1) Print is becoming a non-traditional media. What’s old is new again. “The evolution of the internet doesn’t kill off print channels...it makes us look at them differntly.” The new trend is for marketeers and media buyers to do what is not being done, something new (again) – and that includes print media.
2) Print prompts digital actions. The web is where we go to get answers, but print is where we get the questions. Print is the best medium to plant new thoughts and make a potential customer think outside the box, making them ask the questions. Using print media is a good way to challenge the customer to ask these questions and to look for the answers – which they can get from the web.
3) Print lets people unplug. Many studies have already shown that there is a need to “unplug” more and more people are now cherishing time without their electronics – phones, tablets, computers, apps, etc. – and ensure that their families spend more time away from digital media just to relax. Print media still allows a marketeer to take advantage of the moments when their customers chose to “unplug”.
4) Print is tangible A print piece is a physical thing. Magazines and newspapers can stay in houses or offices for months or years, while Internet ads can disappear into cyber space instantaneously.
5) Print is less crowded. Because there is less printed material, more attention is given to anything that is printed. People pay more attention to what is written. Nowadays, print advertising offers a safer, more sincere and highly engaging experience.
6) Print lends credibility. The printed word is still perceived as extremely credible to many people “If someone invested enough to print and mail it, it must be important.” It is a premium channel used for premium products and high-quality clients. As more and more of our world is becoming digitalised, the credibility and high engagement level that print offers both as a content and advertising medium, is finally getting noticed.
7) Print encourages innovation. Print has a stronger capacity to be more unique than other media, whether its through colour, paper type, the finished shape or embellishment. The options to get creative and build something highly unique are vast. If you’re looking to send communication that your customers will not have seen before print is probably your perfect tool.
8) Print has a valuable place in multi-channel marketing. Omni-channel marketing has eliminated single media campaigns, encouraging an approach where medias work together in collaboration to support the big picture. As we have learnt above print is unique and delivers experiences other media does not. Each media has its own strengths and plays a part in the overall omni-channel strategy, print stands as a very valuable component in any campaign.
9) Print helps the environment. Lets end this myth. Print is Green! Print and paper are a highly sustainable form of communication in today’s digital society. Paper is one of the most recycled resources in the world!
10) Touch is powerful. People value something they can touch 24% more than if it doesn’t trigger the sense of touch (1). The extra senses tell a richer story, when you’re looking to engage the brain. The more inputs you provide, the more likely it is to be memorable and persuasive, which directly links to the a consumer’s likelihood to purchase, which is in fact correlated with the number of items they touch. All print formats command a high degree of sensory engagement, tactile or otherwise, the more a media stimulates the senses, the more effective it is.
To push your print to the ultimate tactile experience, embellish your print to really heighten the sensory engagement.
Royal Mail: The private life of mail, The Endowment Effect February 2015
