Contact:
Morayea Pindziak
Marketing Manager
Tel: 732-563-9292 ext. 269
morayea.pindziak@vistacomp.com
Press Releases
VISTA and IPG unite to support exploration of digital marketing tools
Pilot enables publishers, distributors to grow revenues by increasing content visibility
April 14, 2008 —VISTA, market leader in applications to support the publishing supply chain, and the Independent Publishers Guild (IPG), which supports and connects independent information providers, have launched a pilot scheme to enable selected IPG members to explore the benefits and evaluate the revenue generation potential of digital publishing initiatives such as virtual catalogues and online book samples.
The project covers a cross-section of IPG members, enabling VISTA and IPG to assess the different ways in which publishers, distributors and others in the supply chain can incorporate such technologies into their strategies, and the effectiveness of respective applications. Participating members were randomly selected during the recent IPG conference in March. Three publishers, Cicerone Press, Galore Park, and How To Books, will trial catalogue digitisation, which will replicate their print editions with an easy-to-use online facsimile designed to increase visibility and facilitate browsing of the publishers’ products.
A further five IPG members (Anova Books, Brahma Kumaris, Eurospan Group, Ovolo Books and Yale University Press) were given the opportunity to select up to 10 books for “view inside” book sampling, which digitises small excerpts and allows them to be embedded into online marketing materials. Potential customers are therefore better able to assess the book’s content prior to making a purchase.
The Eurospan Group’s Stephen Lustig is excited about deploying digital samples to help market publications from his organisation’s publisher partners: “We have selected recently-published titles with good sales to participate in the VISTA-IPG pilot. The digital book samples will be prominently featured on the front page of eurospanbookstore.com, our online bookstore. We will be able to monitor their usage, track resultant conversions, and measure sales growth against previous sales, and thus evaluate the impact of VISTA’s technology on our revenues. It’s a welcome opportunity for us to minimise the investment and risk associated with exploring new technologies, and VISTA and IPG have once again demonstrated their commitment to supporting innovation in the publishing industry.”
VISTA and IPG will report back on progress of the pilot throughout 2008, and will follow up with case studies to advise other publishers on successful techniques for incorporating technology into sales and marketing strategies.
About VISTA
VISTA, a division of Publishing Technology, is the leading worldwide provider of solutions and services for the publishing industry. VISTA is a committed business partner to publishers, distributors and booksellers supported by our systems throughout the world. Our solutions fit all aspects of the publishing value chain, from author care through production, rights and royalties to warehouse and fulfillment, for both print and online publishing - all integrated in an e-business environment, with full access to the analytical power of Publishing Intelligence.
To complement our comprehensive enterprise solutions, the full range of VISTA services include applications implementation, applications management and hosting services, and publishing-specific business consulting, together with lifetime customer support.
In February 2007, VISTA and Ingenta plc merged to form Publishing Technology plc, the largest provider of tailored software to the publishing industry.
VISTA was founded in 1977 and has offices in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region.
About IPG
The IPG helps publishers to do better business and become part of a real community — somewhere they can find advice, ideas and information. We give independent companies the support they need to get the most out of publishing and keep their businesses growing. Founded over 40 years ago, membership is at an all-time high of around 480 companies, sharing combined turnover of £500m a year. We represent publishers of all shapes and sizes — from one-person operations to medium sized companies to international heavyweights. Our different special interest groups under the IPG umbrella reflect the diversity of the membership, and give companies the chance to get advice and information that are specific to their own sector. One of the most impressive things about the independent publishing community is its willingness to share its expertise, and new joiners get access to a mine of knowledge and experience, from both their fellow members and the IPG’s own Board of Directors.
Learn more at www.ipg.uk.com.
