In the United States print advertising spend has fallen from $65 billion at the beginning of this century to less than $19 billion by the end of 2016. The steady decline has many suggesting that print media advertising will continue to diminish and fall to the relentless onslaught of all things digital. However, the long history of dominance of print in advertising is making the medium more resilient against the relentless attack of new communication technologies, leading many media experts to declare that in spite of the fall from high, print is not dead. Research is revealing that readers trust the printed message more than any other medium. “The old trope that print is dead is just lazy thinking,” says Linda Thomas Brooks, president and CEO of the Association of Magazine Media.
The noise and constant clamor of digital is giving print an opportunity to live beyond the delete button and grab the reader’s attention. The rarity and uniqueness of a written, personalized message is attractive, especially to the C-level target. Luxury consumers still value tangible ad platforms, and glossy quality print collateral can still hold an audience’s attention. To be effective, print ads’ role in advertising will become one that supports the digital lead. “Print ads will be more effective if they are a complement to your digital campaigns already in play and entice readers to interact with your brand online,” says Jeannie Ruesch, of xero.com. The successful printed play will be achieved when it is fully integrated with a total campaign. At Meredith National Media Group, print revenue accounted for two-thirds of overall advertising revenue, and circulation represented 30 percent of revenue in 2017, making it the company’s second-largest revenue stream. “We see it as print and digital; not print or digital,” says Jon Werther, president.
“While digital continues to dominate multi-channel strategies, the art of print publications is not obsolete.” says Julie Gareleck, Managing Partner and CEO of Junction Creative Solutions (Junction). “Junction’s design team is rooted in graphic design with experience designing print collateral and publications for well-established Fortune 1000 Companies as well as small to mid-size business.” To be relevant, print content must be targeted and easily digestible and pass the skim test. The intent and purposefulness of the message needs to be readily identifiable to the reader and visually appealing. “If it looks like it was printed in 1978…the perception will be that the firm is still operating from 1978,” says Gareleck. All those tired, old newsletters must find their way to the burn pile.
Digital’s dominance has made consumers persistent multitaskers, dutifully monitoring our emails and text messages while navigating through daily tasks. Rarely do we give any message our full and undivided attention. Print content offers an opportunity to really focus and engage with the message. And to all those “print is dead” pundits, know this: According to the National Retail Federation, shoppers are most likely to start an online search after viewing a magazine ad.
Junction is a comprehensive partner that can assist with your print collateral needs, aligning with the overall brand goals and objectives. Contact us at 678-686-1125 to learn more about our print design capabilities!