The PrintPod episode 4: Print Island with personalisation guru, Richard Askam đď¸
In the latest episode of our industryâs most exciting and upcoming print podcast, The PrintPod, a forum in which we invite a range of guests to discuss anything and everything to do with the industry, we are joined by the influential creator of the ground-breaking âShare a Cokeâ personalised marketing campaign, Richard Askam.
Richardâs most recent brainchild, Print Island, is a concept that was first coined in response to numerous attendances across the print industry over the years, whereby he found exhibition âregularsâ were almost shipwrecked âon a island in which they never leave, almost like an episode of Lost!â and he wanted to promote the fact that many new opportunities for success can ONLY be discovered if you leave this fictional island, in search of population elsewhere.
Richard said on the idea âI found very early on that many print industry professionals were fantastic at telling each other how great they are, but when it came to telling customers, brands or agencies, there was a gap in their communication, to which they didnât really know how to bridge.
âI therefore dreamed up the âprint islandâ metaphor, where castaways can âbuild a raftâ to seek out opportunities elsewhere.â
Exploring personalisation within the gifting industry
Catching up with Chris in the PrintPod studio, Chris Minn, who chaired the session, also touched on a range of other important topics relating to personalisation within the print industry, as well as some of Richards other endeavours, including an upcoming project promoting renewable energy, through offshore wind farming at a new purpose-built education centre (made from reused shipping containers) in Grimsby, UK.
Richard also touches on his passion for exploring personalisation across the gifting industry, clarifying his position on the difference between âcustomisationâ (EG: printing a label that is then applied to a product) and âtrue personalisationâ, whereby product packaging, such as a box of Jaffa Cakes, Toblerone/Kit-kat bar, or jar of Marmite, is completely personalised for the consumer.
See you in DĂźsseldorf, Drupa!
Also discussed is our next headline project between Infigo and Richard, which is set to be the long-awaited Drupa exhibition 2024, held from the Messe DĂźsseldorf, between May 28 – June 7th. As one of the print industries leading trade fairs for print technologies, the event has been previously twice postponed, in 2020 and 2021, due to the global pandemic.
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