No diploma, no football team, but a good education

Jul 1, 2005 12:00 AM, By M. Richard Vinocur

Vinocur’s Perspective

When I told editor Katherine O’Brien I had attended Pictorial University, she peppered me with a barrage of questions. "Did you get an honorary doctorate? Do they have a football team? Is the team called the ‘Fighting Pixels’?" But, that’s Ms. O’Brien’s sense of humor. She knew I was talking about Pictorial Offset’s twice annual educational program for customers.

Pictorial, for those who are unaware of the company, is a major printer. The Carlstadt, NJ, firm is managed by three brothers: Don, Gary and Lester Samuels. A quarter of a century ago, the company employed just 28 people and had sales of $1 million. Today, Pictorial has sales in the neighborhood of $70 million and a staff of approximately 300 people. That’s a helluva track record.

Swimming school
One of the contributing factors to the firm’s growth is its series of seminars designed to make customers more knowledgeable about current trends and technologies in the printing industry. The most recent session at Pictorial University was titled "A New School of Thought." Schools of fish decorated the promotional material.

The full-day program, held at a local first-class hotel near the plant site, opened with a continental breakfast followed by remarks from Don Samuels, the eldest of the three brothers. The day’s sessions covered topics including design, the future of the industry and new technologies for brand consistency.

Most of the 120 attendees—buyers and designers—were extremely pleased with the program.

It was well executed under the direction of vice president of sales and marketing Gary Pawlaczyk and recently appointed marketing director Mac Byrd. Attendees received a binder containing slides from each presentation, handouts from the presenters and reprints of recent magazine articles featuring Pictorial Offset. Forbes covered the company in its January 31, 2005, issue’s "Outlook: New Jersey Business Profiles." Headlined "Pictorial Offset Provides Print Solutions for Business," the story emphasized the company’s 65 years as a family owned and operated business. The three brothers succeeded their father in managing one of the Tri-State area’s (NY, NJ and CT) leading print solutions providers.

Fish feedback
Regular readers of this page know I am a staunch advocate of research, and Pictorial didn’t disappoint in that area. A sleeve in the back of the binder contained a short, two-page questionnaire, also adorned with swimming fish. Attendees were asked to rank each session and speaker as "poor," "disappointing," "no opinion," "good" or "excellent." The second question asked, "What topics, other than those covered today, would you like to see addressed at future Pictorial University sessions or events?"

Customers were advised, "We try to keep content at Pictorial University as current as possible. Your suggestions and recommendations are appreciated." Question three asked buyers to rate the educational value, the handouts, breakfast, lunch, the location and its facilities. And the fourth question asked, "Would you like to be invited to future Pictorial University Events?"

Next, the piece queried, "Will you use Pictorial Corp.’s print or print communications services in the next six months?" The answer to that important question—which many companies neglect to ask—will prove valuable to the firm’s sales staff.

The final question asked how the company could make Pictorial University better in the future. Sufficient space was available for comments and suggestions.

Reeling ‘em back in
Because I attended as an observer, I didn’t fill out the questionnaire. But about a week later, I received an e-mail noting that I had not submitted the questionnaire. I was very impressed with the fact that the company took its research seriously.

One of my favorite ad slogans is used by Syms, a New York clothing retailer that advertises, "An educated consumer is our best customer." Obviously Pictorial Offset feels the same way. The company was so pleased with the event that it will hold another one in October.