customers and prospects.
Fine-tuning your communication strategy
To draw up an effective marketing plan, you first need to define three elements. What category or categories of people does your company want to target (age, social status, activity, hobbies, etc.)? What message do you want to get across to them? With what objective in mind? Depending on whether you want to "get people to know you", "get them to like you" or "get them to do something", the most appropriate communication media will be different. Boosting the sale of a particular product involves pushing it towards the customer: an e-mail campaign presenting a promotion will be well suited in this case. On the other hand, if the aim is to develop the company's visibility and goodwill, the main task of the communication medium will be to attract the customer: communication through objects, which ensures maximum visibility for the brand over the long term, will be highly relevant here.
Vary your marketing media
A successful campaign generally combines several advertising media. To launch a product, for example, a company can combine a presence at a trade fair, an e-mail campaign and the distribution of personalised promotional items, or even a street marketing operation.
By mixing these different communication media, the company will multiply the points of contact with its target audience over a sufficiently long period to make an impression. Choosing the right marketing tools also means carefully studying your competitors' strategies and distinguishing yourself from them. Either by doing it better, or by doing it differently. And don't forget that communication is a long-term process: operations need to be regularly renewed and developed to maintain your reputation and give your brand a dynamic image.
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Can print and digital coexist to save the printed press?
At a time when the paper newspaper seems doomed to extinction in the coming years, Francis Morel, boss of Les Echos and chairman of the national press unions, believes that the alliance of print and digital is vital to the survival of the newspaper... But how can we ensure that the paper format survives technological and societal advances?
At a time when newspaper companies are trying to outdo each other in their ingenuity to maintain growth in sales of print newspapers (while improving this seems a utopian goal at the moment), Alain Weil, head of SFR Media, the group that manages Libération, BFMTV, RMC and L'Express, among others, has reopened the debate by declaring:
If, in the future, we can broadcast information of the same quality as print while hiding it, it will be no worse for the press companies.
Keen to add another layer to an already highly sensitive subject, he adds that the paper newspaper is doomed in any case:
60% of paper newspapers are returned to companies without being sold, and none of them are currently experiencing growth.
Francis Morel believes that the alchemy of digital and print is essential.
Speaking on France Inter on 13 June, Francis Morel took a less alarmist view of the issue, pointing out, using Aujourd'hui en France as an example, that without the paper format, he would be unable to keep his newspaper going. Aujourd'hui en France has a daily circulation of 128,000, with average sales of 118,000.
He adds:
The two have to coexist. If you don't own a website as a newspaper company, you miss out on a significant audience because the digital format brings in a different audience, but the print format remains the newspaper's brand.
The timeless pleasure of the paper format
Francis Morel continues in the same vein, rightly pointing out that the print format is still the strongest link between the reader and the newspaper company:
Enjoying breakfast while reading the newspaper is still a pleasure that would never be equalled if it were replaced by reading on a tablet.
Solutions to be implemented
According to Francis Morel, there are two solutions that need to be put in place in order to ensure the long-term future of paper-based communication: the first concerns the management of national sales outlets, and the second concerns the management of press companies' editorial workloads.
Closing a press outlet is a major problem! The decline in sales is largely attributable to closures. Conversely, every time a sales outlet is refurbished or opened, the impact on sales is felt directly.
Finally, with regard to the management of editorial costs, Francis Morel recommends that press companies spread costs more evenly across all media.
Even today, many communicators base 100% of their editorial costs on the paper format... This is a costly mistake!
It remains to be seen whether media companies will heed this advice, only time will tell...
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Graphisme, a free magazine on the theme of logos
Created in 1994, Graphisme is a free magazine designed and written by a number of professionals in the graphic arts and sociology fields, as well as a number of critics and other researchers. This annual magazine, which is aimed at all professionals in the graphic arts and communications field, is an opportunity to learn more about the research and other views on different subjects produced by the experts who write it.
Graphisme en France, 22 back issues available free of charge
Since 2014 and the "Graphisme en France 2014" event, the 22 issues that make up the Graphisme en France magazine have all been made available online free of charge in PDF format so that they can be read by everyone. Each issue deals with a different subject, but is always related to the field of communication and the graphic arts. Some of the many titles include "graphic design and computing", "forging a graphic culture", "graphic design and publishing", "typography (in two parts)", "signage" and, in this latest edition, "logos and visual identities".
A 23rd edition dealing with logos
This 23rd edition of Graphisme en France is an opportunity to learn more about the field of logos. Comprising 56 pages, the magazine is divided into several distinct sections. Ten pages deal with the theme of "a historical look at visual identity", explaining in particular the history of the logo of the American television channel CBS and the various stages in the creation of the Shell brand logo, logos that are still in use today.
