Tackling the negative perception of physical print in a digitally-focused world can be challenging. But one campaign aims to change that – through evidence, research and providing consumers with the right information.  

This episode of Print Matters – A Canon Podcast sees host Jacky Hobson speak to Two Sides' Jonathan Tame about the dangers of misinformation about print, the impact of ‘greenwashing’ and why print has an important role to play in successful, sustainable marketing.  

Finding ways to evolve and grow a print business in an increasingly digitally-focused world can be challenging. But providing fast, high-quality solutions to the issues faced by your customers can be a great way to go above and beyond – and build up the reputation of your business. 

This episode of Print Matters – A Canon Podcast sees host Jacky Hobson speak to XIC’s ‘Ideas Man’, Jason Moir, about how providing design, project management and other creative services that your customers need can open up doors for print businesses, and why it’s so important to take the customer along the creative journey with you. 

Post-COVID, businesses have faced a perfect storm of spiralling costs, supply chain problems and energy prices. And for print companies, that means it’s more important than ever to find and hold onto talented employees who are passionate about the opportunities available in print.

This episode of Print Matters – A Canon Podcast sees co-host Jacky Hobson speak to CustomerKNECT’s Financial and Commercial Director, Neil Hoban, about the wide variety of roles available in print companies, what kind of benefits really matter to employees, and why supporting colleagues at the start of their career can leave such a lasting impact. 

In the era of TikTok advertising, influencer campaigns, and artificial intelligence, traditional marketing media can often be looked down upon. But WARC Creative’s recent report says there’s still a prominent place for print media in marketing strategies. 

This episode of Print Matters – A Canon Podcast sees co-host Jacky Hobson speak to WARC Creative’s Head of Content, Amy Rodgers, about the wealth of opportunities direct mail can bring – and why printers should consider keeping direct mail at the front of marketers’ minds. 

This instalment focuses on being knowledgeable, one of the Make It Mantras from the Canon Ascent Programme – a business development initiative designed to support Canon’s Pro Print customers now and for the future. Get started on our website: https://www.canon-europe.com/business/services/canon-ascent-programme/ 

Did you know that 90% of library cards in the UK are printed by a century-old business called Spectrum Print & Plastics? But that’s not all this veteran print and print finishing company does.

This episode of Print Matters – A Canon Podcast sees co-host Jo Lloyd speaking to Spectrum’s Managing Director, Kath Doran, about the huge changes in the print sector during recent decades – and why the current approach sustainable printing needs a rethink.

The focus of this episode is on increasing knowledge, which is one of the Make It Mantras from the Canon Ascent Programme – a business development initiative designed to support Canon’s Pro Print customers now and for the future. Get started on our website: https://www.canon-europe.com/business/services/canon-ascent-programme/

Find Kath Doran online:  
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathdoranspectrumplastics/
Website: https://spectrumplastics.co.uk

Beatrice Klose, Secretary General of EU-wide graphic trade association Intergraf, knows all too well how long the EU takes to finalise laws – and why a strong and consistent voice in Brussels is so crucial for the print sector.

In this instalment of Print Matters – A Canon Podcast, co-host Jacky Hobson speaks to Beatrice to find out how the print industry influences EU decision making, and why paper supply and recruitment are troubling print businesses following the pandemic.

The episode focuses on being proactive, which is one of the Make It Mantras from the Canon Ascent Programme – a business development initiative designed to support Canon’s Pro Print customers now and for the future. Learn more or get started: https://www.canon-europe.com/business/services/canon-ascent-programme/

Find Beatrice Klose online:  
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beatrice-klose
Twitter: @BeaKlose
Website: https://www.intergraf.eu
Print Your Future: https://printyourfuture.eu

Has GDPR shrunk your database? Worried your digital marketing reach is not what it once was?

Door drop marketing could be the antidote. Co-host Jacky Hobson speaks to Mark Davies, Managing Director of Whistl Doordrop Media, to explore why door drop marketing is on the front foot, how regulation has levelled the playing field between print and digital and how the advertising industry can get set up for print’s new golden age.

