For JWT New York, standing still is not an option. Recognized as the largest agency in the Northeast US, it is also the headquarters of JWT Worldwide, the marketing communications powerhouse with more than 200 offices in over 90 countries.
Three years ago, the implementation of DALIM SOFTWARE’s TWIST workflow gave JWT the dual benefit of a streamlined prepress workflow while capturing revenue that profited outside vendors. Its workflow humming along at a brisk pace, JWT sought to improve its approval process. One of its outside vendors for virtual proofing – a major tool for this global agency—was experiencing a huge downsizing and the service was faltering.
Paul Giaime, JWT New York’s Pre-Press Technology Manager, was on the hunt for solutions, and in a moment that can only be described as serendipitous, DALIM SOFTWARE’s CEO, Dr. Carol Werlé, visited the agency to demonstrate DALIM SOFTWARE’s ES soft-proofing server.
“We had been looking for answers to the virtual proofing issue because of the demise of our existing vendor,” recalls Giaime. “They wowed me – I was really taken back. They showed me some of the tools that ES incorporates – real-time review and collaboration, and real-time status job tracking with total color accuracy – causing me to look closely at the dollars and cents of having virtual proofing in-house vs. using outside vendors—especially if the vendor isn’t reliable. While, upfront, ES was going to cost us some money, it is far more cost-effective when you look at the delays we were having with proofs or when the networks were down and we couldn’t get a proof out. There is none of that anymore. ”
ES allows JWT to respond at record speed to clients’ requests to review files “ It has made us much more responsive,” says Giaime. “Previously, customers would experience delays or worse on their end. We don’t have that anymore. We post the proof and in seconds it is available for clients.”
The remote approval process is no longer hampered by slow networks or waiting for vendors to upload proofs. ES lets all participants of the production workflow – clients, creatives, print production personnel, account managers – access projects through any standard ‘modern’ web browser. ES also manages the project—tracking deadlines, artwork delivery, prepress tasks – freeing up personnel for more complex tasks.
JWT’s global clients are impressed with the speed and reliability of the ES virtual proofing system, including one of its top clients, a very high-end watchmaker with offices in New York and Geneva.
“We have a big project ongoing right now with them,” explains Giaime. “There are 37 different products that are being shot by a photographer in Switzerland. He uploads the photos to our system, and our customer and our account team collaborate to approve and discuss the photos. We’ve been doing this on a daily basis for the past three weeks. We can all see the same exact photo at the same time; it’s almost as if we are in the color room at the customer’s facility. The entire process is streamlined because of ES. It’s heads and shoulders better than the old system. ”
Internally, logjams have been diffused. Creatives and account managers don’t need to “sneakernet” hard proofs onto the different floors of JWT’s New York office, particularly time-consuming for the small, incremental changes necessary to the approval process. Retouchers don’t have to “take a number” to access one of the two color rooms when previewing their work with other members of the account team. Now, collaboration with team members takes place at color-calibrated monitors set up in various work areas or even at their own desks.
To get ES up and rolling, JWT purchased 10 client seats, a number expected to grow as more of its clients are brought on board with virtual proofing. Currently, 1/3 of JWT’s client base is using the ES technology, but Giaime sees the writing on the wall: already a new account is very excited about the agency’s virtual proofing capabilities.
Giaime expects ES to become an even more integral part of the JWT production process. He is pushing for a move toward an all-digital, integrated TWIST and ES workflow, extending the benefits of a virtual collaborative proofing scenario with automated prepress processing and file delivery. With the help of DALIM SOFTWARE’s new feature set for ES (just announced at drupa), Giaime is looking to move virtual proofing for video in-house, bringing the benefits of real-time collaboration and status tracking to JWT’s broadcast staff and clients.