Big Picture - August 2015 - (Page 2)

insight You Be the Judge W ith rulings on smokestack emissions, the death penalty, and same-sex marriage handed down in the past few months, the Supreme Court has inflamed passions across the US. Rulings have soothed some and incensed others, with most of us swinging back and forth. And then there are the social media slayings: thousand-word comments aimed not at informing a friend, but slashing down an enemy. It's just that, on Facebook, that enemy is also a friend. Most of us practice, at best, a piecemeal political correctness; there have become so many ways to be PC that it's impossible to follow each rule. We're inconsistent at best, marking questions with a whisper among friends. Can I ask to hold the baby? Should I refer to it as a he or a she? Can I ask the gender, or am I implying, in the asking, that I'm not gender-neutral, or that I can't tell? Should I be able to tell? Can I assume femaleness based on a pink onesie or ... ? Worse, still, is being asked those questions when you haven't thought to consider them yourself. And the wounds we all perpetuate are hard to heal. Is a ceasefire a trick buried in a truce? Is a concession speech really heartfelt? How much anger are we allowed on behalf of ourselves, our companies, our communities, or people half a world away? And finding ourselves angry, how many words can we squeeze into a rant about it, whether at the dinner table, with a sympathetic colleague, or in an ill-advised Facebook flare-up. It's like realizing you're being undercut by a competitor, someone trying to squeeze you out by offering products at below-market rates. You can match him by undercutting yourself, but you risk profit loss. The only way to win is reputation, reliability, and customer service. Or like choosing a mechanic: No one just wants the cheapest one. We want the best value, and we'll probably ask our friends how to find it (don't delete that Facebook profile just yet). It's always a shock to find oneself in a minority stance, whether due to a Supreme Court decision, a glut of knockoff competitors, or a PC faux pas. But perhaps the most important thing is the response. Do you gleefully sharpen your blade when things swing your way? Or can you take a longer view, realizing you'll be on the chopping block soon enough? We're all tempted to go on the warpath at times. I recently raised my eyebrows at an admonition that all trade magazines must provide a printed guide of vendors; I want to offer you something more valuable than a phone book in this online age. Peruse these pages, share your ideas, and take from them something that you can use - whether or not you agree with the methods or outcome presented. We'll all emerge smarter. bigpicture.net EDITORIAL Robin Donovan Editor-in-Chief robin.donovan@stmediagroup.com Adrienne Palmer Associate Editor adrienne.palmer@stmediagroup.com Kiersten Wones Editorial Assistant kiersten.wones@stmediagroup.com Kathleen DeZarn Art Director kathy.dezarn@stmediagroup.com Marty McGhie, Craig Miller, Beth Osborne Columnists Rick Bachelder, Kathy Boydstun, Terry Corman, Scott Crosby, Brandon Gabriel, Michael Garcia, Kirk Green, Robert Kissel, Tina McLaughlin, Craig Miller, Carmen Rad, Greg Root, Jared Smith, Mark Taylor Editorial Advisory Board SALES Murray Kasmenn Senior VP/Group Publisher 770/578-2577 murray.kasmenn@stmediagroup.com Lou Arneberg Senior Market Strategist East and Midwest US, E Canada 800/654-5169 lou.arneberg@stmediagroup.com Ben Stauss Senior Market Strategist West and South US, W Canada, Europe, Asia 513/263-9363 ben.stauss@stmediagroup.com Linda Volz Production Supervisor linda.volz@stmediagroup.com Tedd Swormstedt President Steve Duccilli August 2015 Senior VP of Content Christine Baloga Audience Development Director Kari Freudenberger Director, Online Media BIG PICTURE SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES 2 BY ROBIN DONOVAN, editor-in-chief BIG PICTURE (ISSN 1082-9660) is published 9 times annually (Jan/Feb, March, April, May, June/July, August, September, October, Nov/Dec) by ST Media Group International Inc., 11262 Cornell Park Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45242-1812. Telephone: (513) 421-2050, Fax: (513) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualiﬁed individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to non-qualiﬁed individuals in the U.S.A.: $46 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions in Canada: $77 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $101 (Int'l mail) payable in U.S. funds. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2015, by ST Media Group International Inc. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. Periodicals Postage Paid at Cincinnati, OH and at additional mailing oﬃces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Big Picture, P.O. Box 1060, Skokie, IL 60076. Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to Big Picture, P.O. Box 1060, Skokie, IL 60076. 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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - August 2015

Big Picture - August 2015
Contents
Insight
Wide Angle
Upfront
Inside Output
Dynamic Signage
Air Superiority
Rock ‘n’ Roll Media
R+D
Explorer

Big Picture - August 2015