Social media is either the bane or the beauty of the age. Whether Facebook, X (Twitter) or Instagram, social media rapidly become part of everyday life. To the extent that followers, fans or merely friends expect to be able to track those they follow wherever they may wander. When this wandering takes them to Drupa, these friends, who may be family, work colleagues or customers, will want to be there too if only vicariously though the media channels that they use. We know this, the industry’s customers know this, but I’m not sure if the wider industry knows this.
For example, will any stand at Drupa have made any provision for Instagram feeds, will any actively encourage social media activity that reaches time lines, that reaches customers and other printers. Very few I’m willing to bet. Perhaps there will be a photo corner with a few logos like those post match interviews with football club managers or that week’s star striker. In reality there is unlikely to be an area of the stand designed to appeal on Instagram where prospects will be encouraged to tale selfies or team photos and to post the results. This is unlike the hotelier in Ibiza who deliberately decorates one outdoor area to look good on the social media feed of an influencer.
Few in this part of print can consider themselves influencers in these terms, but this is not to say that what companies and people do is without influence. Being able to show that such and such big-wig or admired business leader was on your stand at Drupa can be notable, more so if that individual uses a striking photo to highlight their presence on that stand. This happens when the background, the foreground and everywhere in between has been curated to make these images work. Such thinking is unlikely to be seen at the show. Instead we will again be inundated by images of five men and one woman standing in front of the machine they have just ‘ordered’. You know they are coming to conduct the signing. Why not turn the picture that has been seen a thousand times before into one that is a thousand times more memorable?
Memories are made of Instagram moments
Social media is either the bane or the beauty of the age. Whether Facebook, X (Twitter) or Instagram, social media rapidly become part of everyday life. To the extent that followers, fans or merely friends expect to be able to track those they follow wherever they may wander. When this wandering takes them to Drupa, these friends, who may be family, work colleagues or customers, will want to be there too if only vicariously though the media channels that they use. We know this, the industry’s customers know this, but I’m not sure if the wider industry knows this.
For example, will any stand at Drupa have made any provision for Instagram feeds, will any actively encourage social media activity that reaches time lines, that reaches customers and other printers. Very few I’m willing to bet. Perhaps there will be a photo corner with a few logos like those post match interviews with football club managers or that week’s star striker. In reality there is unlikely to be an area of the stand designed to appeal on Instagram where prospects will be encouraged to tale selfies or team photos and to post the results. This is unlike the hotelier in Ibiza who deliberately decorates one outdoor area to look good on the social media feed of an influencer.
Few in this part of print can consider themselves influencers in these terms, but this is not to say that what companies and people do is without influence. Being able to show that such and such big-wig or admired business leader was on your stand at Drupa can be notable, more so if that individual uses a striking photo to highlight their presence on that stand. This happens when the background, the foreground and everywhere in between has been curated to make these images work. Such thinking is unlikely to be seen at the show. Instead we will again be inundated by images of five men and one woman standing in front of the machine they have just ‘ordered’. You know they are coming to conduct the signing. Why not turn the picture that has been seen a thousand times before into one that is a thousand times more memorable?
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Prayers for the future of the print industry