FESPA has launched its marketing campaign for FESPA Digital 2012, which takes place at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Via exhibition centre in Spain from 21 to 24 February 2012.
The campaign features the now-iconic FESPA Digital Man, this time facing a choice of interesting routes to pursue on his digital journey, under a strapline which challenges printers to “Explore the Wider Opportunities”.
Marketing activity for the February 2012 event centres on the FESPA Digital website which is now live at www.fespadigital.com, with information in 4 languages. The campaign will include a comprehensive programme of advertising across leading industry publications and web sites (including Large Format Review), extensive public relations and social media activity through FESPA’s Wide Network, Twitter and Facebook, targeted direct marketing to print service providers in over 80 countries, and a series of promotional events to publicise the show and engage with key visitor groups to ensure that the event reflects their needs and business concerns.
Building on the success of the last Digital event in Hamburg in May 2011, the move to Barcelona for 2012 is expected to increase the event’s appeal for service providers from Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and north Africa, in addition to FESPA’s well established northern and eastern European audiences.
Marketing Manager Lynda Sutton explains the thinking behind the new campaign: “The familiar ‘Digital Man’ was born out of our ‘Revolution’ campaign for FESPA Digital 2009 in Amsterdam, which captured the dramatic digital revolution transforming our community. In Hamburg in 2011, the message progressed to ‘Evolution’, acknowledging a maturing market, and emphasising that the key to commercial success post-recession was for business managers to evolve and adapt their offering proactively to reflect changing market conditions.”
She continues: “Looking ahead to 2012, we see a market rich in opportunities for innovative wide format printers, and a market-leading specialist event like FESPA is by far the best environment in which to explore these. Whether by implementing new technologies or processes, increasing automation, diversifying into different wide format applications, experimenting with new substrates and inks, developing new services or business models, offering more complete end-to-end solutions, or even moving into entirely new market segments; no printer needs to remain stationary.”
The campaign imagery is very positive: Digital Man – representative as he is of any print service provider who embraces the potential of digital technology – is in the driving seat, with an array of options ahead of him. He is heading towards a bright horizon, a contemporary cityscape full of potential outlets for his products and services.
FESPA Managing Director of exhibitions and events, Neil Felton concludes: “As our campaign collateral says, ‘business is a journey’. It involves stops and starts, joys and frustrations. Like any journey, preparation is everything and there should be pleasure in the planning, and excitement in anticipation of the unexpected discoveries that surprise and energise. With 400 exhibitors in a single giant hall, and the captivating city of Barcelona as the backdrop, a trip to FESPA Digital 2012 is guaranteed to give wide format print service providers all the information, insight and inspiration they need to plan the next stage of their own journey and speed their progress.”
For more information about FESPA Digital, to pre-register, and to help plan your trip to Barcelona, visit www.fespa.com/digital.
