Starting this month and continuing throughout the year, we're rolling out our new graphic communications campaign with the theme "It's time for you AND Kodak." It's one of three pieces in the overall "It's Time for Kodak" campaign and focuses on inclusiveness and partnerships, using the word "and" prominently in the ads. Through this theme, we hope to demonstrate that when you work with Kodak, there are no compromises.



The main brand ad shows how graphic communications touches everyone, everywhere, and is an important part of our daily lives. It shows the different market segments that we are involved in—packaging, commercial printing, publishing, data-driven communications and enterprise marketing. This imagery will be reflected in all our upcoming graphic arts communications:

• As the theme of our flash-based web enhancement at www.kodak.com/go/connect
• In print ads running in Graphic Arts Monthly and Printing Impressions
• In online ads, including a first of its kind toolbox, which directs visitors to a number of different communications tools such as this blog and Kodak channels on social media outlets such as Twitter and YouTube. See the toolbox now at www.whattheythink.com and www.printplanet.com.
• In collateral, individual campaigns and tradeshows.

Next month, we'll talk about how this theme ties in with PRINT 09, and how we're working to help customers capture growth opportunities in a tough market.

With a weak economy and many companies fighting to keep their heads above water, attending a 4 day conference might not make the "to do" list of a  lot of Print Service Providers. Yet nearly 300 attendees are on hand this week for Kodak's Graphic Users' Association event in Orlando, Florida to learn how workflow and software solutions from Kodak can be crucial to the success of their enterprise.

Keynote speaker Andrew Paparozzi, Vice President and Chief Economist of NAPL, praised attendees for making such a strong commitment to their businesses. "Are we asking the right questions or are we hoping everything works out?", inquired Paparozzi in his keynote address this morning. "How do we establish, company wide, that the biggest threat to our industry is not the recession, it's not China... it is complacency, the status quo, and assuming that what worked yesterday will work tomorrow. Because in an industry being redefined by structural change, a rising tide no longer lifts all boats and no risk is greater than doing nothing."

For more of Paparozzi's speech, please watch below. And stay tuned for more from the 2009 GUA conference as the week unfolds.

If you're like me, you might be walking around a lot of the time and wondering, "Is anybody out there listening to me?!" I know a place you can go where the answer will most definitely be, "Yes!"

The 2009 Graphic Users' Association North American Conference takes place May 17-20 in Orlando Florida. The GUA is a worldwide Kodak users group that is dedicated to keeping lines of communications open between Kodak and its customers. At this year's conference, we've got customers coming in from across North America for this year's conference. And, there will be a lot of Kodak people - from members of the executive management team to product managers and software developers - on hand learn about our customers' businesses and listen for feedback.

This isn't just a Kodak guy saying so. Check out this video from Tom Clifford, the president of the GUA and a prepress supervisor who does not work for Kodak.



The theme of this year's conference is "Efficiency Revealed," and in these times, who couldn't use some more efficiency to wring extra profit out of your business.

If you'd like to learn more about the conference - or better yet, to register - go to www.gua2009.com. I hope to see you in Orlando. I'll be ready to listen. I promise.