The following 9 pages deal with logology and what a logo means and signifies.
The next three pages deal with the subject of "Should a democratic state be branded? These few pages are particularly interesting and talk about the power of a logo to arouse interest and even fascination. They also deal with the power of repeating a logo in the eyes of different people.
One page is also devoted to several biographies of the people who wrote each of the articles in this book. This process allows us to learn more about the authors and to discover personalities who are as interesting as they are original, so that we can better understand their point of view on the subjects they have dealt with.
From page 39 to 52, you will find a calendar of all the events in the field of graphics and communication that have taken place and will take place in 2017 and January 2018.
The last pages focus on advice on a number of publications and other works that have recently come out and still deal with the field of graphic arts. You can also find a list of awards received by French graphic designers during 2016.
Finally, the last two pages of this magazine will contain tributes to a number of graphic design personalities who have sadly passed away over the past year, but who will have left an indelible mark on their work thanks to the quality of their work and their many contributions to the world of graphic design and communication.
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Promotional items, a powerful tool for boosting your sales
As well as communication campaigns, promotional items can help you raise your profile and raise your profile. Their cost/effectiveness ratio defies all competition. We take a closer look at this growth driver, which is sometimes overlooked by companies.
Although it's an old-fashioned way of communicating, promotional products are still a highly effective marketing strategy for attracting prospective customers and building customer loyalty. According to a study carried out by 2FPCO*, promotional items have a recall rate of 81% and are much more memorable than an advertisement on television or in a magazine, at a much lower cost! These corporate gifts are now designed for everyday use, ensuring long-term visibility and maximum exposure for your brand. If they are original, they also convey an image of modernity and innovation that will have a positive impact on your company's image. In the long run, object marketing has a significant influence on your business and helps to boost your sales.
Choosing the right promotional item
A corporate gift that can be kept, or even displayed, generally fulfils four criteria: it is useful, beautiful, evokes a memory and has a market value. To be as effective as possible, you need to choose the promotional items your company offers carefully, taking into account the context of the event, your sector of activity and, of course, your customers' needs. The information conveyed by the product should also be carefully considered. At a trade fair, for example, an advertising bag will ensure excellent visibility, not only for the person carrying it but also for anyone standing next to them, as long as the message is both visible (from at least five metres away) and effective.
A popular marketing strategy
Far from being obsolete, object marketing is proving to be a fully-fledged medium with an unbeatable cost-effectiveness ratio, ideally complementing digital or traditional communications operations. What's more, it has a good reputation: 79% of French people would like to receive more promotional objects and 42% have a better opinion of the company that has given them such a gift (2FPCO survey). This popularity is mainly due to the fact that communication through objects has been able to reinvent itself, with exclusive and original products that hit the bull's eye.
Personalised gifts from Margy Consultants for a "wow effect".
As you will have realised, communication through objects is only effective if it is well thought out. Companies wishing to take advantage of its marketing potential can seek advice from companies with expertise in the field, who are renewing the genre with gifts that will catch the eye of your prospects and customers. Such is the case with Margy Consultants: the manufacturer of diaries, personalised calendars and advertising media has just released its new catalogue of personalised items, featuring a vast choice of corporate gifts guaranteed to create a "wow effect". The range includes computer and office accessories, home decorations, leisure products and fashion accessories, all in stunning designs and colours.
* French federation of object-based communication professionals.
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The Cadrat d'Or celebrated its 61st edition this year
Robert Vallet, a founding member of the CCFI (Compagnie des Chefs de Fabrication de l'Imprimerie), launched this competition in 1956 with the aim of rewarding innovation in the printing and graphics sectors. Increasingly popular over the decades, the Cadrat d'Or has become a benchmark in the printing sector, rewarding the finesse and excellence of creations every year. The competition is national in scope and is also supported by the DGE (Direction Générale des Entreprises, Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Industrie et du Numérique).
Cadrat d'Or 2017: the label is the big winner
Chaired by Véronique Privat, chairwoman of the jury made up of industry figures as well as former winners of the competition, and Pascal Lenoir, current Chairman of the ITAB, the Cadrat d'Or 2017 was held at the Parc des Expositions de Paris, in Versailles. Twelve entries were reviewed by the jury, judging blind, in order to select and announce the overall winner of this competition on 1 June 2017.
Labelys-Etiqroll, competing for the first time, was named the winner. A subsidiary of the CFH group, Labelys, which is headquartered in Tours, Labelys-Etiqroll has 200 employees nationwide and specialises in creating labels for the professional and private sectors.
