Last Friday, the Los Angeles Times featured a faux-cover with a HUGE picture of Johnny Depp as the Madhatter in promotion of the opening of Alice in Wonderland.If this isn’t advertising, I don’t know what is.To take out a full-color ad creating a cover wrap for the newspaper is big-doings for Disney, who must have some faith that the print media will reach audiences.
We can all admit that LA is a world of its own.What we think of as a normal size billboard is barely comparable to the city’s gargantuan displays that border its roads.With that in mind, this type of advertising would probably only happen in The City of Angels.Nevertheless, Disney is relying on the old school newspaper as one of its many advertising avenues for what proved to be an absolute hit.Alice in Wonderland became the best March release in history and biggest 3D movie ever, grossing $116.3 million during opening weekend!It’s doubtful that Disney’s advertisement in the LA Times alone made the movie move pass Avatar in its opening weekend, but it is also doubtful that Disney would spend somewhere in the range of $700,000 on something that didn’t specifically go toward its bottom line.
Yes, newspapers are suffering throughout the United States and around the world.But, the Alice in Wonderland advertisement shows that there is still a pulse for the newspaper industry. While the main objective of this ad was to entice people to go see the movie, it may have also helped sell newspapers, which ads rarely do.It would not be surprising if little Susie saw the front cover, begged her mother to buy it for her so she could hang it on her wall and cherish it (or have nightmares) for years to come.There are plenty of people that love the feel of newspaper, and yes, even that the ink gets all over your hands – although I can’t relate to that one!
The U.S. newspaper industry lost $7.5 billion in advertising revenues during 2008 according to the Newspaper Association of America.Historically, newspapers thrived on their advertising revenues.Without them, the papers can’t exist, at least not in the form they do today.
The Los Angeles Times took a concept developed on the web and moved it to print, something that is typically done in the opposite direction.The LA Times differentiated itself with this innovative ad and Disney debuted a new type of advertising while launching what will prove to be one of the biggest movies of the year.
While this is an amazing effort by the LA Times in offering innovative advertising options, the newspaper industry is expected to continue to decline.Even more reason to buy them while you can!Way to go LA Times and Disney – extending the life of the newspaper industry one movie advertisement at a time!
Disclaimer: Yes, I am the print media analyst at gap intelligence
A few months ago gap intelligence told the world, well at least those that read our blog or follow us on Twitter, that MicroCenter’s toner aisle was a complete disaster. For someone that visits this store each month, the process of moving all the toner boxes to find part numbers and price tags, write that info down, re-stack, grab another misplaced toner to find the price tag over and over and over again – was inhumane torture.
BUT, I am happy to report that the issue was addressed and the toner aisle looked AMAZING. Well, alright, it looked as good as a toner aisle at MicroCenter can look I suppose. The products were organized by manufacturer and like-items were grouped together. What a concept!
When I was in the infamous toner aisle earlier this week I heard the floor manager say to one of the sales associates how great the re-stacked and reorganized aisle looked. I turned towards that same sales associate and seconded that motion, telling him that I visit all the time and can vouch for how great the new aisle is. His response, “It only took me three hours this morning!”
Well, MicroCenter sales guy – I appreciate the effort and am happy that I stumbled in your store the day you organized the toner aisle. Always remember, toner is a precious profit, so keep that aisle organized!
When you think Dunkin’ Donuts, you think coffee, right? Well, that wasn’t always the case.
Dunkin’ Donuts was known for being the most popular donut business until Krispy Kreme came around and stole its thunder with its sweet treats. Sadly, the Atkins’ carb-free diet gained popularity soon after Krispy Kreme’s expansion to the market, putting both of these companies into troubled waters. Why is Dunkin’ Donuts still found on every block in the East Coast, while Krispy Kreme closed stores as fast as it opened them? Adaptation.
Dunkin’ Donuts transformed its focus from donuts to coffee. By concentrating on beverages and offering them at a decent price, Dunkin’ Donuts came out on top. Rather than accepting the demise of the high-fat and calorie-ridden donut as the end of the company, Dunkin’ Donuts found another area to gain market share and appeal to consumers.
As Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Although Darwin originally created his theory of evolution to the animal kingdom, Social Darwinism applies to society, and in this case an industry’s survival and evolution in the global marketplace.
