Signs of The Times - September 2011

[Erik Sine]

I don't know what's become of our sign industry media these day, I'd have to be embarrassed if someone from the outside poked their heads in to see what the Sign Industry was all about by picking up a few recent trade magazines, err, brochure magazines. I mean this months it was talk about baking cakes in Signs & Digital Graphics, this month next month it's the Community Organizer's proud research piece in Brokers & Outsources.

OUTSOURCING REPLACES "BROKERING"

HERE'S A DISCUSSION OF A RARELY ADDRESSED TOPIC. By The Community Organizer

The Community Organizer has been spending months and months on research for this article which he feels so strongly about, "Outsourcing" Replaces "Brokering" - Here's a discussion of a rarely addressed topic ??? Why these two terms are mixed up, I have NO idea. I have NO idea why he spent 3 FULL pages with this when he could be reporting something real, something REAL everyone would like to have reported. I don't know, maybe the growing lack in payment of Nationals Sign Companies & Service Facility providers to their subs, I'll tell you why before I finish with this. This article that he has spent months on is like Bubba Clinton, splain'in what "is, is". The Organizer has gone through GREAT lengths all over the social media and reaching out to who ever will answer his questions to unlock this great mystery.

I mean, really, who doesn't know what a "Broker" is, and who a "Outsource company" is? Why this is news breaking or needs to be explained to a vast audience who already have a clue, most of all, who cares?

A Broker, is mainly a salesman or women who doesn't do any fabrication or installation and simply "outsources, or subcontracts it all out". Most of the time they have no quality control over what they sold, they just sell and execute contracts. Most of the time these people are looked down upon by the rest of the industry and have bad reputations. A lot of the times they operate illegally because they have no license to do so. Most of the time it's salesmen of other companies doing side gigs.

A sign company who outsources some fabrication or installation but does this to a degree themselves is NOT a broker, they outsource what they desire not to do.

I'm not sure I agree with the pro's and con's as stated in this article but that's neither here or there of great importance. He's trying to evaluate why perhaps some answered questions are non computing in his "Industry Report". Instead of spending almost 6 months for this baseless article why not spend 2 weeks calling sign companies and sign suppliers who are being abused and used as National Sign Companies & Service providers "Line of Credit"???? Is this not missing from the "State of The Industry Report"??? I guess that's not good business, that's not good...oh how did he put it, "Journalist Allegiance".

So we are on, and resume with more Sign Supplier "Brochure marketing articles", instead of "actual" Journalism.

SALES, BAUBLES AND THE INNOCUOS CHANNEL LETTER

THE LABORIOUS STEPS TO RICHES BEGIN WITH.... By Lap Dog

It gets worse before it get's (better?), no worse before it gets worse, or worser.

Now, this article is written by the Community Organizers Lap Dog, the same person who is the fallguy, or the "Press Secretary" for the SOT administration. When things can't get explained or when there is a situation that needs to save face, Lap Dop comes in, just like this last March's 2011 issue of Now you see it, Now you Don't!.

This SOT Administration is just one hair above Signs & Digital Graphics (With Marcus as the savior), their August Anniversary Issue article once again sold out the trade and made it all about whoring channel letters to whoever will pay for, pay and promote their advertisers.

The Lap Dogs article made it all about Channel Letters as a commodity. In other words, channel letters is a step away of being a shelved product and the only difference IS, pitching a sale. It's "Non-Rocket Science", anyone can build one.

I wholehearted love when people outside our industry, talk as if they are IN our industry.

No Lapdog, channel letters are not shelved where only a sales pitch put you at the difference of a Home Depot checkout clerk and a "Broker". What's important and the difference of a channel letter from Budget Cheap Signs and Elite Crafts Signs, is the COMPONENTS and most importantly, INSTALLATION. How many times do we see these low budget sign co's spend some much time into fabricating a sign, all to fall a foot short before the finish line and use cheap crappy components such as low budget chinese LEDs?

Lap Dog, The Electric Sign Industry does not build "Shelved Products" where any monkey can build. I know it's not exactly "Rocket Science", but there is craftsmanship, know-how, and research that goes into lighting that separates the typical follower of your magazine and a true custom sign shop, WHO know what they are talking about. So while your magazine or administration likes to box, package, & wrap the industry as a commodity, the "REAL" industry builds custom products built to suit.

But the whoring continues.

Again, like many of the other articles, it loses the reader. It goes from the whoring and shelving of channel letters to job on a water tower. I don't know what the whole basis and point of this article was, other than to tell us were monkeys with the only separation being what's on our business card.

We still continue to have Mis-Characterization of light sources but now we are having Mis-Characterization of our industries "Custom Products"

I have to point out again, on one side you have Marcus Thielen pointing out the "Non-Rocket Science" (Pun Intended) in OUTDOOR CHANNEL LETTERS that a shop must know when it comes to channel letters fabrication and what a custom sign shop must know and take note, in contrast to the Lap Dogs article. You know, the article that is all surrounded by wholesalers, LED & letter bending adverts.

Well,I have to go and fabricate some "Non-Rocket Science", Shelved, Commodity based Channel Letters that any monkey can make. Letters that have no basis, or come from studies like "The Great White Hope". Let me put my monkey suit on and get back to you on the ISA Report and the Blond ISA/Multi Sign Association Marketing/Propagandist Fraggle that's all over the Social Media.

Anyone in agreement with this assessment, I highly encourage you to email the Community Organizer and let him know, it seemed to have a good effect last March.

<a href="mailto:wade.swormstedt@stmediagroup.com?subject=SOT%20Magazine%20Articles">wade.swormstedt@stmediagroup.com</a>

[Brian]

The rags are just a freakin' joke anymore. You don't have to have any experience in the sign trade to be a staff writer. Sign and Digital Graphics prob will have a section on baking pies next month!