Pride In Print Awards To Get Closer To Customer

Pride In Print media release (November 2009)
Pride In Print Awards To Get Closer To Customer

Printers and the print-buying community will be brought closer together by a new, simpler and more focused format being adopted by Pride In Print next year.

Awards manager Sue Archibald says that the award categories are to be redefined and simplified to take away technical jargon that means a lot within the industry but sometimes mystifies both buyers and users of print products.

“The lay person does not identify with technical descriptions of processes and press types, but they do understand broad print categories such as ‘newspapers’, ‘books’, ‘magazines’, ‘catalogues’ and ‘fine art prints’.

“For example, comparing ovens used to bake chocolate chip cookies – the buyers care about the taste of the cookie and they don’t worry too much about the production process. For print, the care is in the final look, feel and the ability of the product to be fit for purpose.

“So we are aligning our award categories with what the print buyer and user understands. Customers can grasp that an entry has won Best Publication, the Best Packaging or the Best Business Print category very easily.”

The changes follow feedback from discussions and meetings held with the Pride In Print committee, Awards Patrons, Sponsors and printing companies across the country. A Pride In Print survey also produced some positive input.

Sue Archibald says the essential aim of the changes is to create a more external focus, making the Awards more meaningful outside of the industry.

“This will provide opportunities for businesses winning the Awards to better promote their success with their customers.”

Sue says standards-based judging will remain the norm and each entry will continue to be judged on its own merits taking into consideration things such as process used, degree of difficulty etc. Each process will still have a winning job recognised as the best of the best. In addition there will be a clear pathway for entrants from the category entered to the Supreme Award Winner.

Sue Archibald says the changes reflect the constant advances which Pride In Print has always made to keep in line with industry trends.

“Pride In Print has never stayed still. The Awards have adapted and changed since their inception in 1993 to keep abreast of developments in both our industry and society in general. Areas such as digital print and environmental footprints for example were not important issues when we began. Today however who could imagine life without digital print and the need to consider the environmental implications of what we do and how we do it?

“This is another maturing for Pride In Print that will see us explaining our product in clearer fashion to the general print-buying public. It is another step forward on a never-ending pathway of self-improvement.”

“In addition, changes are going to be made to the Awards Night itself. While it will continue to be the major formal and social occasion on the print industry calendar, it will be made slicker, zappier and allow attendees to combine dinner, awards and socialising in a tight, organised package.”

The Awards will be presented in a single room over dinner with more focus on the winners – particularly the Summary Category Winners -- and with the intention of seeing the Awards and dinner complete at about 10pm, leaving the crowd to enjoy networking, entertainment and dancing until the early hours.

The Award Patrons welcomed the moves towards delivering a punchier product.

ENDS

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