PW: Results Improve at Intervisual Books

Company chairman Waldo Hunt said he is confident IBI will have a "sizable" increase in sales and profits in 1998. Hunt described a three-pronged approach that IBI will use to achieve profitability this year.

One tactic will be to increase the number of pop-up and interactive books to 60 new titles, compared to 45 last year. The company will also add 38 titles to its backlist, now being sold by Andrews McMeel Publishing. In addition, Hunt said, IBI will re-enter the advertising-promotion business this year, where it had success before selling the unit in 1991. IBI's promotional division will produce paper-engineered premiums, magazine inserts, direct-mail pieces and point-of-purchase displays.

To help launch its efforts in the promotional business, IBI signed a three-year agreement with Equity Promotions that gives the company access to all existing and future proprietary paper-based products created by IBI for use in Equity's promotional business. Equity transforms intellectual property, licensed from third parties, to create promotional products and tie-ins. Customers include the Coca-Cola Co., Burger King and Shell Oil.