| Why Me? |
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| Greetings!
Well, I'm back from the UK, and it feels like I have never been away. I went with Dave, a great mate of mine, who is a Birmingham boy. He was the driver, I was the worrier. We did an outstanding job at both roles.
We had a wonderful time meeting friends and associates from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and America. I was spoiled rotten by everyone, and its a trip I'll not forget in a long time. I've certainly got some wonderful memories.
You realise very quickly how Australia is so insulated from the rest of the world in so many ways. No more so is that evident in the sign industry.
I was fortunate to meet some of the best small to medium sign companies in the UK. Unlike Australia though, they all leave their ego's at the door when you have a get together.
Several sign shops took time off to show us the sights, feed and water us and one even put us up for a couple of nights.
We spent time with a husband and wife team, Lynn & Peter from LP Signs in Luton, who went to a lot of trouble to make us feel very welcome. Surprising me on my first full day in the UK with a guided tour of London, a trip on the ' eye' and Bletchly Park, it was a wonderful start to my trip.
Dave and I then went on to Corby Graphix, one the UK's premier vehicle livery specialists. John and Jenny Childs generosity and hospitality was very humbling for a couple of blokes from Australia, and Johns staff were a credit to his company too. John is a 20 year veteran of the graphics industry, signing over 1000 vehicles a year. He and his righthand man Peter Mindham, also a top a bloke, gave me advice and encouragement that was simply priceless for a single operator like me.
From there, we travelled to Birmingham to attended one of England's best sign expo's. Three days eating, drinking, talking, eating, drinking, eating and talking may explain the expanded waistline. I met several people who have been a source of encouragement to me for several years.
One such person was Jill Welsh, an American, owner of Jills Custom Signs in Butler PA. A wonderful traditional painter, she has been a tremendous help to me and others in our industry with her sound advice, experience and reasoning. She was a very good friend of an Australian sign industry legend, the late John Jordon, who himself was well known for his generosity in helping others, including me a year or so before his death.
I was invited to a meeting with a large group of sign shop owners and presented with an English cricket hat, with everyone who attended signing the brim. I'll treasure that hat forever. That evening, about 40 of us had a great time at a local restaurant and chewed the fat. We resolved the worlds financial problems, met some wonderful people, and generally improved the economy of Birmingham for at least that one night.
I was also very pleased to meet a young man named Rob Lambie, Managing Director of Europe's best sign forum. Rob is the brains behind a sign industry forum that is basically a buddy system for sign operators from around the world, who need advise, help or understanding of issues that are unique to our industry. He was very accommodating to Dave and I, and his generosity toward us was yet another highlight of our time there. Rob also helps run the family sign business, Fast Signs Scotland ltd, one of Scotlands best sign companies.
I might add I needed an interpreter when speaking to him, but two other Scottish sign makers, lovely ladies Nik and Marcella took pity on me and translated what Rob was saying in to my native english :)
Rob has a lovely sense of humour and was very good natured about me saying 'huh?' after most comments he made. I think Marcella did the interpretation because if she didn't, she was going to hear every comment Rob made a multiple of times. Ironically, my travelling companion Dave had no issue with any of the accents, apart from mine.
After leaving the show, John Singh from Alpha Signs in London invited Dave and I out for the day for a walking tour of London. John is an accomplished Gilder and traditional brushy that does amazing work. He and his wife Gill made Dave and I feel like family, and they are simply wonderful people.
The next day Dave and I headed down to Essex and met up with Martin Cole of Fairway Signs. His wife Esther and his kids were great company too. I dare say we overstayed our welcome, but Martin and I have a lot in common, and it was nice to discuss issues that are unique to a single operator in the digital signage era. We didn't accomplish much in our discussion, other than realising that we are not alone with the issues faced in our trade, as single operators. His cashflow, credit and funding issues are exactly the same as mine, even though we are half a world away.
I met and enjoyed the company of many many others, and each one of them was a joy to meet. The only real thing that I'm happy about is that none of them are emigrating, otherwise our local sign trade would have some serious competition :)
So, now I'm back and wishing I had a twin. :) |
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Sign Effectiveness
An American Study 
Observations of the travel habits in the US indicate that an average of eighty five percent of your potential consumers are likely to pass by your establishment at least 10 times a month.
An onsite sign viewed by eighty five percent of the retail market at an average of 10 times a month can cost as low as $0.02 per thousand exposures.
A three hundred line newspaper ad, also run ten times a month could command only 53% of the market at a cost of $2.81 per thousand exposures.
TV on the other hand cost $9.82 per thousand exposures but could command only 14% of the retailers market with a reader ship of 11%.
