Transcript what is Innovation?

Tony Hodgson
Digital Innovation
7 July 2010
Three examples of online routes to print
 Web-to-print, mobile-to-print, social media-to-print
 Very new – all launched in last 12 months
 Innovation
 New ways of assembling existing jig-saw puzzle pieces
 Use latest generation software technologies
 Cheaper, quicker and more reliable
1. Mobile-to-print
Shoot It!
 Send postcards from a smartphone like text messages
 US-based start-up in 2009
 Global reach
 Often faster and cheaper than conventional postcards
How it works
1. Take
photo
2. Choose
contact
3. Write
message
4. Confirm
& send
A global workflow
Postcards printed and
mailed same day
Daily production data
sent to regional
print partner
Individual images
sent to Shoot It! server
User “texts” postcard and
99¢ debited from account
Shoot It's “jigsaw puzzle” pieces
 Inspired by text messaging
 Smart-phones with cameras
 iPhone, Blackberry, Android apps
 Web to print workflow
 Distribute and print network
of digital colour presses
But if it’s easy, anybody can do it…
HazelMail
USA 2008
Touchnote
UK 2008
Shoot It!
USA 2009
Postcard
Star
USA 2009
Postcards
UK 2010
Advantage
Digital Print and
eCards.co.uk
2. Web-to-billboard
Signposter.com
 “…an innovative new service designed to make
billboard advertising easy”
 Fully online web-to-print service for outdoor advertising
 Aimed at SME sector
 Launched in 2009
 Owned by WPP
How it works
1. Find billboards
2. Check suitability
3. Book dates
4. Create/upload
artwork
The value adds
 Exposes outdoor advertising industry database to end users
 Shows format, availability, cost, reach, Streetview picture
 Advice on audience metrics, timing, offers etc
 Many mini case studies of user success stories
 Design advice, format info and artwork specifications
 Artwork choices:
 Design your own online from basic billboard layouts
 Modify a generic template with your own logo and slogan
 Upload print-ready PDF
Signposter’s “jigsaw puzzle” pieces
 Clear gap in market for SME buyers of outdoor advertising
 Leverages industry-wide database of most outdoor media
owners (ClearChannel, J C Decaux, CBS etc)
 Partners with Hi-Resolution Production for project
management, print, installation
 Comprehensive and transparent web-based service
 Expensive to develop
 Difficult to replicate
3 Have an idea? But how to build it?
Peecho Printcloud
 Small Dutch start-up company
 Launched Printcloud in May 2010
 “…facilitates ordering, production and shipping of personalized
photo books, postcards, t-shirts, mugs, posters and so on”.
 A platform for any web-to-print service
Example Applications
Postcards from your
mobile – again!
(Peecho gives away
the app’s source
code).
Social networking
gadget to create
personalised
magazines from
Facebook etc
Link virtual
stores in online
gaming to realworld printed
gifts
Peecho’s jigsaw-puzzle pieces
 Amazon Cloud Computing platform
 Storage, messaging, transactions, database…
 Standard workflow protocols and file formats
 JDF, PDF, Adobe InDesign
 Shares revenue with a developer community
 Pay-as-you-go charging for merchants
The shape of things to come?
 A new generation of low-cost W2P service provider
 A platform for quick application development
 Easy merchant access
 Printers or their customers could be merchants
 Encourages creativity and innovation
Summary – what is Innovation?
 “A business that is not growing through new product and
service introduction is likely to be in decline, as its existing
sales portfolio inexorably matures”.
DTI 60 Minute Guide to Innovation 2006
 Innovation is
 Doing existing things better or differently
 Or new things from existing tools and resources
 Not the same as “invention”
 No need for an R & D department
 An innovation process is essential
Summary – the Process of Innovation
 Leadership
 Ideas through
 Customer interaction
 Employee involvement
 Networking
 Management
 Multi-disciplinary team
 Systematic reviews of ideas and development progress
 The critical success factor: profitable new business
Thanks for listening
[email protected]
www.dotgain.org