Posts Tagged ‘Imagination Publishing’
My Imagination Internship
6 Jan 2010
by admin
As an editorial intern at Imagination, my skills are put to the test each and every day with a wide variety of writing assignments. Whether it’s writing stories for nationally published material for some of our clients or simple blog posts or tweets, each time I walk through the doors of this place, there’s something new and different on my plate.
My Internship Experience
You all know the theory that interns at some companies don’t truly get a ‘hands-on’ or a resume building experience, right? That couldn’t be farther from the truth at Imagination. My experiences have already led me to include Imagination on my resume as well as have the ability to show future employers the work I was doing here through my clips.
I have a friend who interned over the summer for a newspaper publication. He had one piece of work to show for it at the end of the program. I had one piece of work to show within the first two weeks of my internship at Imagination. Although I’m a journalism person at heart, my writing here has not only helped Imagination, but it furthered the knowledge I need to succeed in any writing industry.
The Imagination Difference
It truly is a great place to work and if you are even remotely thinking of entering in the field of custom media publishing, give Imagination a chance. I’m extremely thankful for the experience I’ve gotten here thus far and only look forward to the new projects that are in store for me.
To get a better idea of how the internship is from someone besides me, watch our video on the program. We, as interns, put it together to give all those interested a better idea of what work we actually do here and what kind of place Imagination is. After watching, feel free to apply, you may find it as rewarding as I did…
by Michael Van Der Harst, Editoral Intern
Survival of the Smartest
7 Jul 2009
by admin
Let’s not bury the lede: the publishing industry is in trouble.
Magazines are struggling to survive as advertising revenue evaporates, and the rules of engagement–literally–change. In the first half of 2009, 279 magazines folded according to a MediaFinder.com survey cited by FOLIO:
Given all of that it would seem logical–nay, imperative–that publishers, CEOs, COOs editors and the rest of content generating masses reach deep into their creative souls to fix the problems that plague the industry.
Alas, a quick read (or even a slow, thorough one) of FOLIO: magazine’s So What Business Are You In feature seems to indicate that the C-suite at most major publishing houses still does not get it. And by “it,” I mean the severity of the situation.
In this series of articles penned by noted magazine professionals (including Hearst’s vice president and general manager, John Loughlin, and New York’s Larry Burstein), we get the same rote recantation of standard operating procedure,i.e the “same ol’, same ol’,” namely:
- We’re platform agnostic
- We’re diversifying our revenue streams
- We’re investing in technology
It’s almost as if each of the interviewees is more concerned with presenting a brave face, instead of taking the conversation in a new direction. In fact, not a single one of these leaders within the industry mentions the one “buzz word” that they actually should: Innovation.
To be fair, there are some good ideas here.
The Atlantic’s president, Justin Long, gets points for talking about a holistic business strategy for creating profitable brands to lessen the dependence on advertising dollars, and Technology Review’s Kathleen Kennedy hits it out of the park with her emphasis on diversifying the content distribution model using new delivery methods, specifically mobile apps and Kindle apps.
But by and large, the majority of these folks put innovation and R&D below the fold. Not a single mention of trying to harness the power of social networks (though everyone talks about community), and working to create new ways to engage the audience with new forms of content. In addition, there’s very little mention of organizational changes to get away from the highly-inefficient publishing process that soaks up time and resources.
Now, I’m not saying I have all the answers, but it just seems a tad disturbing that the level of this conversation hasn’t moved much in the past year. Perhaps that’s just being in shock. Or maybe it’s simply nature’s way of showing us who will and won’t survive, because at the end of the day it’s not about who gets it right, it’s about who gets it right first. Call it an imposition of Darwinian logic, call it a reckoning, but in the end the magazines left standing will the ones who took a risk and tried to do something new.
Video: Inside Imagination Publishing
30 Jun 2009
by Michelle O'Hagan
Recently, Erin Dorr gave a tour of our offices to Tim Jahn, editor of the blog, Beyond the Pedway. Watch and learn more about Imagination Publishing and our custom publishing professionals. .
