René Theiler from the Swiss Printing Industry Association (Verband der Schweizer Druckindustrie) has set the current challenge for the Jabberfish podcast: “Can printers also be agencies?” In the new episode, Haeme Ulrich and Bernd Zipper discuss the topic as usual.
“Then, conversely, an agency could also set up a copying machine and say ‘We’re printers now,'” says Zipper. Although he shares “all the prejudices” against advertising agencies, he warns against underestimating them. An agency does much more than graphic design services, Zipper argues, “All the campaign planning, social media, broadcast radio, perimeter advertising and so on – all agency services!” He adds that this applies to both conception and organization.
Nevertheless, Ulrich believes that print shops would be well advised to expand their prepress into a fully-fledged graphics department that works similarly to an agency. This is not an easy step to take, especially against the backdrop of digital transformation, particularly because many printers still think in analog terms. “You can’t just become an agency from one day to the next,” says Zipper with conviction. That’s why he recommends bringing capable word artists and designers into the team if necessary: “If you buy in know-how, everyone can do everything!”
Mutual understanding of creative and technical areas is essential for successful collaboration, Ulrich emphasizes: “Print is industrial, agency is knowledgebased work – these are two different worlds.” When programmers and online workers are added to the mix, a special corporate culture is needed to reconcile all interests. Ulrich and Zipper reveal how this can be achieved in the podcast.
A contribution to the current episode can be found here on publishingblog.ch.
You can listen to the entire episode here, in German.
