ValueCheck! —Digital Print/Cross Media Meeting with Wim Koning

 

By Sudarsha Rambaran, Fellow, Value Communications AG

 

ValueLearnings

• Learn what a business model looks like to innovate print communication
• Learn how to benefit from high quality ink-jet technology innovations
• Learn how to become a smart communicator in the field of print applications

 

The meeting this morning with Mr. Koning was my first ever client meeting, and it was certainly fascinating. Mr. Weber had already briefed Şükran and I on the product and business model that Mr. Koning is trying to promote here in Germany. The idea is simple, yet brilliant: personalized printed cards, advent calendars, playing cards, wine bottle boxes… the list goes on. The products can be printed on a special new printer model created by the Japanese company Screen. It is an inkjet printer which can print onto thick paper that already has cut patterns and markings on it. It saves a lot a time and work because the paper is pre cut, and usually the paper is printed and then cut, which can be impractical, as if there is a mistake in the cutter the whole product can go to waste.

The product not only works on a personal scale, but could also work brilliantly as a customer relations model for big companies, for example in the automotive industry. If they’ve sold a car, they can send the customer an advent calendar counting down the days until they receive their car with a picture of their new car and their name on it. The best part is, they can even put bar codes (which can be scanned by smartphones) into the doors which lead the customer to links informing them on extra products for their cars, for example, winter tires, navigation systems, tow links etc. which would certainly not only increase the profit margin but keep the dealers happy as well. Mr. Koning put it quite nicely, calling it a win/win/win situation: the customers, the dealers and the company are all happy.

The meeting was very interesting for me, as I had never experienced a client meeting and I was curious to learn what a business model looks like. Mr. Koning is a very charismatic person and he knows exactly how to present his product. The problem he is having in Germany is mainly with the printing companies, because they don’t like the idea of only printing a few copies of a product, rather than printing thousands of copies; that’s what Value Communications is going to help him with. Additionally, the printing companies charge per page rather than per product, so for them it makes no sense to only print 1 page per product, but the page itself guarantees far more revenue in this case, as it is sold as a product rather than a page. As well as this, all the other companies he has talked to up until now have loved the idea of the product, but they are simply afraid of the work it would mean for them, i.e. the data processing etc.

I also think the idea is exceptional; if I were a customer, I would definitely be happy with receiving something like the advent calendar whilst waiting for my product to be delivered.

Please watch our Video documentation as well. Its amazing!