Custom Publishing Success Story
7 Nov 2008
by James Meyers
It was fourteen years ago today that I set up an eight foot gate leg folding table in a four room office above a pizza kitchen in downtown Chicago and opened the doors of Imagination Publishing. As I sat alone in that first office, excited about my first custom publishing project, I was also overwhelmed by all the emotions that every small business owner knows all too well. I’d invested all of my savings in an idea that companies would be interested in using custom publishing to add value to their existing customer relationships in a medium that they could control.
I had approached traditional publishers, business associates and friends about investing in my new company but each of them chose not to after expressing varying degrees of skepticism and doubt. But as a successful marketer for nearly 20 years, I rarely listened to what others around me had to say because marketing is about having a vision and a focus on doing whatever is necessary to make that vision a reality. If you listen to the naysayers, you’ll never accomplish anything.
For years I had plaque on my wall with the Albert Einstein quote, “Imagination is more Important than Knowledge”. I always believed passionately that Einstein was right and that belief that served me well for so many years in the corporate world is still right on target today. You see it’s not about what you know, or what you’ve done. Success comes from having the imagination, the passion, the curiosity and the focus to make your dreams real. So it seemed only natural to name my company Imagination Publishing.
But now the stakes were different. I was playing with my own money, my home, my family’s livelihood! And often during those early years I’d lie awake at night with the “monster over my bed”. I’m sure that every small business owner knows that same monster.
Small Business Monster
After working six and seven days a week with 12-14 hour days that monster would always being there reminding me of everything that could go wrong. Learning to live with that monster by beating it down with an even stronger sense of confidence and purpose is part of the secret to building a successful small business.
Luckily, I had two other things going for me. A great wife and family who supported my crazy dream through all the tough times, never once questioning my resolution to succeed. And my first two hires who set up their folding tables a week after me. Rebecca Rolfes and Doug Kelly shared my dream and passion and have been huge part of the success of Imagination Publishing. Without Rebecca’s endless sense of optimism and Doug’s rock-solid work ethic and stability, we would never have reached the success that we now enjoy.
Today, fourteen years later, Imagination Publishing has more than 50 full time Imagineers and more than 20 fantastic clients. Many of our clients are Fortune 100 companies and leading trade associations who all have found custom publishing to be an effective means of communicating and engaging with their customers. Print custom publishing is still more than 60% of our business but the explosion of digital continues to grow at a breakneck pace even in the current economic recession. Today, we’ve become experts in rich media, community management, SEO and analytics, and strategic integration as well as custom magazines in order to meet all of the custom media needs of our clients. Custom content continues to grow while traditional media continues to decline because it works.
It’s been a fabulous ride but I have a vision that the next fourteen years will be even better. While some only see risk and peril in today’s economy, I see nothing but opportunity. I have to, it’s all I know.
Stronger Customer Relationships in Tougher Economic Times
6 Oct 2008
by James Meyers
The economic slowdown or “mild recession” is taking it’s toll on businesses, particularly small businesses. It’s frightening to hear about small businesses that can’t get credit from the same bank who just six months ago were sending unsolicited credit card offerings to every mailbox they could find.
I heard a story on the radio last week about a small business in Chicago with more than ten years of profitable financial operations who now can’t get a $30,000 line of credit to fulfill in-hand orders for the holiday season. According to the Wall Street Journal, it’s not that the banks don’t have money, it’s just that they’re afraid to lend it. The old adage that banks only want to lend you money when you really don’t need it is once again proving true. Thankfully, my bank, Harris, is not one of those banks who has stuck their head in the sand! They understand that small business is the backbone of business and that killing small business will only lead to much greater economic problems. This is a time for stronger customer relationships. Forging stronger customer relationships now, will insure that customers stay loyal for years to come.
Story after story, case study after case study, and research upon research has shown that companies who invest more on marketing during tough economic times not only do better during tough times than companies who don’t but also that these companies come out of times quicker and accelerate faster as growth returns. That’s because forging and reinforcing customer relationships is the best insurance any business has against economic downturns.
At Imagination Publishing, we have been successful in showing our clients how to use content to connect, engage and strengthen their customer relationships. In tough economic times, your customers need information, help and reassurance more than ever before. Content delivered through custom media marketing will help you strengthen your customer relationships now and into the future because it shows your customers that you care about them, that you understand their needs and that you’re there to help.
To learn more about Imagination, visit www.imaginepub.com