What do donuts have to do with the printing industry? Demand for paper is on the decline and printing consumables have never received more criticism for their high prices or subjected to so much competition from third parties. While many people predict that the printing industry will fall further down the hole to irrelevancy and eventually disappear altogether, the answer to saving the industry is simply: adaptation.
The challenges facing the printing industry do not discriminate – they range from the consumer market all the way up to the commercial printing space. Among the most wide-spread challenges for the commercial printing market are initiatives such as President Obama’s proposed Electronic Medical Records bill. While the transition to electronic medical records has the potential to greatly improve the way we are cared for, the impact to the printing industry will be substantial. This bill will be the first major initiative to collectively reduce the nation’s printing needs by millions of dollars. Some estimates show that if the US healthcare industry switched from paper to an electronic system, the country could save $30 billion annually.
Another government mandate that is posing obstacles to the commercial printing business is California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s recently proposed Free Digital Textbook Initiative. The proposal will remove all text books from the state’s school system and replace them with digital alternatives. The goal of the initiative is to help California avoid bankruptcy as the state estimates that it spends approximately $350 million annually on text books.
The office printing segment is challenged to find ways to stay relevant as society pushes for the paperless office. Similarly, consumers are shying away from printing every email and note and saving them to hard drives. Even photo printing, which was expected to revive the consumer printing market has declined with the tough economy and the onset of online photo sharing sites.
Within both the consumer and office-focused printing segments, several companies are attempting to find ways to continue to grow print, even when it means changing.
Xerox has commented on the inevitable shift from paper to digital in the office. The company stresses that it is a document company and if documents change so will it. This is exactly the type of behavior that is necessary for the industry to maintain its size and relevance. While the average consumer may think Xerox is a copier company, Xerox defines itself as a document company. Xerox is working to develop tools to help companies with Paperless Document Management, an extension of the increasingly popular and important concept of Managed Print Services (MPS). As demand moves further away from the printed document and closer to digital, software surrounding Paperless Document Management will become increasingly more important and a core advantage of Xerox.
HP is the most recent printer company to take a leap of faith and bring new ideas to the consumer marketplace. Most recently, HP unveiled its latest inkjet printer, the Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart, which is the first printer to directly connect to the web without the need of a computer. The printer is among the most inventive devices to come out of the inkjet printer industry since its introduction in 1971.
The TouchSmart is the first device to offer HP’s App Store, which enables users to print various documents at the touch of a button and without the use of a PC. The open-source HP App Store, very similar to the Apple App Store, will give thousands of programmers the opportunity to create inventive applications and potentially give users new ways to use their printers. And that’s exactly what the consumer printer industry needs in order to survive: bring further ease of use and a fresh face to inkjet printing. Although this first generation product may not become the most popular printer on the block, it is sure to get HP’s competition to think about how they will compete with this latest innovation.
With the introduction of the new HP printer with TouchSmart, the entire way we think of printing may change in a way that is similar to how the iPhone changed the cell phone. The printer’s 4.33-inch LCD screen gives countless possibilities to the types of apps that will soon be available. While HP included such apps as ticket printing from Fandango and maps from Google, programmers will think of things to do with this printer that no one has thought of before. Since users do not need to use a PC to access certain documents, they may be more inclined to print something they may not otherwise. If it takes 25 seconds to pull up a recipe and print it compared to 3 minutes to start up the computer and get to the proper website, printing will be the more desirable action.
The most notable aspect of the innovation that was introduced with this new printer is that it really has nothing to do with the printer itself. The HP App Store does not promise the usual things that new printers bring such as faster print times, new ink formulations, larger paper trays, or the ability to easily fit different paper sizes. The technology HP introduced is not specific to printing, which may seem strange, but is actually HP’s entire strategy. The printer is simply the vehicle to introduce the HP App Store and this new way of making life easier to the general public. HP’s initial $399 offering is not going to appeal to the most basic printer customer, but it will start to make people see what is available and what they will eventually want. HP may make its App Store available on all of its devices in the future.
