CE Pro May 2021 - 4

From the Editor
by Jason Knott

Time for a New Look

So when was
the last time
you sported a
" new look " ? I am
not talking about
your hair, but
your marketing.

Jason Knott
Chief Content Officer
Jason.knott@
emeraldx.com
Twitter: @jasonwknott
LinkedIn:
jason-knott-084216

THE COVID-19 pandemic has created all
sorts of " new looks. " As we all know, among
the most devastated businesses during the
pandemic were hair salons and barber shops.
Cosmetologists need to be in close contact
with you when they cut your hair - there's
simply no way around it. But the fear of transmission of COVID-19 forced them to shut
their doors for a prolonged period of time.
In our household, it led to a family challenge: no haircuts or salon visits until we get
vaccinated. Luckily for me, it meant I finally
could break out my famous David Cassidy
hairstyle from the 1970s once again, much to
the chagrin of my wife and daughters. Clearly,
we don't own a Flowbee in our household.
I actually had forgotten what a nuisance
long hair can be, but at my age I consider
myself fortunate that I was still able to sport
the " Bobby Sherman hair " for a while (Millennials can Google it). Alas, by the time you
read this, my flowing locks will be gone but it
sure was fun.
Speaking of " new looks, " you will notice
something different in this issue of CE Pro. It
is our first redesign of the publication in eight
years. From the cover to our By the Numbers
department on the last page, we have given
the magazine a fresh update.
Take note of the new tagline under the
logo on the cover. The role of the custom
integrator continues to evolve and two areas
that are of keen importance are wellness and
the crossover between the residential and
commercial markets, or " resimercial " as it
has been coined. Thus, we have added both
those important business areas to our cover
tagline, along with AV, Networking, Control,
Security and Business.
Speaking of the resimercial market, make
sure to check out our CE Pro 2021 Resimercial
Deep Dive Study starting on page 38 in this
issue. The study offers some in-depth data
on the state of the Home Office market, as

well as the prospects for a comeback in the
commercial market.
So when was the last time you sported a
" new look " ? I am not talking about your hair,
but your marketing. As you look through the
issue, it might spur you to think about the
" look " of your own marketing materials, from
your business card to your website. Have you
spruced up your brochures, flyers and client
proposals lately? Sure, the custom electronics
industry is built on the backs of referrals and
your ability to provide personalized service, but having clean, effective and modern
leave-behind materials can make a lasting impression after you have walked out of the door
or after the clients have left your showroom.
It's a losing proposition to think you are
going to " beat " big-box stores, Google or Amazon from a marketing perspective, but you
can certainly learn from their techniques to
make sure you are not just catering to Baby
Boomers and Gen Xers in your messaging,
but also Millennials. That means taking a look
not just at your printed materials, but your
YouTube channel (do you have one?) and your
social media presence as tooIs.
Back to the CE Pro redesign, you will notice
a cleaner look in each department and in our
features. CE Pro's design lead Katie Stockham
and designer Graeme Burke spent months
combing through various sources and testing
different color schemes, logos, fonts, column
widths and formats. We hope and think the
results will help readers consume CE Pro's
information more easily.
But even with these cosmetic changes,
CE Pro hasn't changed. (Just like me after
I get my first post-pandemic haircut!) CE
Pro is still the No. 1 resource for the custom
integration channel with the singular goal of
helping you run your businesses more effectively and profitably.
We hope you enjoy these new changes and
want to hear your feedback.

4 | CE Pro May 2021 cepro.com

C2105 pp04 Ed Note.indd 4

4/6/21 10:22 AM

http://www.cepro.com

CE Pro May 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CE Pro May 2021