The advertising space value of your on-site location has been calculated as the equivalent of two free full page newspaper ads every month.
Many business managers still regard their onsite signage as a means of identifying their location and not as the powerful sales tool it may become.
During a severe shortage of hydroelectricity energy the state of Oregon ordered electrical signs to be extinguished. For that brief period of time in which this advertising blackout existed, business losses were staggering with reports of as much as a 50% loss of revenue.
Onsite sign outages have invariably resulted in a direct loss of sales volume.
When you invest in advertising, a cost effective approach substantially increases your chances of market coverage, for a given budget no matter how modest the budget may be.
Before anyone enters your establishment the first thing they know about your manner is the manner in which your sign invites them.
Unquestionably a great deal of the tremendous cost effectiveness of onsite signs is due to their long life and to their placement on property valued for more than advertising purposes.
Other media, even though short lived, must pay for circulation and pass the cost on to the advertiser.
Onsite signs utilize the location advantages of existing commercial properties to secure a relatively free cost of circulation over a long period of time.
Since the use of advertising potential of the location is free for the taking, the user of onsite signage limits expenditures to the cost of the sign and maintenance only. Due to the durability of the signs, the expenditure can be low indeed for the amount of advertising received.
Granted, the figures quoted above are for the American market, but they no doubt reflect the same or similar data here.
According to a study by the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, two simple elements can enhance sign effectiveness even further.
They found that adding a border to focus attention on your sign helps the viewer read it 26% faster. That's a big advantage in a fast-paced marketplace. Plus, by presenting special information in a second color, you increase the reader's retention by 78%.
So whatever is most important on your sign, whether it's a phone number or a key word, try using an accent color to draw better response.
Finally, its been found that, to maximize impact, you should make frequent changes to your sign or banner.
New messages, graphics or colors help your sign stand out from familiar surroundings and draw renewed interest from viewers. Displaying the same sign for an extended period of time is less effective.
(source : Impact Signs and Apparel USA, Fastsigns USA) |
Translating a Foreign Language sign
International Language Company
 Dennis Brown, Director of The International Language Company. is a market leader in the translations of web, media and signage.
We use their services exclusively when translation our arabic, somali, greek, korean and chinese signage.
Dennis explains on his web site that translation is a much more difficult art than most people tend to think.
To translate a single phrase or sentence a translator must grasp the essence of what is being said and, selecting the most appropriate target language vocabulary and juggling the two different grammatical systems, convert this into a target language sentence that is both an accurate reflection of the original and also well worded and natural sounding.
This is a lot for the human brain to handle all at once - classic multitask computing at work.
As a result, it's normal for an initial translation to cling a little too closely to the original language (be a little too literal) and to therefore sound somewhat unnatural and stilted in the target language.
It's also very easy for the translator to miss something out because of the complexity of the mental processing involved.
A systematic and thorough translation process is therefore essential to overcome these difficulties. This is the process a professional translation service will use:
Step 1 - The translator reads through or skim reads the text to gain an overview of its content. He/she will note key concepts and terms requiring further research or that may be difficult to translate.
Step 2 - The document is translated.
Step 3 - This initial translation is thoroughly and systematically checked - phrase by phrase and sometimes word by word - to ensure nothing has been missed and nothing misinterpreted.
The wording of the translation will also be refined and improved in this step.
Step 4 - The translation is put aside for a few hours or overnight.
Step 5 - The translator re-reads the translation (without reference to the source document) looking solely at quality of expression and carries out his/her final editing to further polish the translated text.
Step 6 - A second translator reviews the 'final' translation, checking that nothing has been misconstrued from the source document and completing a double check of all names and figures.
The second translator will discuss any instances of unclear expression with the principal translator and a final text will be agreed on.
Bitter experience has shown that systematic skipping of any of these steps will almost inevitably lead to poor quality translations and errors or omissions. However strict adherence to the process, coupled with appropriate translator selection, has proven to be a very successful and consistently reliable quality control system.
We have been very happy with their work to date, and don't hesitate to put their company forward if clients are in need of this type of service. |
Bowel Cancer Awareness Week
The Colorectal Foundation
Drew's Sign It Pty Ltd and Murrays Coaches have joined forces with The Colorectal Foundation to donate signage to Murrays Buses promoting the Bowel Cancer Awareness Week from June 9th to June 14th 2009.
The Colorectal Foundation was formed in 2000 by a group of senior Australian Colorectal Surgeons who recognised the need for continuing research into particular areas of their speciality.
The aims of the foundation are to:
- Raise awareness and educate the community about bowel cancer.
