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Print initial choice

- My name is Alex Joos. I'm the CEO of Group Joos. It's a family owned company founded by my grandfather in 1935. Personalized print used to be giving a name and an address and maybe, let's say, versioning was, at that time, very important. Over the years, technology evolved and also customers prepared their databases and they want to make use of it. Typical customers for us are still marketeers that use direct mail to attract customers to sell their products and services. Agencies are often in between of that. And so, everything begins for us with the briefing we get from the agency or from the end customer. In also in that stage, we try to give our input to our customers to say what they can do because it's unlimited. We work together with a large retailer to develop a coupon book where, let's say, we do not offer the same coupon or the same value or the same points to every customer, but we can personalize it using the data that is generated daily in their shops by the end customer. Personalization is only one way to work with this technology. Versioning, small runs, print on demands are typically other, let's say, applications which are traditional or which can be used on this type of technology. And for that we have given our customers a portal, fully personalized on their behalf with all their content in and with a small, with only a button away, they can order it. And we will print it on demand. If you want to go to personalized print, you, of course, need the necessary software for templating, for variable data and variable images, where we use, let's say, in special technology as Quadient for doing so. But on the other hand, also, what is very important, is color management. Of course, we work with inkjet technology where ink is a cost, it's an important cost and managing not only quality but also the use of the ink is important. PRISMA helps us with that, doing that color management. The ProStream is part of, let's say, a full set of possibilities to come to a white paper concept. That it is not only letterheads and, but also booklets, flyers, point of sales equipment, books. These are all possibilities to produce on the posting. Where before there could be some discussion and that other technologies were better offset than others. I think we come to a point that quality really is not an issue anymore. The fact that we can use different types of substrates from 60 to 300 grams gives also the advantage to move productions smaller or larger on different types of substrates, let's say, very confident to this, to this technology. With a partner as Canon, of course, we come a long way and we did that journey together and I think that's also important to choose yourself a partner on which you can rely, work together and make that journey together. I think our biggest challenge is to put a place or set up place or a spot for communication and print in that mid-marketing and communication mix. I think everybody knows that an only digital communication is not working and then only paper is not working at the same time. So it's really that mix that is important. And not only for big runs because a lot of my customers think or a lot of agencies or market thinks that we need large volumes to start producing something on paper and that's not true, even a one-on-one, an instant like we call, an instant of communication is possible with this type of technology. And proving that and making it worthwhile and giving, let's say, paper and print and personalized print place in that communication mix is something that's an eye-opener for a lot of marketeers in these days. - And I'm delighted to say that I'm joined this afternoon by Alex Joos. Good afternoon, Alex. - Good afternoon. - How are you doing? - I'm doing very fine. It's a very exciting afternoon. Great to be part of it. - Absolutely, thank you and thank you very much for joining us. So Alex, obviously, you know we've just all seen the video there. You clearly have a very impressive technology set up, which offers great opportunities for marketeers. You know, even down to a print run of a single piece, which I think is amazing. But tell me, what are the prerequisites to achieve this sort of efficiency? - I think it has been said in the beginning already by Mark in the keynotes that, let's say, it's not about technology and maybe we're talking about technology because you saw what we have as our equipment and it's a very wide range of equipment that we have, but it's about people. And I think that's one of the most important prerequisites that we have, meaning that we come a long way. We are 25 years already working with digital printing and digital color printing. And I think that is the most important thing that our people are experienced. They've been there, done that and that is what is happening now and that is making it all work. Of course, on the other hand you need the technology. The technology is, let's say, the basis, the platform, the workflow of what we have, but that can all be solved now. And it is solved, let's say, and I think therefore I would stress on really, make sure that you have the right people, that they have their experience and they can, they can use it. And that's very important. - It's one of the problems in a reoccurring theme, Alex, that I think we've heard for a while now, that many marketers are not aware of the possibilities that digital print can deliver. Where do you think that challenge lies? Is it an awareness of the possibilities or simply the practical implementation of it? - I think awareness is I think the key. They should maybe even find a new word for print because print has maybe for some, still the old fashioned way and now we name it digital print, but maybe that's not the right word either. So I think marketeers should reinvent the word print. I think it's more about finding out, and I think we had a very good presentations here already, in this future promotion forum, where let's say, you prove that it's all about emotion. And emotion, it can also be expressed through a medium. And we always think in communication that it needs to be digital. The only thing we're talking about is now digital transformation, but only, but paper can be a part of that communication mix and can express emotion and can wake up emotion with people. And again, coming back to people, not only on our side, on the production side but also the customers, they are in the center. And I think they sometimes really like it. And I think it we should really help marketeers see that awareness and understand it. - It's interesting Alex, you say there that, you know, you say digital print and marketeers hear the word print but they don't hear the word digital. So I guess there's a rebrand opportunity there potentially for that. And in your opinion, what else is needed to overcome some of the challenges you face? - I think the, of course we, data is, for me, not the problem anymore, it is there, but it's not the only thing. I think we need to use it in the right way. I can give you an example. We try to use as much as possible, let's say, our ProStream to do our productions for direct mails, but I too often see that we see the same images. Yes, it's personalized still in the old fashioned way, but I think we're still not do not use it enough. So I think there's a challenge there to start really using, let's say, the technology that we have, add the images and really understand what the end customer really wants. What you do with your data, because the data is there. We can move it in a, let's say, high production level to the machine, but the only thing is, the question is, when do we touch, which person with not only which message, but also with which image? And that's what we try to to explain and help our customers with, to really give them the opportunity to say, you have all the possibilities, just use it. And the other, on the other hand the nice thing about direct mail, is that you can test. You can see and start with a smaller range of tests and see whether it works. Do AB testing, do it the old fashioned way, but that's just the way that it, the possibilities are there. So we try to offer that, but I think that's sometimes not enough used.