The Touchsmart is a sign that HP does not plan to lose its spot as the top inkjet printer company in the world. The company continues to bring new products, adapt, and innovate at a time when sales are not at their highest and consumer confidence remains low. The Photosmart Premium with Touchsmart will bring HP an exceptional amount of attention and while it will not be the company’s best seller, the Touchsmart will be the beginning to something great. If nothing else, the Photosmart Premium with Touchsmart is innovation at its best. HP is gambling with its App Store by offering this product first. The product may flop, but most likely it will lead to further innovation and get the industry moving once again.
The printing industry needs to find its sweet spot – it must identify ways to remain relevant in a changing society. The shift to digital format will bring other needs including data management, security, transport of the digital documents, etc. The industry has an opportunity to grow and prosper if it can identify its strengths, rid itself of its weaknesses, and adapt.
?We are recycling not only to protect the environment, but for economic reasons as well. Disposal is simply too costly and too dangerous. The challenge is to redirect the flow of raw materials going to landfill into strengthening our declining local economies. The solution to pollution is self-reliant cities and counties.?
-Neil Seldman, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 1990
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word ?recycle??? Is it the environment or is it how recycling impacts the economy?? While the environment is a direct beneficiary of recycling, businesses all around the world profit from developing recycled products and using recycled materials ranging from paper to energy.? Without the economic benefits of recycling, the practice would stay limited to the crunchy hippies living in Northern Arizona.? As the economy continues to weaken, recycling has been thrown on the back burner and is not reaping the same returns it did when the markets were booming.
Clearly the recycling industry experiences both push and pull movements.? Environmental groups have been trying to grow the popularity and acceptance of recycling for decades.? Now that Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio have declared global warming a massive threat, the public is taking note and realizing that recycling is not only good for the environment but is ?cool.?? People see the benefits that recycling has on their lives socially and economically.? However, the future of recycling depends on the strength of the economy and without those benefits recycling becomes a secondary thought.
In the past, recycling was mainly associated with milk cartons and cardboard packaging, but has recently extended into the electronics realm.? Best Buy offers nationwide free recycling programs for a multitude of electronics.? Although such endeavors have inclined Best Buy to help the environment, the retailer?s main motivation is its bottom line, as it knows that recycling is important to consumers for various reasons.? Best Buy has a ?Field of Dreams? mentality ? if you build it they will come, and knows that electronics recycling will increase traffic to its stores.
Both the social and economic attributes of recycling have helped the cause grow.? However, the industry is now struggling as companies attempt to stay afloat and sustainable products sink to the bottom of the priority list.? Many cities thrive on selling their used goods, including Minnesota?s $3 billion recycling industry.? The state depends on recycled goods and over the past few months demand has drastically dropped as a result of the strained economy.
While we may often forget, recycling is a global industry.? China is among the world?s largest importers of recycled waste and collects a huge portion of recycled material from the US and England and then returns finished goods.? As demand for material items has dropped, China?s importing has also declined, leaving countries like the US and England with thousands of tons of recycled waste.? The mounds of recycled waste wait in product purgatory until they are made into new products or get dumped into a landfill.
?My hobby of not attending meetings about recycling saves more energy than your hobby of recycling.?
-John McCarthy
One growing argument is that recycling takes more energy than it is worth.? Although it is a proven fact that recycling is beneficial to the environment, there are many residual effects of the recycling industry.? A critical eye has been cast on those industries that have a negative impact on the environment.? However, does recycling use more energy to produce goods than the power consumed to make brand new items?? Is our yearning for a paper-free office actually generating more fossil fuels in the process?? How can recycling help us economically when it uses more resources than the alternative?
“Solid wastes” are the discarded leftovers of our advanced consumer society. This growing mountain of garbage and trash represents not only an attitude of indifference toward valuable natural resources, but also a serious economic and public health problem.?
- Jimmy Carter
While it takes energy to make energy and produce recycled goods, we will eventually be able to employ reusable energy to make these products.? Until then, we will have to accept the fact that it may take more energy than we are saving.? Recycling creates jobs while incinerating garbage is basically a one-man act.? The paper industry remains among the largest consumers of natural resources.? Despite the internet and the advent of digital documents, paper is not going away.? The industry accommodates consumers by offering recycled products but continues to fight the notion that it does not harm the environment to the extent that it does.
