Mariam Nihal

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH — Canon, the largest exhibitor and gold sponsor at Gulf Print & Pack, showcased its cross media value proposition with over 60 different applications including cross media solutions.



It was no surprise that Canon signed seven deals worth AED 7 million on the first day of the biennial Gulf Print & Pack show.



Canon Middle East research shows that 97 percent of organizations in the Middle East and Africa still consider professionally printed materials to be important to their business.



Ayman Aly, marketing manager for Canon Middle East, said the Middle East lacked awareness about the value and significance of printing in the region.



Canon representatives told Saudi Gazette the regional debut of these cross media solutions by Canon Middle East has strengthened its position as the leading value-added solutions provider to the digital printing market.



Middle East banking and financial service industry were presented with Canon’s future concept of bank statements. Joining with the company’s 17 strong array of solutions partners, GMC Software Technology demonstrated how its latest solution, Inspire Dynamic Statement, is set to transform the way banking customers utilize their financial statements.



Visitors experienced first-hand the breadth of Canon’s solutions portfolio for cross media applications. The concept includes printing with photo and video shooting capabilities integrated with mobile applications.



Peter Lancaster, an expert in cross media marketing and related strategic business development, spoke to Saudi Gazette about the concept.



He said Mobile Print Recognition (MPR) could make any image or print interactive regardless of the user’s location.



Smartphone and tablet users can download and install a free app on their phones and once users scan a piece of print that has been made interactive via MPR, they will automatically be taken to a personalized web page.



“You can easily record a piece of information; take a video which uploads itself to a private YouTube page so you can easily access all the information you like and share it with the world.



“Brands can also capture valuable additional information about the consumer or user and their responses to the campaign, helping to drive return-on-investment and shape future campaigns,” said Peter.



“When photos, videos and personalized print, all enabled by digital printing technologies, are linked to social and web-based content, you are able to add a whole new dimension to multi-channel and cross-media communications,” said Hendrik Verbrugghe, marketing director, Canon Middle East.



Verbrugghe said Canon’s largest presence at the premier event for the print industry in the Middle East and North Africa highlights its leading position in the region.



Canon Insight Report research studies show print media plays a prominent role in cross-media campaigns even in marketing campaigns, with the support of digital media.



As per the study, nearly three-fifths of regional organizations use multi-channel campaigns as part of their communications mix, which signifies the potential for companies to further utilize cross media solutions.



“If print used in marketing campaigns is targeted, personalized and interactive, just think what new market opportunities can now be realized and converted into profitable revenue streams,” Verbrugghe added.



Canon anticipates an increasing demand this year for products and solutions as business conditions continue to improve.



The market has remained attractive as businesses still rely heavily on digital print communications to reach out to their target audience.



In light of the issue, Aly told Saudi Gazette the print industry is a successful venture and research has shown it is yet to grow as an industry. “We were surprised too. It is right behind Europe but Middle East has a lot of scope for printing, especially digital printing.”



When Canon wanted to find out if the perception that print will become obsolete due to technological advancement was true or false, it carried out a survey and the results were surprising.



“We used our findings in Europe here. We selected Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Lebanon and Morocco.



“We found out that 97 percent people believe print media is very important. It is the responsibility of suppliers like Canon to assist print service suppliers so they can help their customers.



“We are keen to cover different industries like manufacturing, telecommunications, banking, hospitality, graphic arts and different consumers. Printing is still growing, not declining,”he said.



According to the survey, 37 percent of people are aware of and use digital printing, 22 percent use photo printing as well while nearly 50 percent of respondents are aware of it.



Clients and distributors including Inpap from UAE, DigiPro from Egypt and El Ajou from KSA also signed deals for various units of the imagePRESS range.



Some of the major deals included the sale of the imagePRESS C6010 to AST, a leading digital print service provider in the UAE and the imagePRESS C1+ to El Ajou, Canon’s distributor in Saudi Arabia.



Three major deals secured by Image Systems, Canon’s partner in Lebanon, included the sale of a range of products including imageRUNNER Advance 8285, imagePRESS 1110, Oce VP 110, imageRUNNER Advance 8105 and imageRUNNER Advance C9280 to commercial establishments such as Audi Bank, Grand Lycee Franco-Libanais and Doculand.



Instead of standard online statements, the solution presents each customer’s data through interactive charts and graphs that allow full drill-down capability for more detailed information.



As well as any computer, the statements can also be viewed on a range of tablet devices.



The solution allows for institutes to track usage of every statement and use this data to populate relevant offers and marketing messages for each customer.



Inspire Dynamic Statement, is the latest application from GMC, based on its customer communication platform GMC Inspire.



Inspire Dynamic Statement gives financial institutions an integrated and engaging way of presenting customer bank statements.



The solution will also provide Trans-promo applications with a new dimension that will enable vertical industries to provide new levels of service to their customers such as telecommunications, banking, and utilities which all print financial statements and bills.



“The Inspire Dynamic Statement from GMC allows businesses to transform the customer experience. Banking clients can easily view their information how they want without the restriction of any predefined reports. It’s what every customer wants or will expect in the near future,” said Verbrugghe.



“More than actual hardware, our focus this year is on showcasing a variety of digital print applications and solutions including Dynamic Statements which will enable our customers to tap into and unleash new revenue streams within their business. We are committed to understanding our clients, their business and what they’re looking for. The presence of over 60 different applications being showcased at Gulf Print & Pack demonstrates our commitment to illustrating new ways in which customers can enhance their businesses, increase productivity and turnover and develop new markets,” added Verbrugghe.