PMA March 2010 : Page 25Business & Marketing calendar manufacturing at retail was not nearly as prevalent as it is today,” Limbach says. “Few retailers were offering press- printed products in-store.” The business continued to grow, and to- day the company has manufacturing con- tracts with large online imaging solutions providers, including Shutterfly, LifePics, and many others. Recognizing the lower- to mid-quality demands of the consumer market were being served fairly effectively by the in-store one-hour output devices, Proven Pictures photo products are targeted toward the higher end of the consumer market, as well as professional photographers. Within the photo books category, Proven Pictures offers: Keepsake for special events; Occasions as the next level up in quality for weddings, artwork displays, and more; and Signature, its highest-quality product. Professional photographers comprise a good portion of the customers, and Limbach notes the pho- tographers’ attention to detail and demand for high-quality products helps the com- pany maintain a high level of performance. Partnering with Proven Pictures The company is dedicated to helping its partners succeed. First, it only works with businesses that serve consumer or pro mar- kets. It doesn’t try to market directly to the end-customer; therefore, Proven Pictures puts its resources into helping distribution partners increase their businesses. Distribution partners can log in directly at the Proven Pictures site to access its library of marketing assets designed to help promote the products. “As a manufacturer, and with our roots as a marketing business, we feel our job is to provide our distribution partners with marketing assistance,” Limbach says. “We offer animations of our book line and professionally written marketing copy. We’ve had professional photo shoots of our products for partners to use. “In addition, we’ve created a simple-to- use Customer Service Portal, where our partners can log in for order tracking and The digital imaging and production areas at Proven Pictures are housed in a new 53,000-square-foot facility. make changes, such as cancelling an order or changing the ship-to address. These are competitive advantages.” Limbach says another advantage for partners is the rapid turnaround time. “We average a 1.7 day turnaround on books, and 1.1 days on calendars and greeting cards,” he says. That turnaround time, the ability to track orders, and customer service are the reasons LifePics has worked with Proven Pictures the past 2.5 years, according to Carl Fredrikson, manager of Creative Products Development at LifePics. “Their books are beautiful, bookstore- quality products that come in various sizes and price ranges, which we knew our retailers would be excited about offering their customers,” Fredrikson says. “Proven Pictures also provides top-notch customer service in terms of communicating with our team and responding quickly to our questions or concerns.” Fredrikson says LifePics currently offers five printed (custom) cover photo book siz- es, with two lay-flat options coming soon. In addition, LifePics offers four folding card options and plans to add calendars. Looking ahead While the holiday season remains the busiest time, Proven Pictures is growing the business at other times of the year. Its marketing services business keeps numbers steady year-round, and more consumers are purchasing photo books at other times. Wedding books and albums boost business throughout the spring and summer months, and the company is pursuing additional markets. In fact, Proven Pictures has entered the yearbook market, which will increase business in April and May. Proven Pictures has licensed LumaPix (www.lumapix.com) FotoFusion software for its yearbooks. New products remain a key to continued growth. Proven Pictures launched several new items last year, and its product port- folio now includes more than 100 SKUs. Limbach says plans include introducing about 20 new products this year, such as trading cards and softcover photo books. “It’s important to listen to our partners’ needs and keep up with the trends,” Lim- bach says. “We’re always looking at ways to help our partners succeed,” which means success for Proven Pictures as well. n PMA — March 2010 — www.pmai.org 25 Publication List |
