Blog

Our business landscape is changing every day. But one thing doesn’t change. Our commitment to sharing our knowledge and perspective with our customers.

  • Maintaining Brand Relevancy Through Digital Channels

    As media consumption habits continue to evolve, so too will the publishing model. The circulation landscape is very different from where it was just two or three years ago. There is more emphasis on audience development and reader engagement. Publishers who want to stay relevant are making efforts to give readers what they want -- content in multiple formats, in real-time and through a different prism.

    Consumers have raised the bar with their expectations as they use technology in all facets of their lives.  Mobile devices allow us to manage our bank accounts on-the-go, buy a cup of coffee without taking out our wallets or get a restaurant recommendation while waiting on a street corner. Keeping up with the digital movement doesn’t mean putting your content through a major metamorphosis, nor does it mean investing in tons of bells and whistles to dazzle your readers on the iPad.  By strategically building your content across multiple channels, you will propel your brand to be part of the conversation when it’s most relevant to your readers.

    It is important to be where your readers are. This means being online, on hand-held devices, in social media and of course in print. It also means properly leveraging each of these platforms to best showcase your content and your brand.

    Print is still the foundation of the business and consumers place a high value not only on the tactile nature that only a print product can offer, but also on the depth that can be achieved through print content. Consumers spend time with the print product, at their own leisure. There is a level of comfort and certainty, which is what we love about print.

    Meanwhile, many publishers now embrace the web as an extremely valuable medium that can further engage readers with the brand. It does not replace nor replicate the print product, but rather enhances the consumer relationship. Publishers that best exemplify this have made their websites into destinations that augment the print magazine by offering extra features such as blogs, videos, photo galleries and breaking news.

    Publishers are also actively using social media to build the consumer relationship. Facebook, Twitter and Google+ offer more than just outlets for content as they allow publishers to be part of the conversation and showcase the personality behind the brand. Publishers should continue to develop the strategy behind their print magazine, website and social media outlets knowing these are three distinct sources that help to tell a story, provide insight and offer perspective.

    Handheld devices (i.e., smartphones and tablets) are rapidly emerging as another critical platform that can be used to deliver a unique branded experience and thus also need to be part of every publisher’s digital strategy. More consumers will own a smartphone than a desktop computer in 2012.  Mobile devices are on track to be the single most popular way to browse the Internet.  

    As handheld devices gain critical mass and more consumers download native applications, publishers not only need to have a presence, but they also need to ensure a positive user experience as they would with any other aspect of their brand. Android and Apple are the two main platforms that support mobile devices. There are others, but these two have the lion’s share of the market. Your print customers have now become your fans as you’ve embraced the web and social media. You offer them more than just feature stories or “how-to” articles.

    Continue to evolve the way you deliver content to handheld devices – be fast to deliver information, offer fresh and relevant content, utilize multimedia, incorporate social media and take your design and format to a new place that fits with your brand. This is an exciting time and your readers are looking for you to show them the way and make their experience rewarding. Put yourself in the shoes of your consumers and provide them with an experience that they will continue to follow and more importantly, value.

    Jared Katzman
    Director of Business Development, Thumb Media Group

  • Pass the Aspirin: Mailers Prepare for 2012

    Time to say farewell to a very interesting year for the US Postal Service, and hello to a year of that’s already full of unknowns for the mailing industry.  As the Postmaster General Patrick Donahue says, “The Postal Service will endure.”

    In 2011, we saw delivery times increase and postal finances plummet due to the decline of mail volume in almost all classes of mail.  Politics have come into play more than ever, with several legislative bills in both the House and Senate regarding retiree health benefit pre-funding, closing of Post Offices, closing of processing facilities, and implementing revised delivery standards.  There was also much talk about the elimination of Saturday delivery.

    The year also saw an increase of 636,500 additional delivery points, even while the US Postal Service management managed to reduce overall operating expenses by approximately $4.8 billion compared to 2010.  That’s a huge accomplishment, but more reductions will be needed for the success of the Postal Service.  The USPS ends the fiscal year with a $5.1 billion loss. Ouch.

