A hArd-hitting - Plantin

Heidelberg News • Perspectives
experts discuss new directions
in the global zeitgeist
and use this to arrive at
fashion or color trends.
Paper Like the Skin of a Peach. According to Marketing Manager
Orm-Gerrit Rudolf, black and white are current color trends in the
paper industry. Rudolf runs the paper consultancy center at Papier
Union GmbH, one of Germany’s largest wholesalers. This company is
part of the Inapa Group, one of Europe’s industry leaders. According
to Rudolf, paper trends are increasingly being developed by retailers
because the market has little impact on the paper industry. Customer
needs are the industry’s most important source of inspiration. “Customer
requirements are all-important to us, so our sales team has its
ear as close to the market as possible and takes customer feedback
very seriously. The team works closely with advertising agencies, design
offices and print shops worldwide. These customers are not only
concerned with trends themselves, but also know what their customers
want,” Rudolf explains. He adds that it is crucial for these companies
to know which colors will be popular. The right shade can be
vital, especially when printing high-end brochures.
According to Rudolf, there has been a demand for eco-friendly,
high-quality paper for a number of years. This paper looks nothing
like the greeny-gray recycled paper previously produced. “Another
52 • Issue 268 • 2009
trend is towards paper with a surprising tactile ef-
fect, such as paper that feels like it is wet or like the
skin of a peach. Such effects enable the printing
industry to stand out from digital media,” explains
Rudolf. In addition to paper with special effects
and environmentally friendly paper, the Igepa
Group – another leading European paper wholesaler
– has identified a key trend towards greater
cost-effectiveness. “There is a huge demand for reliable
paper that offers high performance in terms
of printability, finishing and availability,” stresses
Bernd-Dieter Pfeuffer, Head of Marketing and
Communications at Igepa. The Group offers specialist
consultancy services, providing know-how
on trends and new design options with paper.
“Customers are grasping every opportunity to gain
an advantage over the competition with a cuttingedge
product,” he adds.
Although paper trends are now mostly international,
Pfeuffer stresses that there are a number of
differences between countries in terms of taste.
“Central Europe tends to prefer muted colors,
whereas France and Anglo-American countries
are drawn more towards intense colors,” he explains.
According to Rudolf, marketing approaches
can also be very different from country to country
and region to region. In his opinion, however,
success depends on being able to tell a story.
Trend expert Venn agrees. He states, “A new trend
must make sense and be transparent. What is
needed is a dynamic message conveyed with effective text and images.”
Whatever the minor differences between countries, this will
always remain the case. n
Further information
Color Marketing Group: www.colormarketing.org
Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften und Kunst:
http://www.hawk-hhg.de/
Papier Union GmbH: www.papierunion.de
igepa Group: www.igepagroup.com