It’s all about bringing people together

Apologies in advance for some of the language used in this issue’s ‘big interview’.

Not that it was of a fruity nature, far from it, more that some of the phrases and terminology featured aren’t exactly the kind of thing you would usually expect to find in the pages of PrintWeek.

But then, to be fair, Photobox Group isn’t exactly your typical print business, boasting 14 million active customers and last year alone delivering 30 billion ‘moments’ to them, not to mention the fact that it’s also the guardian of Europe’s largest consumer photo database – 6.5 billion images no less.

So far, so different.

However, at its core virtually everything it does revolves around print in one form or another.

Yes, it’s highly personalised, but then as this issue’s main Briefing (p8) highlights, technology has democratised personalisation – opening it up to all print businesses.

Of course, your typical print business is unlikely to be driven by seriously sophisticated in-house algorithms and applications most likely developed by hipsters or techies that would feel significantly more at home staring at a multi-screen set up sipping a cold-brew, dark-roasted single-origin arabica coffee with a splash of oat milk than guzzling an industrial-strength PG Tips while observing the business end of a digital press.

But then one of the key challenges facing the group, according to CEO Jody Ford, is attracting and retaining talent, something a lot of you reading this are no doubt very familiar with.

And while some of his solutions might not be practical for your typical print SME, the goal of creating a culture of collaboration and people knowing what’s expected of them is universal.

Because that kind of culture is at the heart of any successful business.