This instalment focuses on being confident, which is one of the Make It Mantras from the Canon Ascent Programme – a business development initiative designed to support Canon’s Pro Print customers now and for the future. Get started on our website: https://www.canon-europe.com/business/services/canon-ascent-programme/

Find Mark Davies online:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-davies-67998113/ 

In this episode of Print Matters – A Canon Podcast, co-hostJo Lloyd speaks to Brendan Perring, General Manager at the IPIA (Independent Print Industries Association) to explore what the IPIA actually does for its members as well as his hot takes on the print industry at large.

According to Brendan, being part of the IPIA has three key benefits for members:
1) Training, marketing and other educational resources 
2) Cost savings on everything from website design to credit checking
3) Access to new business leads at various networking events

The IPIA is currently working on a research project entitled, ‘Creating new narratives for print’ to educate print buyers on the power and impact of print as a channel to market with the intention of growing overall print volumes so the whole industry benefits.

Brendan concluded by revealing that if he had one word of advice for print businesses today, it would be: ecommerce.

Listen to the full episode for more on how ecommerce is a vital tool for generating revenue growth and building stronger customer relationships.

The Canon Ascent Programme is an initiative designed to support Canon’s Pro Print customers and help them future-proof their businesses. Get started on our website: https://canon.sm/PrintMattersPodcast

Find Brendan Perring online:
Twitter: @brendan_perring
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendan-perring-a69a4215/  

Jos also stresses the need for businesses to create a culture that matches the mindset of Millennials and Gen Zs at a time when talent is in short supply: A culture of constant innovation. 

The Canon Ascent Programme is all about fostering innovation through insight, supporting Canon’s Pro Print customers now and for the future. Get started on our website: https://canon.sm/PrintMattersPodcast

Find Jos Steutelings online:
Twitter: @jsteutelings
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsteutelings/ 

Change, it’s said, is the only constant. And change is an area with which acclaimed author and applied futurist Tom Cheesewright is particularly familiar. He splits his time between future gazing, making predictions about what will impact business and society next, and applying those predictions to his consultative practice. Organisations ask Tom what they should be excited about, where they might need to proceed with caution, and how best to prepare for the coming months and years. 

In this episode, Jo Lloyd gets Tom’s take on the future of printing. He discusses the impact of the pandemic on attitudes toward print and digital, hybrid working and what he calls the age of ‘high frequency change’. 

Tom envisions a world where businesses will have to build for adaptation, not optimisation, in order to keep up with fast-changing customer expectations. He describes a three-pronged approach to future-proofing a printing company’s operations, embracing two of our Make It Mantras: Be Different and Be Agile. 

The Canon Ascent Programme is a business development initiative, designed to support Canon’s Pro Print customers now and for the future. Get started on our website: https://canon.sm/PrintMattersPodcast

Find Tom Cheesewright online:
Twitter: @bookofthefuture
Instagram: @bookofthefuture
Website: https://tomcheesewright.com/ 

Discover Tom’s books, here:
https://tomcheesewright.com/future-proof-your-business/
https://tomcheesewright.com/high-frequency-change/

Is print media dead? Not in the slightest. So where are its ambassadors? 

In this episode, Jacky Hobson discusses the potential impact of Canon’s Insight report on print’s perception gap with consultant Ulbe Jelluma. He uses compelling statistics and evidence for the tactile, sensorial impact of print on paper to make an impassioned argument for the next era of print marketing. 

As a marketing and advertising specialist with a long-term focus on the effectiveness of marketing spend, Ulbe knows why printers can afford to be far more confident in what they offer marketers. Here, he provides some of the tools print providers need to communicate print’s power to engage and persuade.  

This episode of Print Matters focuses on being confident, one of the Make It Mantras from the Canon Ascent Programme – a business development initiative designed to support Canon’s Pro Print customers now and for the future. Get started on our website: https://canon.sm/PrintMattersPodcast

Find Ulbe Jelluma online:

Twitter: @Ulbe
Website: https://www.printpower.eu/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jelluma/

Print is not only alive and kicking, it’s evolving. Paper already offers a trusted medium proven to speed up users’ purchasing decisions, but with new technologies that allow digital journeys to be embedded directly into static print assets, the game is changing. 

