PMA Magazine - Connecting the Imaging Communities articles from October 2006

PMA Magazine - Connecting the Imaging Communities archives from October 2006

Promoting business: retail consultant Ravid Butz explains how using e-mail newsletter campaigns can increase revenues.(Viewpoint)
October 1, 2006... Imagine this scenario: Your lab or store just invested in an amazing new machine for printing a hot new product. Customers are going to love this service; and this machine is going to turn your company around and make you money. You have lots...

Up for a game of photo-opoly?(Late for the Sky Production Co.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... If you like Monopoly, you may just like the more personal PHOTO-OPLY. For 20 years, Late for the Sky Production Co. (www.lateforthesky.com), Cincinnati, Ohio, has been creating OPOLY-style board games based on colleges, universities, cities and...

Cruisin' photos.(Regent Seven Seas)(SharedBook Inc.)
October 1, 2006... Cruisers can now create photo books onboard and share pictures with other guests in the process. Regent Seven Seas (www.rssc .com), Fort Lauderdale, Fla., partnered with custom publishing firm SharedBook Inc. (www.sharedbook.com), New York,...

Valuable data readily accessible to members.(2006 U.S. Consumer Scrapbook Report)(Consumer Imaging in Canada 2006)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... PMA Marketing Research continuously provides up-to-date information for its members on the latest imaging trends. Recent reports include the PMA 2006 U.S. Consumer Scrapbook Report and Consumer Imaging in Canada 2006. The scrapbook report...

New name, same magazine.(Newsline)
October 1, 2006... With this issue, Photo Marketing magazine has now become PMA Magazine --Connecting the Imaging Communities. It may be a new name, but it's still the same publication you have come to anticipate in your mailbox and online.

PMA data watch: higher capacity memory cards do not discourage printing.(Newsline)
October 1, 2006... U.S. consumers can now store more photos than ever on their digital cameras. Memory cards are the new "digital camera," in that they are quickly improving, while prices reach new lows. PMA Marketing Research analyzed the latest consumer data to...

Facts of life: there are many ways to store your photos on digital media. In this article, PMA magazine takes a look at CD, DVD, media card, flash memory drive, and hard drive alternatives.
October 1, 2006... When Dave and Erin got married in July, the photographer they hired to shoot their wedding, who used a DSLR to do so, handed them a CD when they returned from their honeymoon. On their 50th wedding anniversary: (1) Will that CD be readable,...

Instant information: digital signage company GFX Dynamics uses RFID and other technology to provide info on any product a customer touches.(SmartTable)(ViewSonic Corp.)
October 1, 2006... A customer walks into your store planning to buy a digital camera. She sees a display of several models and wonders which one is right for her. She approaches the display and picks up one of the cameras. Immediately, all the information about...

A New Year's resolution: kicking off a new PMA membership year.(Photo Marketing Association)
October 1, 2006... No, you are not waking from some deep slumber. Yes, it's October and those holiday returns January brings are still weeks away. It is, however, the start of the 82nd PMA membership year. That's 82 years of photo industry professionals...

Targeted design: Cord Camera designed its Clintonville store with scrapbooking in mind, while still maintaining a strong imaging identity.(Business & Marketing)(Cover story)
October 1, 2006... The redesign of the Clintonville Cord Camera store in Columbus, Ohio, began somewhat serendipitously. Steve Cordle and Timothy Bachman met through their daughters, who went to Ohio State University together. Bachman found out Cordle was...

All in the family: companies specialize in helping consumers preserve family memories through photo books.(Trends & Technology)
October 1, 2006... Preserving family memories for future generations has never been easier--or more popular--thanks to companies specializing in creating heirloom-quality photo books. Companies are reporting a growing interest from consumers in creating...

Photo book finesse: the Anonymous Consumer realizes photo books look great, but aren't done in a snap.(Business & Marketing)
October 1, 2006... Photo books sounded like a great idea at first. That was, of course, until the Anonymous Consumer actually tried to make one online. The AC thought a photo book would be a much easier project than a scrapbook. The AC also wanted something...

Painless PR: hiring the right press agent can get your business the publicity it deserves.(Business & Marketing)
October 1, 2006... When Jan Marion, owner of H. Marion Framing Studio Inc. in Glenview, Ill. (www.hmarionframing.com), was preparing to host an exhibition of children's artwork at his gallery space last spring, he knew it was newsworthy enough to attract the...

The doctor is in: how healthy is your store? Glenn Omura, Ph.D., discusses symptoms, diagnoses, and prescriptions for photo retailers' challenges.(Business & Marketing)
October 1, 2006... Recently, PMA magazine asked several photo retailers what they considered the top challenges ailing them in business today. PMA consultant and photo retail expert Glenn Omura, Ph.D., reviewed their responses and provided his insights into...

A century of photos: Memphis Photo Supply marks 100 years.(Business & Marketing)(Company overview)
October 1, 2006... The year was 1906. The price of a new Ford automobile was $750, and a gallon of gasoline was 28 cents. A gallon of milk was also 28 cents, and the national average price for a three-bedroom home was $2,400. Teddy Roosevelt was the U.S....

Playing to its strengths: Photomation proves commercial labs can thrive in the digital age.(Business & Marketing)(Company overview)
October 1, 2006... In 1955, frustrated by having to take his film to Los Angeles for processing and printing, Dean Hesketh, then one of the most successful professional photographers in the Orange County, Calif., area, took matters into his own hands and started...

Service savvy: new equipment brings additional services and less labor to Rush Hour Photo.(Business & Marketing)
October 1, 2006... When a new seafood restaurant opened near Rush Hour Photo & Wireless (www.rushhourphoto.com), Corvallis, Ore., the managers did a smart thing: they mailed out invitations for a free meal to potential customers in the area. What made the idea so...

30 Minute makeover: retailer 30 Minute Photos Etc. debuts new look, services.(Business & Marketing)(Luci scrapbooking kiosk)(30 Minute Photos Etc. uses kiosk from Lucidiom Inc.)
October 1, 2006... Based in Irvine, Calif., 30 Minute Photos Etc. (www.30minphotos.com), has long been a leading retailer in terms of product offerings and marketing savvy. Now the 16-year-old store itself is on the leading edge, thanks to a new, modern look...

No stopping: Camera Stop is experiencing growth ahead of schedule.(Business & Marketing)(Camera Stop Inc.)(Company overview)
October 1, 2006... When Camera Stop Inc., Piano, Texas, opened its doors 3 years ago, it was billed as a pioneer in the specialty retail market. As an all-digital store, it was one of a kind, says the business. It was featured in numerous press articles,...

Print production: large-format printers popular with pros and amateurs alike.(Canon U.S.A. Inc. introduces imagePROGRAF iPF5000 inkjet printers)(Hewlett-Packard Co. introduces HP Photosmart Pro B9180 Photo Printer)(Epson America Inc. introduces Stylus Photo R2400 inkjet printer)
October 1, 2006... Professional photographers doing their own in-studio work are using the latest large-format pigment inkjet printers. Companies such as HP, Epson and Canon have introduced newer models within the last year, and they say they are seeing an...

A hard drive death: author and "Technology Tailor" Alex Goldfayn gives retailers ideas for resuscitating customers' digital photos.(Parting Shot)
October 1, 2006... The hard drive is where digital photos go to die. Before you get paid. It didn't used to be this way. Just a few years ago, photos died in shoeboxes, or even in albums. But you had already been paid for developing those pictures. So it...