Page 57 - Print 21 Magazine Nov-Dec 2018

Association News News updates from the printing industry
strong philosophy of members first, and do what you say you will – working with others forms part of this.”
Providing information to both buyers of print, and to print businesses themselves, is a core part of The Real Media Collective, just as it has been with Two Sides, ACA and APIA. Northwood says, “There has been a phenomenal amount of misinformation in the market to the detriment of print, however we have advocated strongly over the years, and seeing some real progress.
“For instance, three or four years ago the fizz went out
of the anti-paper lobby; the conversation changed because in the three or four years prior to that we had been working really hard to educate the market on the realities of paper – that it
is environmentally sustainable, that it is recyclable, that paper companies are not destroying forests, that in fact emails are more environmentally harmful than paper.
“In the last 12 months,
with the scandal surrounding Facebook and its misuse of personal data, management of personal data is a huge issue and print is being viewed in a new positive light. Our aim at the Collective is to keep this conversation front of mind. Our research, which is executed through credible organisations like Roy Morgan, shows that print achieves cut through, and that is across the generations.”
Engaging with AusPost in the new post-Fahour era is a key
part of the Collective. It has just published a list of six demands for Australia Post which it says will be beneficial to both the print and paper industry, and
to a more successful working relationship between Australia Post and industry. “Working with industry on commercial outcomes is just as critical for Australia Post as it is for our members and we have parked all the history and developed a key list of requests for Australia Post. We have also ventilated these
with Minister Fifield and look to working together with Australia Post on a positive outcome,” commented Northwood.
Northwood is committed to a seamless transition for members. “Our commitment is to continue our improvement and build an association that is committed
to the sustainability of strong and performing media channels across letterbox, magazine, direct, print marketing, fibre- based packaging and more for today and tomorrow.
“They all work together which means we are now in an even better position to support, promote and ultimately grow demand for the valuable products and services our industry has to offer,” concluded Northwood.
Among the new innovations is Porta online industry metrics. Northwood says, “We will be collecting data from contributing members. The datasets include print unit volumes, market segments, paper weights and more for the industry to understand
trends and forecasts for their strategic planning. The tool allows contributing members to submit data, then the tool de- identifies and merges into one figure for the industry.”
Along with Northwood, who is CEO of The Real Media Collective, there are six staff covering events, projects, communications, design
and marketing.
“Northwood says, “It is an exciting time. We are making progress across the board, there is a lot to look forward to.” 21
Main: Board of the new Association: (left to right) Matt Aitken, IVE Group; David Webster and Rebecca Lowde, Salmat; Kellie Northwood, The Real Media Collective; Kevin Slaven and Craig Dunsford, PMP Limited; Mark Roberts, Australia Post; and Bernie Roberts, Webstar NZ ( John Wanless, Bambra is also on the board, but not pictured).
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