brandenergy Insights for brand builders from

By ALitho Financial Vertical Team OUCH. That’s what a lot of financial services companies are saying when they look at the rising costs associated with their direct mail campaigns. Trucking and paper expenses have gone through the roof this year, and sadly, there’s no sign that things will improve in 2019. So how are leading… [Read More]

Are you satisfied with the way your 2018 marketing strategy is performing? It’s a good question to ask yourself right now, since we’re approaching the end of 2Q  and plans for the fall and holiday season are still on the table. At American Litho, we are busy helping clients review where they’ve been this year… [Read More]

We are pleased to have been awarded honors from the Great Lakes Graphics Association for another year of hard work, dedication to the craft and high-quality printing. The ceremony (May 2018) and recognition puts us in some excellent company and we are truly grateful to have been awarded the following honors: Best of Category Award– for… [Read More]

Dun & Bradstreet. InterContinental Hotels. Blue Cross Blue Shield. Deloitte. Sonic. Forever 21. Uber. Verizon. Equifax. These are just a few of the corporate giants in the news lately following serious data breaches – each one involving thousands, even millions of customer records. That’s a list we never want to see your company join. At… [Read More]

Volatility in paper prices or supplies can disrupt the timely, cost-effective completion of any print project. Empowerment comes from knowing what’s happening in the paper markets so you can make the right strategic decisions. As your full-service print partner, American Litho seeks to share paper industry news that can affect campaign timelines and costs. Our… [Read More]

Everyone here at American Litho is thrilled to see that Printing Impressions has ranked our company among the top 5 catalog producers in the nation. We are very proud of this recognition, along with our double-digit growth in catalog and direct mail production. The way we see it, our success reflects the strategic conversations we have with… [Read More]

Getting your message into the hands of target customers at the lowest possible cost demands a constant eye on supplies of the goods we use to manufacture your direct mail appeals. This is why we make it our business to track trends in local and global paper markets, anticipating shifts that will affect budgets and… [Read More]

This has been one amazing year here at American Litho! We have set, reached and in many cases exceeded some very ambitious goals – and this past Monday, our sales team gathered to celebrate everything we’ve achieved in the past 12 months. In serving top brands in virtually all industries, we seek to create true… [Read More]

If you’re thinking American Litho has gone into the business of fortune-telling, let me set you straight. We’re still working hard to be your #1 resource for omnichannel and direct marketing solutions. But when it comes to predicting who, among the millions of potential customers out there, might be ready to buy your products and… [Read More]

American Litho’s commitment to serving clients with excellence requires us to have the latest technology in-house. Our reputation depends on absolute precision in quality control, especially when it comes to color management. We were honored to share the spotlight at the PRINT 17 expo in Chicago this past week as HP announced its 600th digital… [Read More]

What do we know about the best way to engage customers and capture new sales? And how do we know it? These are crucial questions that should shape your brand’s marketing budget. Unless you’re putting your dollars behind techniques that are proven to work, you’re opening the door for competitors to walk right in and… [Read More]

Congratulations to the entire American Litho team!   We’ve just been notified that we have won several new awards from the Great Lakes Graphics Association, including 3 best-in-show awards for projects delivered on behalf of our clients in 2016.   The awards ceremony will be held May 24 at Medinah Shrine Center, Addison, Illinois and… [Read More]

On March 21, Bell and Howell published the new DM200 – the first-ever ranking of companies like ours based exclusively on direct mail revenue. All of us here in Carol Stream sent up a gigantic cheer to see American Litho at #9 on the list of top-flight direct marketers across the U.S. Why are we… [Read More]

This week we caught up with Tony Ferruzza, new Senior VP of the Sheet-Fed and Digital Division at American Litho. Here, Tony reflects on where the print industry has been and where it’s going, and introduces the new team members (ABOVE, left to right – Mike Ferruzza, Tony Ferruzza, Eugene “Corky” Czech, Daniella Tucci, Chris… [Read More]

The direct marketing landscape is an ever-evolving, dynamic business. The need for speed and precision in reaching the right customers with the right information at exactly the right time has never been more crucial for a brand’s survival.   In a recent interview with Ashley Roberts of PI World, American Litho President Mike Fontana reflects… [Read More]

How do exciting design ideas turn into printed pieces that inspire and motivate people? What happens from the moment a graphic designer submits files right through to the moment the finished materials are ready to ship? You can answer those questions in the classroom, says College of DuPage Graphic Design Professor Dave Rogers – but the best… [Read More]

Earlier this year we had the privilege of producing the 212-page Summit Charcoal Grill Cookbook for Weber-Stephens Products Corporation, the maker of iconic Weber Grills. This was an exciting project from the get-go, and we knew it would demand the best from our entire crew. Ron Weeks, our National Accounts Director, started off by searching… [Read More]

We’re thrilled to be on the scene today as the Internet Retailer Conference + Expo kicks off at Chicago’s McCormick Place West. While we put the finishing touches on Booth #1968, attendees are getting fired up in dozens of pre-conference workshops offered by industry experts. Wish we could join all of them, too – these… [Read More]

You’ve heard about the love affair with old-school vinyl recordings. Turns out its main proponents aren’t Baby Boomers grooving on their college album collections. Research from MusicWatch shows this trend is driven by a whole new wave of aficionados under 35, who account for 72% of surging vinyl sales. We believe digital natives (including Millennials)… [Read More]

We were blown away by the findings of this recent Accenture survey. Who would have guessed there’d be such a huge gap between what leading U.S. retailers deliver and what shoppers actually want? The survey shows that 47% of all customers want up-to-the-minute information on new products, discounts and special orders while they’re in the… [Read More]