Industries need to think long term, even though the short term is staring them in the face.? It is simple economics, the short term may appear more attractive, but in fact it is those that plan for the long term that ultimately achieves success.? While paper will not go away in the near future, the industry is struggling from much lower demand.? Improving production methods, using alternative energy, and modernizing equipment will help the paper industry gain an upper hand.? While product development takes time and money, it will surely be beneficial in the long run.
We know that recycling is driven by market conditions.? But we also know that recycling can help us secure a more efficient future.? We need to think long term.? We need to work to maintain recycling efforts in offices and at home and continue purchasing recycled products.
“You can tell how high a society is by how much of its garbage is recycled.”
-Dhyani Ywahoo
Is it possible that upholding these environmental initiatives could actually help us get out of the current economic crisis?? At the moment, it seems like a vicious cycle and no one is sure where it will go.? We must not abandon the positive impacts recycling has had on our society as times get tough.? The markets will turn, and it would be beneficial to us all to have recycling and other efforts in place when Wall Street rebounds.
?The case for recycling is strong. The bottom line is clear. Recycling requires a trivial amount of our time. Recycling saves money and reduces pollution. Recycling creates more jobs than dumping in landfills or incineration. And a largely ignored but very important consideration, recycling reduces our need to dump our garbage in someone else’s backyard.?
-David Morris of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance
This past Sunday I participated in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s annual walk. The route took us past the beaches of Point Loma and was enjoyed by thousands of people young and old. Our group alone ranged from toddlers to two 85 year olds!
The walk was unlike any other I have ever participated in before. Usually, everyone is rushing to get started but this walk seemed much more relaxed and family oriented. The event even allowed people to bring their dogs, which is rarer than one would think! People were strolling by and being encouraged by the excited cheerleaders along the way. I am not sure what made the walk so special, but there was definitely something in the air. Thousands of people came together in one place to support a cause they care about. With this walk in particular, you could see that it was a very special event. People were full of emotion and pride.
Following the walk, we all met back at a park near Liberty Station. At similar events, volunteers would hand out oranges or other goodies, but MS Event provided pizza and chicken fingers and tons of drinks. Nevertheless, I sat and took in the atmosphere and really appreciated all the work that went into putting on such an event. The number of donations and volunteers was astounding. I definitely enjoyed the walk and was glad I could get out and support the cause and hopefully each one of our efforts helped get a little closer to finding a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. Pistol Whipped dvdripMamma Roma download
There are a variety of browsers to choose from including Internet Explorer, Mozilla, and Google’s updated Chrome 2. Of course, if you are lucky enough to own a Mac (my bias, not gap intel’s) there is always Safari. The difference between the browsers goes beyond appearances including speed, formatting, and application compatibility. PC World MagazineDeep Impact hdLast of the Living video
5 Card Stud trailer decided to test out which browser actually won the speed test when loading sites and to my chagrin Safari did not win. However, to those that just LOVE Google, you can stand proud, as Chrome won the majority of tests including loading MySpace and Wikipedia, which it loaded in 1.12 and 1.43 seconds, respectively. But don’t fret Safari users – the browser loaded Amazon’s homepage fastest!
In our small office alone, three out of the four browsers are utilized on a daily basis. Some prefer Chrome while most click on that orange fox for Firefox. A few are still probably using Internet Explorer but are encouraged not to, except for specific applications. That said, who would notice the difference between 1 and 3 seconds. Those loyal to Mozilla will still pick the browser over the faster Chrome if they like the appearance and feature set of it more.
As the Internet becomes even more saturated in our daily lives, the browser has become nearly as important as a computers operating system. With that has come competition from developers and the result has been a giant steroid injection of innovation – something we have not seen in the OS world in many years. Speed aside, it will be applications that deem which browser is given the blue ribbon ? much like what we are seeing in smart phones and game consoles. It was Halo that spiked sales of Microsoft’s XBOX over Sony’s play station, not an improved hardware processor or faster networking card. Its the user interface and application store that has lead to the iPhone’s dominance in the smart phone market, not multiple applications processes and dual processors, blah, blah, blah. And for the browsers – it will be some new application, compatibility, or platform that will decide the winner. Not for nothing, but it will probably be the linking of those three devices – computer, television (games), and the smart phone into a single online platform will win. I can’t wait to see.
and think to yourself how outlandish some of the security tactics or gadgets are?? I grew up watching James Bond movies and relished in the amazing inventions that 007 used to solve crimes.? Well, Sony is moving us one step closer to obtaining technology that was once only a fantasy found in movies.? The company?s new Mofiria uses a CMOS sensor to identify the veins in one?s finger and generate security for personal devices such as computers or mobile phones.