    On to 2012! What does the future hold for the USPS and the mailing community?  One thing we do know for sure: postal rates will increase to the new rate structure on January 22, 2012.

    However, the unknowns for 2012 are many! Such as:

    A possible exigent rate case filing. If some of the other cost-cutting issues on the table are not soon addressed, and with the $ 5.1 billion loss for the fiscal year 2011, the USPS will need additional revenue to survive 2012.  If an exigent rate case were to happen, I’d say we would know by May or June 2012.

    Service standard changes. The USPS filed new delivery standards with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), increasing their delivery standard by one day.  The PRC is reviewing the standard and will respond with their recommendations.  However – and this is important - the USPS is not under any obligation to follow the recommendations and could just implement what has been proposed.

    Closing of Post Offices. This big unknown falls under the political umbrella and is up against a fight from various members of Congress and the general public.

    Closing of Postal Facilities.  The USPS is reviewing the current 461 processing facilities to try to reduce the number by more than half, to approximately 200. These closures will have a domino effect on drop shipping facilities and overall mail delivery for both letters and flats-sized mail products.

    Elimination of Saturday delivery. Daily newspapers and “News” publications with the end of the week in-home delivery will feel this proposed change the most.  Adjustments for alternative mail delivery or change of production schedules may have to happen to keep publishers and advertisers happy.

    These unknowns could affect everyone in the mailing industry. Spreading out the pain, so to speak!

    In a nutshell…. 2011 was an interesting year, but 2012 will be very, very interesting with all of the challenges facing all of us in the mailing community.  With all that is on the table, this will be quite a roller coaster ride. Just remember what the PMG said: “THE POSTAL SERVICE WILL ENDURE.”

    Glenn Sollenberger – Director of Postal Affairs/Distribution
    Bea Gabany – Presort & Mailing Manager

  • The Key to Multi-platform Publishing………Production

    Over the last 24 months, there has been an all-out sprint by publishers to launch their brands on tablets and smartphones in an effort to retain existing readers while engaging new subscribers. To many publishers the cost was high and will never be recouped. Some wrote it off as the cost of staying ahead of the competition and most are struggling to continue to leverage the experience gained during this “experimental” period.

    Who is winning?

    The publishers who were able to quickly add interactive features to InDesign layouts, as part of their standard workflow, are the ones winning. These publishers used standardized tools from Adobe, integrated with WoodWing’s Multi-channel Publishing system to create and export high-quality and engaging content all within an existing production program. The ability to adapt to audience feedback, changing technology and advertising budgets allowed these clients to effectively reach their consumers and limit financial exposure, along with the “2nd Issue” dilemma.

    As we move into 2012, digital publishing technology continues to mature at a feverous pace. Rest assured that our mission is to provide best-in-class digital publishing solutions for our clients that focus on production to reduce cost, streamline process and deliver content where, when and on the device their audience demands.

    Who will succeed?

    In the next few years our clients will be producing content for more than 50 devices of varying sizes and aspect ratios. They will be facilitating social networking, e-commerce and a host of other brand building programs… all at cost that is equal to or less than what they are paying today. This will happen because they will continue to apply efficient production methods with dynamic, collaborative workgroups effectively producing multi-platform content.

    In the end, synergy is paramount to any technology partnership. In close association with our clients and technology partners, Aysling will continue to deliver innovative systems that produce exceptional content, allowing publishers to stand out in all media - from tablet, web, mobile, social, print – and whatever is next. Bottom line: Aysling’s technology partners, coupled with exceptional client support, results in significant business advantages that ensure success!

    Patrick Becker
    President, Aysling Digital Media Solutions

  • Continuously Adding Value--Particularly in Tough Times

    Our customers who are most successful are those who continuously add value to their product, while adding very little - if anything - to the price. They upgrade paper, add color, add UV coating, use post-binding inserts, and most importantly, ADD content - don’t skimp on it - and IMPROVE the quality of their content by paying for more and better writing and art.