Last night we had the pleasure of attending the Graphics Excellence Awards celebration hosted by the Great Lakes Graphics Association (GLGA) at the Medinah Shrine Center in Addison, Illinois.   This is an event we look forward to all year long. It’s an honor to be nominated for a GLGA award and an even greater… [Read More]

At American Litho (ALitho), we’re not afraid to take on a challenge. That’s the theme behind this digital case study with Sam Dentino, the latest in a series we will share with you this year. Sam walks us through the process of reworking a direct mail piece, coming up with creative, cost-effective ways to manufacture… [Read More]

Print costs alone won’t tell you the whole story when it comes to evaluating the total cost-efficiency of your direct mail campaign. That’s why American Litho now offers all-in cost estimates for brands that want to see the bigger picture. This approach takes into account every step involved in creating your mailing, from list cleansing… [Read More]

Unless Congress or the courts intervene, a postal rate surcharge in place since January 2014 will be rolled back on Sunday, April 10, giving us the first rate decline in nearly a century. Sounds like great news for direct marketers, right? And in many ways it is. But what about the Postal Service’s claim that… [Read More]

Making promises is easy. Delivering takes a lot more work. That’s the theme behind this video case study with Brian Johnson, the first in a series we will share with you this year. Brian explains the process of diving deeper into the details of a catalog mailing, looking for every possible way to manufacture and… [Read More]

One of my favorite holiday shows is the Rankin/Bass TV special “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.” I love the show’s narrator, Special Delivery Kluger, voiced by the unforgettable Fred Astaire.  S.D. is a friendly mailman whose delivery truck is actually a custom snowcat that carries him throughout the North Pole, sharing tales of Santa with the… [Read More]

A few months back I shared some thoughts on growth with you, explaining why American Litho has expanded at a time when so many others say the printing industry is shrinking. The reasons we’re growing are simple – and they have everything to do with your brand. In a multichannel world, print remains an indispensable… [Read More]

Ever heard of the 7 P’s that are part of the preparedness strategy used by the U.S. Marines? It’s all about being ready when the big challenges come your way. Success with any print-based marketing campaign depends on having a detailed map of where you’re headed and the best tools and strategies to help you… [Read More]

Chicago is known for its dazzling skyline, delicious deep-dish pizza and world-class sports teams. But there’s another reason for our fame – one you might know about if direct mail is part of your brand’s success. Our city is a mailing powerhouse, with some 40% of all national campaigns launching within an hour of here…. [Read More]

Seeing the big picture across all channels of your marketing program is a constant challenge. That’s why we’re intrigued by a new analytical tool we recently previewed with our U.S. Postal Service representative here in Carol Stream. USPS’ new Marketing Impact Calculator, or MIC, is designed to help any business with $1 million or more… [Read More]

Do some elements of your brand-building plan belong in a museum? Probably not. But just think: marketers who are still relying heavily on conventional direct mail are following a strategy that showed up before the Civil War. Product coupons? First seen in 1886. TV spots? Prompting us to change channels for 74 years now. Even… [Read More]

We came home from last month’s conference in Anaheim with fresh knowledge and ideas that we’re rapidly putting to work for you. Here’s how we’re working with Truman Pope and the American Litho postal logistics team to help you take advantage of the best opportunities. When he wasn’t immersed in courses leading to his new… [Read More]

I know you’ve seen that classic Saturday Night Live skit with Christopher Walken as the crazed music producer who just KNOWS his band’s new recording will go platinum if Will Ferrell can give him more cowbell. Walken is a pretty versatile guy, having appeared in 100+ films and TV shows. He’s one of only 2… [Read More]

If your head is spinning as you watch the ongoing parade of mergers in the paper industry, you’re not alone. We’ve been keeping a close eye on things as the marriage of Verso and NewPage hit the headlines — a deal so big it prompted the U.S. Department of Justice to order the sale of… [Read More]

Hey, we all know life can be tough. But if you’re the brand manager responsible for a new consumer product launch this year, you’re really in the hot seat. Packaged goods companies set the threshold for new product success at about $100 million in sales within the first 12 months. Yet only 2% of new… [Read More]

Clients often come to American Litho for advice on the best way to design and produce a given print project. How exactly do we figure that out? Whether we’re talking about a direct response campaign, a major sales promotion launch or the package for your new consumer product, determining the right press environment is often… [Read More]

If you can’t get the goods, you can’t build the box. It’s really that simple when it comes to understanding supply-chain issues in the packaging industry. But in recent weeks the game has gotten even more complicated, so it’s time for some perspective. During my 30+ years in the packaging and merchandising sector, I’ve had… [Read More]

The closest I’ve ever come to actually playing hockey is the occasional pick-up game with the neighborhood kids every winter. Still, thanks to my famous-sounding name, people often ask if I’m related to Hall of Famer Chris Chelios, the Blackhawks superstar who also helped Team USA win… [Read More]

Your prospects are looking for warmth, sparkle, and excitement — and ALitho is ready to help you deliver. The ideas we’ll share with you here are part of the trend toward multisensory marketing, which is proving its value in direct mail and many related fields. In working with clients all over the country, we’ve proven… [Read More]

If you’re a direct marketing partner of American Litho, you’ve already seen our colorful mailer asking what’s keeping you up at night. We want to know if you’re worried about the same things we are: How to max out all possible postage discounts every time you mail How to reach prospects with the right offer… [Read More]