A commendable performance
Accepted unanimously by the jury as the winner, this year was the label design company's first entry in the Cadrat d'Or, and it won to the astonishment of the audience present that evening. In fact, this is the first time in the competition's history that alabel printing company has won such favour with the jury and managed to win the coveted trophy.
Surprisingly not shared by Pascal Lenoir, President of the Compagnie des Chefs de Fabrication de l'Imprimerie, for whom
Whatever the medium, whatever the process, everything contributes to enriching our industry.
With this sentence, he underlines the ITAB's interest in all creations from the graphic design, printing and communication sectors , and hopes to see participation in the Cadrat d'Or in future years diversify and increase in the number of competitors.
The award ceremony
Although the winner is already known, he or she does not already own the trophy. This will be presented in person by the members of the jury later in the month, directly to Labelys employees.
Pascal Lenoir stresses that the prize is above all a reward for the employees, indispensable members of the creative chain, without whom the winning companies each year could not exist, and that handing it over to them is a way of highlighting the often underestimated work of these teams, who are all involved in producing the finished product without receiving the praise they deserve. He concluded this 61st Cadrat d'Or with these final words
We want to change that...
See you in June 2018 for the next edition of this institutional competition, which is unlikely to grow old any time soon!
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Prizes awarded at Graphitec 2017
As with every year at Graphitec, the world's leading graphic arts exhibition, the Graphitec'Experts jury awarded 14 prizes and a special mention to 14 exhibitors whose products were judged to be the most striking, innovative or useful to consumers.
The Graphitec'Experts jury was made up, as it is every year, of recognised professionals in the field of graphic communications, representing the world of offset and digital printers as well as principals, buyers, publishers and various communications agencies.
The members of this panel of experts based their awards on a number of criteria:
- Is this the first national or international public presentation of the product?
- Is the product of particular technical interest?
- Does the product have any particularly innovative or new technical features?
- As well as the benefits of using the product for customers and other end users.
All these points are carefully examined for each of the products presented by the brands present, and here is the list of winning companies for this edition of Graphitec 2017:
In the finishing, converting and finishing category
5 products from five different brands were decorated. The award-winning brands were GIC, MGI DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY, PITNEY BOWES, RBS France and SIPROUDHIS for their products featuring ease of use, reliability, precision and, in some cases, compact size.
In the digital printing category
AGFA GRAPHICS, BRISE, NORMAPRINT, RICOH and RISO France are the brands that have been selected for their versatile, innovative, simple and useful machines for both private individuals and professionals.
In the category of solutions for cross media, web and mobile applications and graphic design
AQUAFADAS, DARIUS, SNAPPRESS for the new possibilities offered by their various solutions.
And finally, in the category of routing, distribution, logistics and more
PITNEY BOWES has the luxury of being awarded a prize for the second time at the show by presenting an inserting system that can be perfectly integrated into a production chain and offers a wide range of functions.
An interesting innovation for printers
This edition of Graphitec 2017 was also an opportunity to discover the 'Livre objet' from Clément. Clément is a family-run business that used to be a manufacturer of large-format finishing and printing machines, and is now run by Philippe Clément, son of the company's founder.
The book object is in fact a book whose pages have been cut out in a very precise way so that an object can be slipped inside. "The text becomes the product's medium. It supports its purpose", explained Christian Guittonneau and Patricia Delayat, the company's technical sales staff.
There are a huge number of ways in which this new product can be used, and it's easy to imagine, for example, a small booklet presenting a perfume with a sample of the product inside.
The marketing possibilities offered by this innovation should be numerous and useful in many ways, so we can imagine this invention being used very quickly by a number of major brands.
Other articles :
- Summary of the sixteenth edition of Graphitec, the trade fair for graphic communications and printing, 2017 edition
- Why should your company take part in a trade show?
Margy Consultants, an advertising print agency at your service
The different printing options can be adapted to all the prints - advertising editions / commercial media that we offer.
Catalogue or look-book
The catalogue or "look-book" highlights your company or various themes of your choice. It is an essential communication tool. The advertising catalogue often features several products (fashion, DIY, cooking, etc.). We can print them in landscape, portrait, square or narrow formats.
The brochure
We manufacture and print your brochure to measure. The offset printing technique enables us to produce brochures with a high pagination. Your brochures will be original, and we guarantee a fast response time.
Sales brochures
The brochure is a presentation and communication tool. It's a product with strong commercial potential. Our printing options are the same as for other media, i.e. choice of paper, format, embossing, varnish, etc. A brochure is generally an advertising medium, representing a company and its expertise.
