Executive Q&A—Jeff Hayzlett

New for this year, Printing News is debuting a series called Executive Q&A. Here, we'll talk to the major movers and shakers that drive some of the most innovative companies in our industry, and hear directly from them about what trends they're watching, what they're worried about, and what advice they would like to give to printers.

In this first installment, we talked to Kodak's Jeff Hayzlett, chief business development officer, and vice president, as well as an active industry advocate. Hayzlett has nearly 25 years of international marketing, sales, and customer relations management experience. He joined Kodak in April 2006 as the chief
marketing officer and vice president of the Graphic Communications Group (GCG).

PN: Tell us a little about your company, the segment of the market it serves, and what you consider to be your "core" users.

JH: Kodak is the world's foremost imaging innovator. In the graphic communications space, Kodak holds a unique position as the only provider of integrated solutions, spanning offset, flexo and digital technologies, within a unified workflow. As another important point of differentiation, we serve all segments of the market—commercial print, the enterprise, packaging, publishing and data centers. Print service providers represent our "core" users.

PN: How did you get involved with the company? What is your background before that?

JH: Prior to joining Kodak, I led a private business development and public relations firm specializing in the technology and visual communications industries. I also held senior management positions in strategic business development and marketing at several companies, including Cenveo, Webprint and Colorbus Inc. I joined Kodak in April 2006 as CMO and vice president of the Graphic Communications Group. In Sept. 2007, I was named chief business development officer, and in Oct. 2007, Kodak's board of directors elected me a corporate vice president. And I was recently named chief marketing officer for Kodak, effective Jan. 1.

PN: What do you consider your greatest achievement in this market to be?

JH: Kodak has truly transformed itself as a company. We've built on our legacy of innovation as the company that made taking pictures as simple as pressing a button, and established Kodak as a leading digital imaging company. We help people make, manage and move images and information in their lives and in their work.

One of our team's most important achievements to date has been bringing innovative marketing strategies and other fresh approaches to reaching customers, and showing the world what the New Kodak is all about. On the print side in particular, no other company in the market can claim the breadth of products and services we have.

PN: If there was anything you could change, either about your career in regards to the print industry, your company, or the market as a whole, what would it be and why?

JH: The economy is presenting challenges for all companies, but along with challenge comes opportunity. Now, more than ever, think about ways you can add real value to every project for every customer, and make their communications programs more effective.

That means adding new digitally driven services, such as VDP, versioning or short-run color, which make print pieces more effective by delivering personalized messages. It could involve offering Web to Print services that make it convenient and cost effective for customers to place orders or create customized pieces from anywhere in the world, 24/7. And it definitely means continuing to add new capabilities and expertise.

In challenging times, companies won't stop spending on marketing communications altogether. They will, though, rightly seek those strategies that give them the best return on their marketing investment—and give more of their business to vendors that recognize that. Commercial printers who understand how print and other marketing communications tools can work together to create an effective, integrated program—and those who in turn provide those services, are in a strong position.