It's funny, when I was thinking about this first issue of Crackerjack's, my thoughts went back to my childhood and that iconic box of Crackerjacks. We've all had it, that caramel coated popcorn and nut concoction that always held a secret toy surprise inside. Those surprises could be really neat things like a tiny bouncy ball or a small magnifying glass or even a little book. Times have changed a lot since then, and our kids don't get the same kinds of things in Crackerjacks that we once did, but that's not my story today.

I'm not the best print salesperson. I've been in this business all my adult life, and all the great print salespeople that I've ever known believed that print was the answer to every problem. That may have been true at one time, but in today's world, with so many different channels for marketers to use, it's not always the case. While I'll agree that print as a marketing medium is shrinking, it can still be used in many cases as a part of a marketing campaign to increase relevance and improve the outcome.

Sure, there are those that would disagree with me; there are naysayers that say print is dead. But let's think about those Crackerjacks again for a minute. In today's world, where nothing is safe for children, we've eliminated those small toys that would fit in a box of Crackerjacks like bouncy balls or magnifying glasses. Now, the thing that we find in a box of Crackerjacks is print. Every toy surprise is ink on paper.

See, print is still very relevant. It's beautiful, credible, portable, and absolutely everywhere. And it's safe for our children to boot.

So in this first edition of Crackerjack's, I hope you'll take this message away about a little box of children's candy - Print is still important in your marketing mix, and in a mix of popcorn and peanuts.

You can learn more about Pulp's print services by following this link.