    Even while adding value at every turn, they work very hard to add very little to the price of their product. Instead they work to recover the additional cost by achieving more volume, and thus are able to amortize their overhead better.

    Adding value (and cost) while holding the price is undoubtedly counter-intuitive in tough economic times. But these value adding efforts set the successful customers apart from their competition who are simply cutting costs. Once a product is weakened it goes down the slippery slope. There is no way to whittle your way to greatness.

    Years ago it was possible to be competitive even if your product wasn’t the best or the cheapest. Consumers didn’t have all the information and often “settled” for what they could most easily purchase. But the Web has changed all that. Today, everything is just a few clicks away, and the wheat is very easily separated from the chaff. Adding value in tough times is particularly apt strategy in the “winner-take-all” world that the Internet is shaping. By adding value they tip the see-saw decisively in their favor.

    Obviously it takes very strong discipline and considerable creativity to add quality while incurring minimal additional cost. We are always ready to try to help customers do this and have done so many times. [Needless to say, we have also helped publishers who chose the opposite strategy.]

    To help fuel your creativity, we’ve assembled a collection of value-adding techniques in our WOW! Factory. The collection is dynamic, not exhaustive, so check back every so often for additions.

    For our part, we regularly improve the value we offer our customers. Ornate covers, post-trim inserting, our Fry Family Network™, and PQA system are some of the investments we have made. But there are many more accommodations, innovations and improvements in products we have negotiated with individual customers. We welcome an opportunity to provide you an opportunity to improve the value you offer your customers.

    Henry Fry
    Chairman of the Board

  • Introducing the New Fry Brand

    Hello! I’d like to be the first to introduce you to the new Fry Communications blog. In fact, I’d like to introduce you to the new Fry Communications brand, which includes our new web site and our Fry Family Network™ of companies.


    As you well know, there has been great change in the media industry in the last few years. The relationship between the printed word and your readers, advertisers, and buyers has evolved and will never be quite the same again. Change is often scary, but we know there are also great opportunities for those who can adapt to this New World. Accordingly Fry has moved rapidly over the last two years to bring new technologies and services to our publishing and catalog customers. In some cases we have launched these services ourselves, and in others we have invested in companies that we think bring best-of-breed capabilities (along with excellent management teams) that our customers can take advantage of today. We can’t predict the future, but we can do our best to prepare for it.


    We call this collection of companies the Fry Family Network™. The Network allows us to flexibly provide an evolving collection of integrated offerings to match our customers’ needs, and back them with the long tradition of service, quality, and integrity that the Fry name implies. Each of the businesses in the Network is committed to serving its customers the way we have treated ours for more than 75 years.


    Because there is so much “new” going on at Fry, we decided it was time to step back and reconsider how it is we think about ourselves. What has made us successful over the years? What qualities are most important to our customers? How can we improve our business in these challenging times?


    What we found is that even amongst all this change, some things never change at all. For decades, Fry has valued customer service, quality, teamwork, and ongoing investment above all else. Fry and its excellent people have responded to industry changes for generations. Today, those changes involve new digital pre-press technologies, innovative binding techniques, Web publishing software, mobile applications and multi-million dollar cover presses. We are facing these changes the way we always have: with continual employee training and a commitment to providing flexible solutions for our customers. It’s no different today. We are invested in your future. Just as we have always been. We want our brand to reflect this point of view.


    We are very excited by everything that’s happening at Fry, and this blog is intended as an outlet for us to help share it with you. Here you will find regular posts from Fry experts about issues important to publishers, catalogers, and direct marketers...indeed, anyone who needs to engage an audience in today’s dynamic media environment. We hope you’ll check back often to read about paper and postage, mailing and mobile, offset webs and the Web. And we hope you engage in the conversation with us so we can all learn together.


    So welcome to the “new” Fry Communications. Same as it ever was. Innovative, dedicated, and ready.

    David Fry
    Chief Technology Officer