january 2012
			happy new year! The beginning of a new year always brings a sense of renewal. It's time to make plans for the year ahead. As 2012 begins we find ourselves in the middle of a tech revolution where instant access to information is the new norm. Traditional consumers have been replaced with “brand enthusiasts.” Tried and true marketing strategies have been turned on their heads. This creates opportunities for savvy brands but will result in catastrophic changes for brands that don't keep up. To help you with 2012 planning, we're offering our white paper “2012 Packaging Trend Predictions.” Click here to download your free copy
	whom do you believe? Brands will face many challenges in 2012, not the least of which are on-line reviews. Leading review sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp, Angie's List, CNET and Citysearch are threatening to make some brands irrelevant.
			Historically, brands were developed by mass marketers to differentiate their product offerings and cultivate product loyalty. This was a perfect fit for the mass media reach of radio, television and magazine advertising, where the advertiser controlled the message. People are now talking about brands on social media sites in ways that marketers can't control. Much attention is given to Facebook and Twitter, but the biggest brand disruptions come from search and e-commerce. Studies have shown that less than 5% of all search visits from shoppers resulted in a visit to a brand web site. The majority of traffic was sent to third-party review sites, comparison sites and social platforms. But, can these reviews be trusted? Click here to read more
	high praise from america's finest We were thrilled when our client Mike Berger of Metalware shared this e-mail and photo he received from a soldier currently serving in Afghanistan. What a fantastic testament to a terrific product, but we'll let Specialist Reveles do the talking... Hello, My name is SPC Reveles. I am currently deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in FOB Sharana, Afghanistan. I have been a customer of your company for quite some time. I began training for deployment August 20, 2011 and except for a 5 day pass from September 11-16, I was forced to endure the turpentine, boiled sock stuff that the Army passes for coffee (usually). Because I am such a huge aficionado of roasting the coffee I drink, I began to plot on the possibility of purchasing a roaster and have my wife mail it to me (I didn't want to deprive my wife by asking her to send our home roaster). So I purchased the Nesco Home roaster and 10 pounds of green Colombian beans. By the way, thank you for the free 3 lbs. gift with the roaster purchase. I particularly enjoyed the Indian Mysore Chikmagalur. As you can see from the picture attached, I now am happily roasting away in our TOC (tactical operations center). I am very fortunate that my duties in Afghanistan consists of tracking my buddies missions through our secure communication net and that I get to enjoy this coffee while doing so ( some of my buddies are outside the wire and exposed to the fire on a regular basis). I usually have some of this coffee waiting for them when they arrive. My buddies are very impressed not only with the aroma wafting through our area of operations, but are blown away when they taste the freshly roasted coffee that I enjoy. I even have a Warrant Officer, Chief Bramwell, inquiring on where he can purchase green coffee beans so that I can roast them for him. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I have wanted to write for some time now and let you know how much I enjoy your product. It means that much more when even in this austere environment, I can savor a little taste of home and share with my buddies. Very Respectfully, SPC Reveles, Enrique FSC 578th Engineer Battalion FOB Sharana, Afghanistan.
			new printing capabilities We are proud to announce the addition of our new Mimaki CJV30-100 large format printer. It further enhances our large format printing capabilities allowing us to print on clear, adhesive-backed and cling substrates. It also has a white ink option that can be used alone or as a back up for any color allowing it to appear more vivid. This additional printing service complements our existing large format printing capabilities. Together they allow us to deliver incredibly realistic comps for flexible packaging, labels and clings.