The past year has been a crazy one, and not just for me. Not too long ago I published a post about Rob Ford and his mayoral campaign, and how the citizens of Toronto deserve what they get.
That may have been a bit too hasty. Yes, they don't make the best purchasing decisions when faced with leadership choices but, that is besides the point. How could I forget that Ford, as PrintAction magazine calls him, is the Printer Mayor. Once CEO of Deco Labels, a highly successful establishment, he is like the modern day William Randolph Hearst. Politically connected and expert at bending the public will through print communication.
Within the print industry, which has been in decline for decades, the segment that is on the rise is labels and packaging. At the end of the day we will always have products and they will always need to be sold, marked, distinguished, highlighted, identified, whatever. The label industry is on the rise and here is one mastermind behind it.
So, this brings me back to my original point. You take a man with decades of training under his belt on studying and understanding consumers/voters, and navigating the tricky waters that is the old boys club of printing (especially in packaging) and you have somebody who effectively knows exactly what and how much it takes to get that 'X' beside your name. How fair is that?
Anyway, the deed is done and I suppose when all is said and done Toronto could have worse. Time will tell what will happen. Perhaps Ford will do for Toronto what Mel did for North York before becoming Ford's predecessor.
