A Pioneering Presentation An innovative product deserves an innovative presentation. That thought led AdvancMed to call Corporate Image, a printer of custom presentation materials based in Des Moines, Iowa. AdvancMed, a medical education company headquartered in Lexington, Ky., recently introduced a new self-guided program in continuing medical education. "We'd always used plain, white slipcover binders with tabs produced at a local printer, and they did a fine job," says John Campbell, graphics coordinator for AdvancMed. "But when we had a groundbreaking new continuing medical education activity to roll out, we wanted materials that would reflect the program's innovation and sophisticated multimedia component." AdvancMed researched printers online and contacted Corporate Image. The medical education company had three main requirements: It wanted a quick turnaround, needed to stay under budget and desired creative ideas from its printer. The last prerequisite was key. "They wanted attention from sales," says Michael James, general manager of Corporate Image. "They needed a consultant from a company that would lead them through the whole process." Account Manager Barb McChesney spearheaded the project. She provided four components: binders, index tabs, CD holders and corrugated mailers. Corporate Image supplied 3,000 turned-edge binders with 1 1/2-inch D rings. The 4-color binders include rounded spines, which spark interest and fit comfortably in users' hands. The covers feature AdvancMed's logo; the name and tagline for its new education program; and a picture of a doctor, nurse and patient with a large image of CDs behind them. This artwork is depicted on all the materials, including the index tabs and software inserted in the binder and mailers. "Every piece has continuity," McChesney says. The printer also provided 3,000 sets of four tab dividers. Each is numbered and contains custom tabs in rounded half-moon shapes. The client's signature artwork appears on the divider pages, which are printed on 12-pt. stock. Corporate Image supplied 9,000 CD holders-three for each binder-on 12-pt. laminated stock. "Our binder, tab dividers and CD pockets are all color-coded, so it's easier to organize the self-guided modules once we send them to our customers," Campbell says. The final piece Corporate Image provided was the corrugated mailer. "AdvancMed had done research on binders, tabs and disk holders," McChesney says. "But they didn't really know how to pack all this to go out. The box we provided was a solution they hadn't anticipated." James adds that the client wanted an attractive mailer that would portray its image, but didn't want to spend a lot on a package that would probably get thrown away. McChesney reasoned that a plain box wouldn't have enough punch. But a litho-wrapped box, with 4-color artwork on all six sides, would be too expensive for packaging that would end up in the garbage. Weighing the dual needs for functionality and decoration, she sold AdvancMed on a corrugated box with a 4-color, laminated sheet tipped on to the front. The binders fit snugly into the boxes. "We came up with a solution that worked for them, but was cost-efficient," James says. Providing such "middle-ground" ideas helped AdvancMed stay within its budget. Corporate Image's in-house capabilities helped the firm meet tight deadlines. The printer won the account in late July and began production, which took 10 working days, in mid-August. The company's reliance on consultative selling helped meet AdvancMed's third condition for project guidance. "One of our goals in working with customers is to make it as easy as possible for them," James says. One tool that facilitates that, he says, is electronic templates. After providing clients with mock-ups, the printer supplies electronic templates that show product details. Clients drop their designs over the top of the templates and send them to Corporate Image's prepress department. "The electronic template is our best way of ensuring the project goes smoothly," James says. AdvancMed received its presentation materials in August. It's mailing the binders, to which it adds the inner material or "guts," in increments: Customers initially receive the first module of the self-guided educational program, then the second one in a later mailing. AdvancMed is thrilled with the printed pieces. "It's the pulled-together, consistent, polished look we wanted," Campbell says. "People are saying it's the best, most professional piece we've ever done." McChesney takes pride in the project, too: " I love being able to take clients in a direction they didn't know they could go, to give them everything they wanted and maybe more."