The most obvious example of where paper meets digital is QR codes. But have you heard of visual commerce? That’s just one of the subjects tackled by Stefano Biondi, co-founder and director of Phuzion Media, in this episode’s discussion with Jacky Hobson. 

Phuzion Media’s image recognition platform combines traditional media and digital content with the aim of creating more connected customer experiences. Join Stefano and Jacky to explore the opportunities that this new technology is creating for print and its vital role in the media campaigns of tomorrow. 

This episode of Print Matters focuses on being accountable, one of the Make It Mantras from the Canon Ascent Programme – a business development initiative designed to support Canon’s Pro Print customers now and for the future. Get started on our website: https://canon.sm/PrintMattersPodcast

Find Stefano Biondi online:

Website: https://www.phuzion.media
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/phuzion-media/
Stefano’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mr-stefano-biondi/

How can PSPs get more involved with data and personalisation? What are the barriers to doing so and what do printers have to do to get round them? Where do you start? 

For many PSPs, working with data may be uncharted waters. But having access to the right data is the key to creating multi-channel, personalised campaigns that span print and digital effectively. 

In this episode, Jacky Hobson speaks with Chris Dawson  from Databroker, an organisation that provides B2B sales data for its clients’ marketing campaigns. Together, they explore why the smart deployment of data represents a compelling revenue opportunity for print service providers – and one many aren’t yet exploiting. As Chris says, joining the conversation is the first step.  

This episode of Print Matters focuses on being digital, one of the Make It Mantras from the Canon Ascent Programme – a business development initiative designed to support Canon’s Pro Print customers now and for the future. Get started on our website: https://canon.sm/PrintMattersPodcast

Find Chris Dawson online:

Website: https://www.data-broker.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Databroker
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/databroker/
Chris’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisdawsondatabroker/ 

Canon’s Insight Report found that brands and agencies continue to set aside significant budget for print marketing materials. But with buyers wanting more input from printers, and younger marketers being less exposed to printed media, the onus is on print service providers to be creative, proactive, and more vocal than ever when it comes to the possibilities and power of print. 

In this episode of Print Matters, Jacky Hobson talks with Sarah Burns, Head of Media Solutions at media consultancy firm Join the Dots*. She is also the Deputy Chair of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) Print Council, which continues to do excellent work in getting the UK excited about print. 

Hear about the return of scratch and sniff ads, a chocolate letter from the Royal Mail and what Sarah feels printers need to do to prove the value of print in the age of digital.  

This episode focuses on being creative, one of the Make It Mantras from the Canon Ascent Programme – a business development initiative designed to support Canon’s Pro Print customers now and for the future. Get started on our website: https://canon.sm/PrintMattersPodcast

*In the podcast you will hear Sarah’s agency referred to by its previous name, Edit. Edit’s Connected Acquisition team rebranded as Join the Dots in January 2022.

Find Sarah Burns online:

Twitter: @wejoindots
Instagram: @wejoindots
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-burns-nee-dabrowski-a0a6b44/
Website: https://wejointhedots.co.uk/
DMA website: https://dma.org.uk 

What does added value mean for a print service provider? And why does it matter? That’s one of the themes Rupert Smith, CEO of Halstan, tackles with Jo Lloyd in this episode of Print Matters.  

Over 100 years ago, Rupert's great-grandfather founded the business that would become an acclaimed international book printer and binder. Today, Rupert has a vision for the company that would have been unimaginable even a few years ago. The introduction of social media marketing campaigns in 2020, for example, has quickly expanded Halstan’s customer base.

Rupert’s vision involves both being consultative – guiding clients through the production steps, paper types and possibilities that will help them realise their creative vision – and investing in technologies that will reduce the overall cost of bringing books to market. He tells Halstan’s story with a passion and expertise that clearly demonstrates his publishing pedigree.  

The Canon Ascent Programme is a business development initiative designed to support Canon’s Pro Print customers now and for the future. Get started on our website: https://canon.sm/PrintMattersPodcast