At drupa, I caught up with industry analyst and all-around good guy Andreas Weber who is working with the German Association of Communications Agencies to increase awareness of digital printing. He made the point that colleges and universities need to do more to educate young marketing students as well as future communications professionals about new capabilities of digital printing technology. As a Chief Marketing Officer it’s a topic that is top of mind. Because there’s a real opportunity for companies like mine and others to make stronger connections with all the stakeholders involved in the changing world of graphic communications.

That means spending more time with advertising, design and production experts who play a key role in the printing value chain – long before anything hits the press.

Many people think of drupa as a printing show. It’s even billed as “The Olympics of the Printing Industry”. That may be true, but I can tell you Xerox isn’t at drupa to be in a printing competition. We’re there to win the gold medal in Communications.

Why do I say that? Because the real prize isn’t given to the company who does the best job of putting ink on paper. It’s awarded to the company that knows how to help partners and end users profit from high-impact marketing and communications.

Printing is one of the enablers. But as a CMO, it’s not my top priority.

My job is to create a superior brand experience, to communicate our message, to influence customer behavior and ultimately to grow revenue. We do that through “Big brand” and “little brand” strategies. Earlier this year, we launched a good example of a “Big brand” initiative when we re-launched our corporate identity. It was in full view at drupa. But more marketers need to realize that “little brand” experiences are equally important. That means leveraging everyday documents like bills, statements, and manuals to convey your brand image and market your offerings.

Because when we use “little brand” touchpoints to communicate in more relevant ways, we convey a “Big Brand” message. That message says: We’re listening to you … We understand who you are … And we want to earn your loyalty.

And that’s worth a gold medal any day. To hear the podcast of our conversation, click here or on the podcast link at the top of the page.

Mike Mac Donald
Chief Marketing Officer
Xerox Corporation