Print is often passed over in the clamor surrounding new and sexy media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. But writing this centuries-old medium off your marketing campaigns would be a costly error. In January, the Printing Industries Association, Inc. of Southern California launched its year-long Choose Print campaign to remind us of the printed page’s manifold attractions and to encourage its use in marketing campaigns. So, we at Imagination have taken this opportunity to spotlight the campaign’s compelling points for your review and to check on its progress after the first 10 months.
Physical appeal
A campaign PDF states that “people enjoy holding a printed piece in their hands and feeling the paper on their fingers.” Books, magazines, brochures etc. are tangible objects in their own right, unlike web or tablet editions of books and articles, which are all contained in one item. A book’s individuality appeals not only to our visual senses but also our tactile senses, heightening our engagement with the content.
Starting – and holding – spot
In order for people to seek out your company’s website and social media pages, they must be aware of your existence. A 2007 iProspect study found that 67 percent of online searches are prompted by offline messages, indicating that other forces (print among them) are at play in determining Internet traffic. And while many of us tend to disregard all but the most important email messages, the study found that we look at 80 percent of the print mail we receive.
Not only does print media draw us in, they keep us coming back. A 2008 DMA/Pitney Bowes Direct Mail Survey showed that 70 percent of customers renewed a business relationship because of a direct mail promotion.
Place in the media mix
So, what to make of all this? By no means are we advising you to disable your company’s Facebook page because it’s not doing any good. Social and digital media can up a brand’s ante – but in order for them to truly drive your marketing messages, the brand must already have ante in the appropriate places. And since a 2009 Print in the Mix study found that 68 percent of adults prefer to intake information from print sources, it may be a more appropriate communication vehicle than you realize. Basically, we’re saying don’t neglect any core media channel, including print. Rather, hit all your bases by allocating your marketing efforts based on your consumers’ media preferences. The brands that have the most effective and engaging branding strategies employ a mix of print, digital, social media and broadcast efforts to reach their audiences.
Let’s take the Choose Print campaign as a handy example. Don’t let the name throw you – in addition to printed brochures and direct mail, the campaign employs a website, social media, YouTube videos and more. In September, Printing Industries of America announced that 90 percent of its affiliates had adopted and implemented the Choose Print campaign. It seems that PIASC’s mixed-media marketing strategy was a good choice!
To get a taste of its mixed-media use, you can watch the campaign’s PIASC: Choose Print and other videos on YouTube.
