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Ideas for Building Brands and Growing Companies – April 2014

Changing Tides - April 2014

To print or not to print? I recently visited a Cadillac dealer to pick up a brochure on the CTS. The car is so stunning, I figured the collaterals would be top notch. I was disappointed to learn that Cadillac no longer prints brochures. Too bad. Automotive brochures are often the highest expression of art in printed marketing materials. The currency of the paper, the high resolution varnished photos and pure PMS ink colors on the graphics can create a sensory experience unlike electrons on a computer screen.

Of course there are many good arguments to not print these days. The environment is a common one and cost is another. Those nice brochures can be expensive and for the most part, they are viewed and then trashed. Perhaps it’s because I’m in the business and appreciate the time, effort, creativity and cost it takes to produce a high-end brochure, but I still have the collateral pieces produced for every vehicle I have owned. If it’s a message worth the paper it’s printed on, I am going to keep it.

In time, printed collateral will become a rare occurrence, and I’m okay with that. I only hope that the ones I really desire will continue to indulge in the art of glorious printed material – something like the collateral Porsche recently produced on the 918 Spyder. I paid $25 for a hardbound book that is nothing short of delicious.

I welcome your feedback and thoughts. I can be reached at byoung@youngcompany.com or 949-438-2722.

Thank you!

Signed by Bart Young


Client Spotlight: RSCCD

Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD)

Rancho Santiago Community College District provides outstanding education to students in the Orange County area. RSCCD operates two great locations, one of the state’s oldest community colleges, Santa Ana College, and one of its newest, Santiago Canyon College. Both campuses offer a plethora of concentrations and students are able to discover what interests them and where to take the rest of their educational career. Centered in a growing and dynamic area, the district serves a population of more than 700,000 residents in the communities of Anaheim Hills, Garden Grove, Irvine, Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin and Villa Park.

Young Company is excited to become educated in RSCCD’s culture to help better define the district to the market with a research effort to revamp the RSCCD brand. Young Company will be speaking to faculty, staff, influential students, and some others from the general student body from each campus to get a clear vision of how RSCCD is positioned currently. The challenge to differentiate each college from one another is an important element that the YC team looks forward to tackling.