Nov. 5, 2007—What was once Royal Impressions is now RI Communications Group, and not only does it have a new name, but it is also occupying a new space, and has a new, improved focus on marketing services.

Chris DeSantis, president, said the company had been growing during the past few years. The firm moved five times within the same building, trying to increase space and streamline its workflow. Finally, two years ago, the firm decided it was time to find a larger space that it could start fresh in. In addition to New York City, where the firm is currently based, the company checked out office space in New Jersey and Long Island City, where many city-based print shops have relocated. The rent would have been cheaper, but, Mr. DeSantis noted, there are other values that made it worth the higher amount. In the end, RI Communications decided to stay put in Manhattan, signing a 15-year lease in its new headquarters.

"There is a reason people pay big rents here," he said. "There is a value. [Remote} clients love to come to New York, plus being in the city puts us in close proximity to those based here."

Rebranding Effort
RI Communications always offered digital printing, as well as some marketing services. With the rebranding effort, however, it is filling in gaps the company believed were important parts of the whole. The biggest of those was the addition of data analysis and measurement services, allowing the firm to not only create and distribute a campaign, but also track and provide data on success rates. It can then take this information and use it to build better, smarter campaigns for the same client in the future.

RI Communications is practicing what many in the industry are preaching: It is becoming a marketing partner to its clients in every sense of the word.

Mr. DeSantis feels particularly strongly about this new capability because, he notes, CEOs are now challenging marketing budgets.

Gone are the days when huge campaigns with unlimited dollars were common. Now, marketers have to justify every expense and demonstrate exactly how well a campaign as a whole performed, as well as how each individual component contributed to that performance.

A Limitless Resource
Clients are not willing to simply take a leap of faith anymore—and that, he said, is where RI Communication's new abilities come into play. The company can provide those figures, as well as suggestions for changes, which makes them a powerful resource for in-house marketing departments.

According to Mr. DeSantis, "[Shops] need to be able to broaden services. The real value is in becoming a marketing partner." He said that the key is to challenge clients not on price, but on what it is they are trying to accomplish, the final goals, and how they want to get there. Only after that discussion can pricing be brought into it—selling on services and value, rather than as a commodity.

In addition to the new data tracking capabilities, RI Communications is looking at other services that will add a big ROI to both its bottom line and its clients' bottom lines. Campaigns that include mobile devices, such as cell phones, are new services the company is exploring, as well as strategy and creative services.