Magazines
Printing a magazine is very important to us. That's why we do everything we can to satisfy you. Whether it's a trade magazine, a photographic edition or a communications medium, we'll print it with the utmost professionalism.
Why choose an agency specialising in advertising publishing?
Sales leaflets, posters, magazines, brochures, flyers, look-books, catalogues... These are all advertising publications for us. Our agency, " Margy Consultants ", can design and print these different advertising publications for you. The result will always be meticulous and the project completed as quickly as possible.
Large groups generally have a marketing and/or advertising department, which takes care of their advertising media and therefore printing. In small companies, there is no marketing department, as the budget for this service is generally very high. In this case, it is advisable to call on the services of an agency specialising in advertising publishing. Margy Consultants will listen to your needs, understand your requirements and implement them within your budget. Margy Consultants will implement your communication project by advising you. We are the ideal partner to help you market your products, put them into shape and propose a real sales strategy. If you have an idea of what you want, Mary Consultants will help you make it a reality.
In practical terms, and in order to obtain successful advertising, the agency offers to analyse your particularities and to target your needs and desires together. We take care of the entire production chain, from design to value-added graphic creation (logo, visual identity, graphic charter, etc.). We also handle the printing and layout, using state-of-the-art printing equipment. Finally, we produce, print and dispatch all our products on time. The result is a polished, modern and, above all, unique product.
Mary Consultants is a personal contact with whom you can discuss and entrust your various projects.
Margy Consultants also manufactures other promotional products such as diaries and advertising calendars. Don't hesitate to contact the agency for advice or a free quote.
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Summary of the sixteenth edition of Graphitec, the trade fair for graphic communications and printing, 2017 edition
The sixteenth edition of Graphitec, the trade show for all graphic communications, from print to multi-channel, organised by Infopromotions Groupe Solutions, which took place from 30 May to 1 June 2017 at Paris Expo located at Porte de Versaille, has just come to a close. We hope that you were all able to enjoy it and that you had the opportunity to broaden your knowledge in the many areas that were presented at this edition.
With more than 10,000 visitors expected to attend, this year's Graphitec was an opportunity to discover the solutions and products of more than 170 exhibitors, as well as to attend a number of major events.
In the run-up to the show, the organisers offered the Matinales, which were a great success at the 2015 show. The Matinales were special themed tours of the show and stands in partnership with all the partner federations and unions.
The show then kicked off with the presentation of 9 prizes awarded by the Graphitec'xperts committee to the products exhibited and judged by the experts to be the most innovative and the most useful to consumers.
This 2017 edition was also an opportunity to discover the winner of the 61st Cadrat d'or, a printing competition organised by the Compagnie des chefs de fabrication de l'imprimerie (CCFI) but also sponsored by the Ministry of Industry! The results were announced on the morning of 1 June.
The results of the Challenge StudyPrint, a technical and creative competition for students in graphic arts schools and courses, organised by PresseEdition.fr, were announced on 31 May. Students were judged on the production of a flyer, a leaflet and a brochure.
Lectures, knowledge and advice, all about graphic design and the printing methods of the future!
Over thirty conferences and round tables were held during the Graphitec exhibition. Here are just a few examples of the topics covered at some of these conferences over the few days:
- Presentations of technical guides, including Printing Business Innovations - collective and individual intelligences published by the Institut de développement et d'expertise du plurimédia (IDEP) and the International Center for manufacture by printing (IcmPrint).
- Research into new growth markets in which to invest in the years ahead.
- Advice on how to win contracts with the giants of the printing industry.
- Economic advice, for example on the advantages of passing on your business to one of your employees.
- Discover the new technologies and equipment of the future in the printing industry.
MGI, the printing giant, with a strong presence at Graphitec 2017
Among all the exhibitors at the show, MGI will have made a remarkable entrance with the display of its entire range of JETvarnish digital finishing presses, as well as two MGI Meteor digital printing presses, which will have given personalised demonstrations throughout the three days of the Graphitec show. The manufacturer also took advantage of the opportunity to present a number of printed electronics solutions, such as Chipless RFIDs and the integration of OLED technologies into packaging and printed materials thanks to Ceradrop, an MGI subsidiary.
The final word on this highly successful show covering all areas of the graphic arts world!
This 2017 edition of Graphitec was a resounding success, as expected. 9968 visitors were welcomed at the 2015 show, and this year's figures are still to come and will be communicated to you as soon as we have them. We look forward to seeing you at the next event!
Other articles :
- The Cadrat d'or isthe most prestigious competition in the French printing industry
- Presentation of MGI's alphajet B1+ and OKI's new products at Drupa 2016