Big Picture - March 2016 - (Page 2)

insight False Balance F BIG PICTURE March 2016 alse balance means giving fair play to an idea that's unsubstantiated; something that a few people believe, but that lacks credibility in neutral circles. Think Holocaust deniers or The Flat Earth Society, whose members flout overwhelming scientific evidence that the Earth is spherical. The idea of false balance carries its own controversy. As evidence grows that vaccines do not cause autism, for example, some media outlets have still given column space and air time to people who believe they do. At the beginning of the scare, this was an easy mistake to make. As the original study fi nding the correlation was retracted and its author discredited, it's become more and more difficult to find reasons to give such arguments play. Still, many false balances are in gray areas. Someone must decide to label a particular body of evidence a "scientific consensus" while deeming another perhaps compelling, but not comprehensive. Like the ups and downs of the stock market, these tipping points can be hard to identify in the moment, particularly when tempers and egos are inflamed. We see this in print, too. Screen printers are moving to digital. Digital printers are moving to textiles and ceramics. Textile printers are looking at workflow and finishing. Commercial printers are adding smaller digital machines aimed at prototyping and shorter runs. People are giving presentations on the death of print; people are presenting counterarguments called "Print's Not Dead." It's all a bit silly. Print, as in daily newspapers, books, catalogs, medical records, architectural documents, and junk mail, is declining. Our society is becoming more global and more mobile, so print as a commodity has declined. Monthly travelers refuse newspapers in favor of a Kindle. Yet when they arrive at their destination, they rely on digital signage to show them the way; they shop in personalized retail spaces with ever-faster store design turnover; and they demand custom-patterned Nikes, one-of-akind Coke bottles, and chain restaurants that reflect local tastes in art and menu items. All of this has created a universe for print outputs that baffles common conception. Those who champion the death of print are right because their definition of what print can do is narrow. They don't know that everything from the tile beneath their feet to their kids' sports uniforms to the brace their physician prescribes will soon be a print output, if it isn't already. Despite much evidence to the contrary, the world still contains a few Holocaust deniers. You know they're wrong. Why include their viewpoints in your measured opinions? Don't fall victim to false balance. Instead, work to share the truth, which is both the real story and the complete one. This need for sharing is why we tell you marketing is all-important, and why we've traveled from Florida to New York to Vegas to Milan over the past few months. We're stalking change; we're amassing evidence. And we know the best way to change the outlook on print is to share what print can truly do. 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 2016, 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. bigpicture.net EDITORIAL Robin Donovan Editor-in-Chief robin.donovan@stmediagroup.com Adrienne Palmer Managing Editor adrienne.palmer@stmediagroup.com Kiersten Wones Assistant Editor 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 Jim Karwowski Senior Market Strategist West and South US, W Canada, Europe, Asia 630/474-4038 jim.karwowski@stmediagroup.com Karen Jones Senior Market Strategist GA, NC, SC, Classiﬁeds 843/697-3802 karen.jones@stmediagroup.com Linda Volz Production Supervisor linda.volz@stmediagroup.com Tedd Swormstedt President Steve Duccilli Senior VP of Content Christine Baloga Audience Development Director Kari Freudenberger Director, Online Media SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES (847) 763-4938, tbp@halldata.com bigpicture.net/subscribe bigpicture.net/renew 11262 Cornell Park Drive Cincinnati, OH 45242 tel (513) 421-2050 http://www.bigpicture.net http://www.bigpicture.net/subscribe http://www.bigpicture.net/renew

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - March 2016

Big Picture - March 2016
Contents
Challenge Accept
The Power and the Glory
Insight
Dynamic Signage
Wide Angle
Upfront
R+D

Big Picture - March 2016