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Eric Eis
PGCA Member
| Joined: | Thu Jan 6th, 2005 |
| Location: | USA |
| Posts: | 983 |
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Posted: Sat Apr 1st, 2006 05:08 pm |
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| If we are going to do a single page format like the old calanders then I think it should be a vintage photo or reprint of one of the Parker posters. That would give it the look of the old Peters/Winchester catalogs. I think photos of the guns would be better suited to a 12 page calander like Tony G's. Eric
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C Roger Giles
PGCA Member
| Joined: | Wed Mar 30th, 2005 |
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| Posts: | 1012 |
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Posted: Sun Apr 2nd, 2006 12:15 am |
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The only guys to boycott the calendar are those who felt like their oh so precious gun did not make the calendar. Right off hand I can not come up with an individule of this low a caliber in the PGCA. Keep in mind this is a Parker Gun calendar and not old uncle Jed holding his pride and joy which happens to be a hard to disquinish Parker with a flea bag of a dog photo calendar.
Pictures of Parkers in action ie clays or hunting but Parker being the main subject not the event and very easy to tell what grade ect and so on.
BTW Brad I for one am grateful for your stepping out in front and volunteering on this project. Thank you and pass the Grouse Roger
Last edited on Sun Apr 2nd, 2006 12:19 am by C Roger Giles
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Bob Roberts
PGCA Member
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Posted: Sun Apr 2nd, 2006 03:27 am |
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Fellow PGCA Members,
In my professional capacity as President for more than 25 years of a business which has been providing and licensing photography to the calendar trade for over 85 years, I feel I can contribute some suggestions about beginning and sustaining an association calendar program that would not incur too great a financial risk, but would have a good chance of delivering high member satisfaction.
The factors that most affect the total cost of a project like this are Design, Quality, Quantity (press run) and Delivery (packaging and postage).
Design - without going into detail it can be said that in the calendar business there are long established standard styles. If you think about it for a minute you can probably bring to mind the three or four types we are all familiar with at home and at work. The discussion on this calendar thread has worked its way around to the point where practicality and a recognition of cost, not to mention the ever lurking “who is going to do it?” question, seem to have us looking at a relatively inexpensive single image sheet with generic removable monthly pages - very much a pervasive style of calendar from the period when the Parker Gun was being manufactured.
Quality - be assured that a very good quality and attractive job can be done in this format. For instance, at this point in the progress of the association we have the very pleasing design of Parker Pages which could be reflected and celebrated in an overall look supporting a single, “Oh God! What I wouldn’t give for one of them!”, spectacular color image. The association has already demonstrated the capacity and appreciation for superior design in TPS, Parker Pages and our membership pin.
Just a couple asides: First, I would not diminish the sales potential of the Tarnation poster, as has been suggested, by using it on the calendar. Second, hard experience prompts an opinion that from the first endeavor, compensation for the design work and compensation for the coordination with the printer and distribution service should be included in the budget for and actual cost of the calendar. Volunteer skills and enthusiasm could and would certainly get it started and through a few cycles; but sooner or later, the successful continuation or enhancement of such a program will require professional involvement. In my experience it is ultimately best to have this cost identified, factored in, and met from the get-go.
Quantity - this is the question that prevents sleep. Here is a suggestion on how to have an answer.
Two copies of the annual PGCA calendar should be a benefit of membership in the PGCA and the true cost of the benefit should be added to the annual dues. The payment of dues in July should entitle the renewing member to receive their copies by mail between Thanksgiving and the 10th of December. Do not complicate this by trying to combine it with a mailing of Parker Pages - no matter how great the temptation. Then in the future, beginning with an order form to be included in the annual dues mailing, which does accompany a PP mailing, members should be able to order additional copies (in increments of two, to facilitate the packaging of the calendars at the time of printing) to be mailed at the same time as the entitled mailing. There would need to be a well defined and publicized postmarked drop dead, payment in hand, end date for the purchase of additional pairs of copies. It would be smart to limit purchases of additional pairs through just the normal dues and new memberships payment systems, and perhaps the Parker Store, for purposes of accuracy.
The question of offering sales of the calendar to non-members is an interesting issue worthy of some discussion before a decision. In brief, as a benefit of membership it can be seen, at-least, as an encouragement to join. Non-members who wish to have copies for display and use and/or as collectables would have to approach members to have them ordered. On the other hand, they could be sold to anyone who prepays and provides correct shipping information during the prescribed ordering period. Sell more - keep the price down.
This scheme should be pretty easy to administer and would, very importantly, provide as of the drop dead date, an exact, not-less-than, count of the number of copies required to fulfill the entitled and pre-paid purchases. Beyond that count, the additional quantity to printed and packaged and stored for through the year new members can be estimated and added to the purchased. Keep in mind that normally printing contracts for a custom job allow for a 10% over or UNDER run of the delivered piece.
Should this project go forward, with 2007 being the first year, I would propose that the association undertake it in a simple but best quality fashion incurring the costs mentioned above, current available funds permitting. It would be possible to meet the schedule suggested and thereby give the membership the opportunity to see in the beginning of 2007 if they like the first year product. If they do, then the benefit of membership and prepaid extra copies scheme could be put in place for the 2008 calendar on the basis of a slight dues increase. If this should be the course of action I would also suggest the conscious purchase of a slightly larger than anticipated press run. First, the associations seems to be experiencing a pretty healthy growth pattern. Second, the knowledge of the calendar in the works and then available to new members after its initial mailing is likely to be an additional draw. Some slight modification to the scheme with regard to pre-purchasing extra copies in the first year would help define the needed minimum press run and contribute to the funding of the project. Say, who can say how valuable a pristine , still in the original mail wrapper, pair of first year PGCA 2007 calendars will be in 3007?
Delivery - the mailing and delivery of Parker Pages appears to be improving with each volume. I believe that a similar poly packaging wrap and address sheet can be effectively used if the calendar can fold flat. Otherwise the printer can provide tubes and roll wraps alternatives that can be equally secure and cost effective. In any case the cost of packaging and postage for a sure and undamaged delivery should not be given short shrift.
Final comment - going on twenty years now, my company, a local printer, and a local paper company have produced every year a cooperative 20,000 run, 13 sheet four color calendar promoting our photography and their printing and paper - the two things that we can say we for sure that we have learned is that the people want the kind of monthly pages with “the little blocks of space by each day so we can write in them” and “numbers you can see across the room!”
Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it - hope the ideas are thought provoking and useful.
Bob Roberts
PGCA #810
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Austin Hogan
PGCA Member
| Joined: | Sat Jan 15th, 2005 |
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| Posts: | 1600 |
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Posted: Sun Apr 2nd, 2006 03:30 am |
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Bob loaned us the great Barnegat Bay photos we had in Parker Pages two years ago; great to hear from him again.
Best, Austin
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Bruce Day
PGCA Member
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Posted: Mon Apr 3rd, 2006 02:34 pm |
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| Fellows, we are working on it, we have a lot of great ideas and input from people, and we will decide what direction to go at the next board meeting. Thanks to everybody for their help....and get a check ready to the PGCA for your collector edition first year calendar.
____________________
Bruce Day
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Derrick Stewart
PGCA Member
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Posted: Mon Apr 3rd, 2006 02:43 pm |
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Bruce,
It's good to hear that the BOD's are working on it.
Regards,
Derrick
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