Ira Jackson, Sr. departed this world in February 2024, three months shy of his 95th birthday. His guiding words, “Think Big,” defined his life and legacy. He was born in 1929 and raised on his father’s farm in a small, deeply segregated town in central Georgia. As a young teen, he stood on a tree stump delivering sermons he heard on Sundays, an early sign he was destined to lead. As a young man, Ira Sr. defied the constraints of his time and place, the Jim Crow South and its narrow vision of what a Black man could achieve. He built a thriving career as an entrepreneur and served his community as an elected official for 21 consecutive years. He was a U.S. Army veteran, a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, and true to form, an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church. Ira Jackson, Jr. followed in his father’s entrepreneurial footsteps, anchored by his immense wisdom and enduring charge to Think Big. This is their story.
Stories inspire people to change — their behavior, their beliefs, and their decisions. Storytelling resonates, establishes trust, builds relationships, and moves people to act.
inspire
raise eyebrows
move people to act
drive your brand
otherwise, why print?
by Ira Jackson, Jr.
All marketing tells a story. But the best stories don’t just entertain or inform. They stir us, make us feel something. And when this happens, we remember the messenger. That’s why the best marketers are also the best storytellers. They understand audiences may forget what they say, but never how they make people feel.
I’ve loved stories for as long as I can remember—hearing them, living them, sharing them. If you know me, you know why I’ve often been called a talker. So, it’s no surprise that I wound up in a business with a missional commitment to support effective client communications. At Perfect Image, our value proposition to be ‘more than a printer’ means embracing the assignment to help our clients share their best stories.
And yes, sometimes it’s personal.
Our creative and production teams took storytelling to a new level in helping me share a deeply personal message through a Custom Experience Box. The box brings my story to life as told in “Origins of the Dopp Kit and Our Fathers’ Influence on Our Lives,” which shares life lessons from my father. The wisdom he imparted, the example he set, the values I carry forward. These are the life tools in my proverbial Dopp Kit.
The box is as tangible as it is emotional, with leather-wrapped straps, metallics that pop, and the softest leather bag—a true Dopp Kit. A QR code links to my story on our website, weaving memory into meaning.
Print industry thought leader Deborah Corn captures how we hit the marketing sweet spot:
– Deborah Corn
Founder of Print Media Centr (PMC)
Clients, colleagues, and friends responded with heartfelt messages, sharing not just praise for the creativity and printing techniques, but also missives about their own fathers, mentors, and paying it forward. One note stands out:
Why does print move people so deeply? Because it engages our senses. Science calls it haptics—our sense of touch that conveys meaning through physical interaction. Print marketing delivers this experience, creating tactile and trust-building connections. And when combined with digital elements, it delivers unmatched results. Print doesn’t just inform; it inspires, ignites emotion, and moves people to act.
As Founding Father and print publisher Benjamin Franklin said:
Your key constituents are waiting to hear and feel your best story. Maybe it’s through a Custom Experience Box, a direct mail campaign to advance your mission, an impact report that communicates the difference your organization is making, or other materials that amplify your brand.
Let us help you deepen connections, involve people in your story, and motivate them to act. Because in the end, the best marketing isn’t what we say. It’s what they feel—and the messenger they’ll never forget.