Cross-media-marketing case studies

My October article for PrintAction details how Cats Media, a small Canadian business, grew and thrived by transforming itself from a traditional print and copy shop into a cross-media-marketing services provider.  I wrote the story because I perceived a frustrating scarcity of information on role models and action plans to help other printers make similar transitions in their business.

Now I’m glad to report that Jeffrey Steele has documented more such case studies in his December-1st article for MyPrintResource.com, “Grab Attention with Cross-Media Marketing”.  His article details the tactics of several U.S. print providers who are successfully expanding their services beyond printing into such other media as QR codes, augmented reality, and social media to bolster their customers' marketing campaigns.  The printers describe their best campaigns to date, the types of media they favour, how they sell customers on cross-media-marketing services, and—very importantly—how they track and report campaign results to clients.

Addendum dated 3 January 2013:
I see Joann Whitcher of MyPrintResource.com has reprised a similar topic in her December-31st article, "Implementing Cross Media Solutions: Are You Up to the Task?"

http://www.myprintresource.com/article/10821663/grab-attention-with-cross-media-marketing

https://www.box.com/shared/w27y2bcarpemhwl804vp
http://www.myprintresource.com/article/10844953/implementing-cross-media-solutions-are-you-up-to-the-task

Impressive printed holiday greeting cards for 2012

This week, one of my most active and business-communications-savvy contacts on LinkedIn, Paul Castain, has posted an articulate tribute to the enduring qualities of printed greeting cards, even--no, make that especially--in this era of digital media. http://yoursalesplaybook.com/the-5-cards-you-should-write-this-holiday-season/

Additionally, for all greeting-card lovers in search of design novelties:  my colleague at PrintAction, Trish Witkowski of foldfactory.com, has uploaded a series of videos showing a collection of 16 ingenious holiday-card ideas from all over the world. The more exotic ones include a card that presents a slice of pumpkin pie and one that can be assembled into a paper model truck. 
http://www.printaction.com/News/20121211-holiday-cards.html

HarperCollins launches new imprint aimed @ converting teenagers to e-books

Next week HarperCollins launches HarperTeen Impulse, a new imprint of low-priced, short-length, digital-only content for teens. The move is aimed @ converting teenagers who have been slower than other age demographics in switching to e-books.

http://paidcontent.org/2012/11/26/harpercollins-launches-digital-only-teen-imprint/
http://www.epicreads.com/page/impulse/