- Provide a forum for education for medical practitioners, nursing and other paramedical colleagues.
- Raise funds for research into evolving technologies, new treatments and best practices.
- Provide funding and placements for fellowships in the speciality of colorectal surgery.
- Support training programmes in specialised skills for colorectal surgery.
Patron of the Foundation - Mr Harry Triguboff AO, Managing Director of Meriton Apartments, Australia's leading Home Unit developer, previously diagnosed with Colon Cancer, has undergone surgery and a very successful management program to cure his disease.
As a result of his experiences, Mr Triguboff recognised the need for ongoing research and public education and he generously sponsored a community bowel cancer prevention program.
He endowed a Research Fellowship in Colorectal Surgery (The Harry O Triguboff Colorectal Research Fellowship) which continues to be active.
In recent years, Mr Triguboff agreed to become Patron of The Colorectal Foundation.
In terms of being proactive toward the disease, the Colorectal foundation offer this advice.
Our Diet - Eating plenty of vegetables, starchy cereals, especially those containing whole grains and fruits is believed to reduce the risk of bowel cancer. Plenty of fibre in your diet helps to keep your bowels working regularly and provides you with some nutrients too. There is fibre in wholegrain cereals, rice and pasta; wholemeal bread and flour; fruit and vegetables; beans, pulses and lentils and by increasing your intake of these foods is the best way to to increase your fibre in your diet.
However many people supplement their diet by taking a dietary fibre supplement. Supplements containing a balanced ratio of insoluble and soluble fibres similar to that found in a normal varied diet are ideal such as Agiofibe.
Reduce the amount of red and processed meat in your diet.
There is consistent evidence that eating a lot of red meat (pork, lamb, beef and veal), particularly processed meats (sausages, salami, bacon, ham, corn beef,) increases your risk of bowel cancer.
People who have a high consumption of refined carbohydrates (sugar and flour) have an increased risk of bowel cancer.
Exercise - If you exercise regularly (30 minutes a day), you have a lower risk of developing bowel cancer.
Smoking & Alcohol - People who smoke increase their risk of developing bowel cancer. Regular alcohol consumption is also believed to increase the risk too.
Statistics
- Bowel Cancer is the second most common cancer in Australia, after skin cancer.
- At least 1 in 22 Australians will develop bowel cancer during their lifetime (1 in 18 men; 1 in 24 women).
- More than 12,000 new cases occur each year in Australia.
- Australia has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world. It becomes more common as people get older and mainly affects people over the age of 50.
- If it is diagnosed and treated at an early stage, there is an excellent chance of cure.
I'd urge you to check out Miriam Margolyes 5 minute film here or the www.getscreened.com.au website for further information. Angry Anderson is the face of the Get Screened campaign. |
More Scams
When a Call Centre is not as it appears
FEDERAL Police are investigating a new type of scam that operates a fake bank call centre using an Australian phone number.
The call centre has automated computer voices to dupe callers into providing their credit card numbers.
It is linked to a large email scam, or phishing, campaign that imitates official messages from the Commonwealth Bank.
"The AFP is currently working with both the Commonwealth Bank and Australian phone providers in relation to this new and emerging development in phishing emails."
The phone number, which appears to be based in NSW, has been sent via email, SMS, or voicemail, the Commonwealth Bank said.
Armando Dacal, director of sales and channel management at online security company VeriSign, said banks need to change how they communicate.
He said "consumers need to be vigilant."
The Commonwealth Bank recommended consumers call them directly, and warned of the following scam traits:
- Email requests for private information or to collect prizes/rewards;
- Poor grammar and punctuation;
- Non-Australian voice recordings;
- Unusual or unrecognisable email or phone de
tails
- Embedded Web Links/email address 'click throughs'
(Source news.com.au) | |
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Well that's about if for this edition.
One last thing I forgot to mention was the further investment we've made to our production of Banners and bulk print runs.
The day I returned from the UK, we took delivery of a new liquid lamination system. Essentially it is for the lamination of full colour banners and canvas, but we do have the ability to laminate vinyl material too.
Its not something we will use on every lamination job in the short term though. Primarily it is for our wholesale business, but if the run is long enough on the retail side, there is no reason why we will not use it for the production of those too.
We are still in the early 'trial and error' stages at the moment, but once we get proficient, we'll see how we go using it the mainstream business we do on a daily basis.
Finally, can I ask that you check out the www.getscreened.com.au web site and give some consideration to being checked out. Bowel Cancer is the second biggest killer in men and women. Subscribers don't come easy, so I don't want to lose anyone if I can avoid it.
Take care till next time.
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Shane Drew
Drews Sign It Pty Ltd |
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