Finger vein authentication technology is the next generation of security methods and follows a principle that is similar to fingerprinting.? Each person?s finger vein patterns are unique and are believed to remain consistent throughout a person?s lifetime.? Sony?s Mofiria technology uses the CMOS sensor to capture diagonally scattered light.? With the company?s new technology, the finger does not necessarily have to be positioned the same way each time.? The technology will account for differences and correct the discrepancies.? Sony says that the technology has a False Rejection Rate of less than 0.1 percent and a False Acceptance Rate of less than 0.0001 percent.? The process takes around 0.015 seconds with a computer and approximately 0.25 seconds when the device is attached to a mobile phone.
Sony has taken the concept of fingerprinting, made it a bit more complicated, and automated the security feature for personal use.? As people begin storing more important information on their computers and cell phones, it is becoming necessary to advance security devices.? Laptops started coming outfitted with finger print identification pads a few years back, although I do not personally know anyone that actually uses the feature.? Fingerprint security systems are much more popular in the commercial area.? Copiers are often equipped with the technology to identify who is printing what.? In addition, banks and other institutions with high security needs often install fingerprint analysis devices on most points of entry.
Other applications where fingerprinting has become popular and is used less for security than for convenience is in schools and validating registration.? Interestingly, the popular 24 Hour Fitness gyms began utilizing fingerprint identification technology to eliminate the use for cards.?? At first glance, I thought this was a bit excessive considering it is a gym and not the Secret Service ? but I suppose that it makes sense cost-wise for the company.? They eliminate the necessity to generate cards with a one time investment into some technology.? After several rounds of testing, the fingerprint identification security feature was found to be quite susceptible to fraud.? Intruders could create fake fingerprints using gel molds, which forces developers to create more safeguards against this type of breach.
To purchase and use finger vein authentication technology, someone must have some seriously private information on their mobile devices.? Sony plans to begin selling the product sometime during 2009.? Pricing has not yet been announced, but it will likely take a minor investment to implement the technology.? Sony has taken a concept that is widely popular in the commercial world, kicked it up a notch, and is offering it in the consumer market.? Exact details remain unknown about what the vein identification will actually be compatible with.? Sony is known to develop proprietary technology, leading us to believe that the new device will only work with Sony laptops, although this remains speculative.
The technology that was once only imagined in Hollywood is beginning to take a front seat in our every day lives.? I can?t wait till the Jetsons? days begin and all I have to do to get my eggs and toast in the morning is press a button!!Taken download
Want to view all available product listings? Go to Froogle.? Want to read up on the news? Go to Google News. Want to search a database of pictures? Go to Google Images.? Want to understand the financial world? Go to Google Finance.? Want to act like an astronaut and visit Mars? Go to Google Earth 5.0.? You read correctly ? Google now enables users to explore Mars in a similar manner as they can view Earth.
The application was developed in conjunction with NASA and while it is intended for entertainment purposes, Google and NASA hope scientists will also use it to explore the vastly unknown planet.? Google Earth Mars lets users fly along the planet exploring the landscape, searching desert lands, and navigating across vast mountain ranges.
It is quite amazing to think that all one has to do to visit Mars is click on Google Earth Mars, and there they are! It was not so long ago that people barely believed that humans actually touched down on the moon.? The fact that we can now upload pictures of another planet and explore it as if it were our own backyard is quite remarkable.? If you are anything like me, we take for granted what is available on the internet.? It is as if all that information, data, pictures, and everything else just exists out there in cyberspace.? But, in fact, thousands of people are responsible for getting all that stuff on the internet for our exploration.
