EXTEND ? Flexible R Us

Global Designers/Printers/Finishers all work in a world of ever shorter run lengths and ever more absurd client delivery needs; in a phrase -

 time-pressed / over-stressed.

Thus, at the request of many of these fine folks, the International Gallery entry deadline has been extended until 30 July 2010.

Testimonial marketing works, always has, always will.  That photo was found on the website of Sentinel Printing based in St. Cloud, Minnesota, a firm that regularly wins in the International Gallery and also won the Best of Show in the 2010 Central Minnesota local area chapter Gallery event.  The photo salutes Chad Corey the author of an AWARD WINNING graphic novel called Tales of Tralodren which has won both Chad as client, and Sentinel as printer partner, oodles of residual marketing opportunities.  The picture says it all!  And here is the link to the Sentinel Awards section of their website: 

Now, as we are fervent believers in the power of the International Gallery, we see the cross-marketing symbiosis that derives when Sentinel salutes Chad and Chad salutes Sentinel and who is to say when Chad will be sitting at a convention of fellow graphic novelists who want to know who prints his books, and voila, new business opportunities arise from marketing of past Gallery success? 

We know this, as we send new business possibilities to printers and other graphic professionals every single business day and we always send these leads to folks whose expertise we were made aware of by virtue of their past International Gallery entry participation. 

And frankly, what we don't know is why any printer or other graphic professional would forego the opportunity to honor an existing client as per the photo above, or to have a chance to see unexpected new business. 

Isn't that the logic of most business: take good care of existing clientele and be open and welcoming to new customers too?  But maybe you need to hear it phrased in the words of a longtime entrant/winner in each successive International Gallery event.  This is what Hopkins Printing in Columbus Ohio told us:  .

In a message dated 12/11/2009 7:11:48 A.M. Central Standard Time, waterhouse@hopkins.com writes: 

Hi Kevin!

 

That's funny - I  must be dyslexic too because I didn't notice the "prinring," typo, neither did any of our sales reps!! 

 

I would LOVE for you to ship them today, or next week if that's better for you. 

 

There are many reasons why this is my favorite contest - first of all, it's international.  Our customers are always surprised to know their piece won a print contest with people from Hong Kong, England and everywhere in between.  Next - The award is a really nice looking plaque - colorful, wooden, easy to hang...  Also, once we hear that we've won we can expect to get the awards in our hands within a couple weeks (or however long it takes me to get the exact wording they want on their plaques!).  And - that is the best part of your award - you give me the time and availability to word the award exactly as we would like it.  I just thought of another great Gallery point - the cost of your award is included in the entry fee. 

 

I don't know if I've told you this, but we stopped competing in the PIA Benny contest about 5 years ago when they instituted a $45 fee to change any part of the award from the way you entered it.  (They want all awards to go to Hopkins Printing and for us to pay $95 to get duplicates for all our customers.) 

 

So - thank you for making it easy for printers.  Thanks for all you do Kevin. 

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Michelle

So dear urgent entrant, just pretend you're Eric Idle doing a Monty Python skit:

"Say no more!  Say no more! Just tell me where to find the Call for Entries with the extended flexibility of the 30 July entry deadline,  I have good current customers who just might be tickled if their project wins an International Award (note to self, must promise to market any and all success) and I can always use more customers!"  The Call for Entries with entry date revisions can be obtained by e-mailing kkeane1069@aol.com or by visiting the Gallery section of the IAPHC website www.iaphc.org and looking under the Gallery button for the sub-button "Call for Entries." As noted above the entry deadline is revised til 30 July 2010.

Further note to self, "I will not limit my marketing to the print and graphics industry trade press, it's all well and good that my erstwhile competitor and lawn darts partner Jim-Bob Gill-hooey, of Jim-Bob's Emporium of Print and Taxidermy (we sell egg rolls too) is gonna read about my success on behalf of my client(s), but the folks I really want to read about it are NOT in my industry, they are current or prospective customers who might be in my town, or they might be half a world away. "

INTERNATIONAL entries still roll in:  On 13 July we collected 16 gorgeous entries from The Lowe-Martin Group in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; and we are very glad to see Tucker Printers in Rochester, New York (a Consolidated Graphics company) continue its annual patronage of the International Gallery; and 12 very drinkable wine labels from Collotype Labels (part of Multi-Color Corporation) in Mile End South, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa; and 7 superlative web offset entries from recent Web Offset Award winner Evergreen Printing & Publishing in balmy Bellmawr, New Jersey; and 9 entries from Metro Label with plants in Napa, Vancouver and Toronto and Montreal; and a courier envelope with the payment details for the 60 entries from C&C Offset Printing Company Ltd. in Tai Po, The New Territories, Hong Kong and 3 great envelope entries from Premier Envelope in Vancouver, and Edmonton and Calgary, and an additional entry (his fifth) from John Robinson, president of Artcraft Label in Burlington, Ontario who sent us a promotional label he ran for Nilpeter USA, which was so well received by the maker of flexo presses that they sent it on to world headquarters in Denmark to be displayed at Label Expo Europe.  Oh and one more very secure parcel sent by:

Dear Sir,
       Hope you have received all our lenticular entries on time. Kindly intimate us for the same. Eagerly awaiting for the results, so keep in touch.

Thanks,

Vinit Jadhav

Taco Visions Pvt. Ltd
38 A & B Government Industrial Estate,
Kandivali West, Mumbai - 400 067
India

And we reflect again on Michelle Waterhouse's comment:  "Our customers are always surprised to know their piece won a print contest with people from Hong Kong, England and everywhere in between."

If you are a member of the IAPHC Facebook or LinkedIn Group pages (all are welcomed!) you may recall that we recently posted a link from C&C Offset:

http://www.candcprinting.com/eng/news/news_all_detail.aspx?NewsNo=101

You are cordially invited to join the above noted firms to take advantage of the marketing/public relations/customer relations management bonanza that an International Award Winning imprimatur can bestow upon your firm. 

REMINDER on NEW Ship-To Address:  

The Resco Reveal

We happened across a News Release from Resco in Hudson, Wisconsin on 19 June, (the superb photo above comes from that release) and wrote about it in the following e-mail to the IAPHC Board of Directors.  John Knutson, president of Resco replied in an e-mail we include below the note to the Board.

Gallery entry participation can thrill your existing clientele with awards won; engage your employee team in the value of their work; and provide a marketing bonanza including PR opportunities and unexpected new business to boot.  The picture tells the tale of this trifecta of triumph.

YOU don't want to miss out!

Now some observant soul might note that the headline to this article seems oddly purple, almost Viking like purple, but of course, that is highly implausible