As developments such as Google Earth Mars become more popular, we will also forget that not so long ago we could barely call each other long distance without making a huge production, or send pictures quickly to our grandparents, or even correspond with anyone more than a few hundred miles away without waiting a week.? Who knows what Google will bring us next!!!!Journey to the Center of the Earth film
OnLatte isn?t letting Starbucks have all the fun with coffee. Founders Josh Grob (as I have come to learn half way through writing this article is the cousin of our very own Jake Fishman) and Oleksiy Pikalo have created a printer than can produce different images on the foam of a latte. While there are baristas across the country that pride themselves in the art, OnLatte has automated the technique, how American! Christmas in Wonderland buyA Yank in the R.A.F. dvd
The two inventors are currently using an old Kodak inkjet that they attached to a flatbed scanner to produce the images. The company is not ready to stop at lattes either as they have visions of making designs on the top of Guinness beer foam! The small start up company has yet to patent their invention or gain the $200,000 investment that they will need to produce a machine ready to sell to coffee shops nationwide.
As a former Starbucks barista myself, I will say that this is quite an extraordinary invention. Starbucks does not currently make designs on lattes, largely because of time constraints as well as the majority of customers wanting their beverages in to-go cups with solid white lids. With such an automated device however, I could see a mainstream coffee shop offering up the little extra something with your double tall extra hot two pumps sugar-free vanilla skinny latte. So, although we think customization in the coffee world has peaked as customers order their 5 minute long coffee preferences, let?s add one more thing to the mix!!
timed promotions, early store openings ? a stop watch
c.?
animal instinct to win d.?
desperation
Black Friday expectations were lower than normal, but no one would have guessed that the day would bring the tragic death of Walmart employee, Jdimytai Damour.? Customers lined up outside a Long Island Walmart preparing to purchase their bargain televisions and at 5 a.m. when Damour was instructed to open the doors, a rush of people trampled him to death.? One would think that humanity would leave the store immediately once authorities arrived and began investigating a person?s death.? But this crowd of consumers was so self involved that some were appalled at the very thought of abandoning the supercenter of discounts due to the inconvenient death of another human being.
The unfortunate death of Damour was the result of the growing disease of consumerism in this country.? As the economy continues to struggle and people pinch every penny, the desire to get a deal on that TV or camera becomes more important than life itself.? Although shoppers may have less money to spend they still covet – we want what our neighbors cannot have.? Consumers are addicted and obsessed with getting the best deal at whatever cost.? Each year, we read endless news accounts of that mom or dad pushing their way through the toy store to get the next Tickle Me Elmo toy for their 5-year old child that will likely not remember or appreciate the gift in 20 minutes.
The question remains, whose responsibility is it to ensure that shopping events such as Black Friday are safe? The retailers – they can do only so much to blockade the stampedes of animalistic shoppers.? Consumers are at a point of desperation where they have no regard for the public when it comes to getting the best deal.? Will retailers have to hire police task forces to make people stand in single file lines in order to contain the masses? Shouldn?t we, the consumer, be able to control ourselves?
So what now? Will consumers think twice about the importance of their $25 DVD players?? At least for a short time America is looking a bit more embarrassed in the mirror about the consequences of the consumer driven economy we have created.? Retailers and electronics manufacturers, alike, depend on holiday sales to get them through the rest of the year.? We have built a mentality that encourages people to wake up early or even camp out at stores days in advance when they have a hard time getting up for work in the morning.? If the motivation to get that one deal was as strong as the motivation to help the environment, feed the hungry, or stop wars, maybe we would be a lot better off.
Clearly the recycling industry experiences both push and pull movements.? Environmental groups have been trying to grow the popularity and acceptance of recycling for decades.? Now that Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio have declared global warming a massive threat, the public is taking note and realizing that recycling is not only good for the environment but is ?cool.?? People see the benefits that recycling has on their lives socially and economically.? However, the future of recycling depends on the strength of the economy and without those benefits recycling becomes a secondary thought.
rson?s finger vein patterns are unique and are believed to remain consistent throughout a person?s lifetime.? Sony?s Mofiria technology uses the CMOS sensor to capture diagonally scattered light.? With the company?s new technology, the finger does not necessarily have to be positioned the same way each time.? The technology will account for differences and correct the discrepancies.? Sony says that the technology has a False Rejection Rate of less than 0.1 percent and a False Acceptance Rate of less than 0.0001 percent.? The process takes around 0.015 seconds with a computer and approximately 0.25 seconds when the device is attached to a mobile phone.
