Print Advertising is Dead...Long Live Print Advertising!

Print advertising. How many articles have you read, studies seen, discussions had that Print Advertising is dead? I’m guessing more than one, especially if you work in marketing communications! Yes the way we reach our customers has changed, but has print advertising died a death?, its certainly became a market where less advertising budget is spent, but is it dead? …… Absolutely not! 

I started out in advertising sales in 1998, So I’ve seen a huge amount of changes, I was working for a publisher who produced hundreds of titles on a huge variety of subjects. The role was 100% telephone based, we only had old magazines and show guides to work from. It was an easier thing to do back then, you identified the decision maker, matched the content with his product and pitched them over the phone. We didn’t have computers to email media kits, we had a fax machine, yes remember them? We would pitch, fax the information and then call back to close the sale. There were no 3,4,5 people to pitch, it was the times when 1 person could make the decision. Then came the Enron scandal in 2001. Companies then ensured different protocols to manage spend, budgets, multiple decision makers, and rightly so, things needed to change. But with the growth of the internet, everything changed, and the last 5 years, digital marketing has been a primary driver of the changes, but for more than 10 years people have been screaming and shouting that Print advertising is dead! 

People said in the 80’s that compact discs would kill vinyl, it certainly had a major impact on sales, but what do you see today, more and more DJ’s purchasing old vinyl and new vinyl due to the very distinct sound it makes.

It the same with digital media, people have spouted off that this meant the end for print media, but it certainly doesn’t look like the much expected death of Print advertising is coming anytime soon. In the last 10 years, digital media has certainly taken over, but print is certainly not out of the game, simply because, it offers a huge amount of advantages over its digital competitors. 

When we look at digital avenues like social media, its excellent for reaching new and existing clients, but from the perspective of trust? Well, trust is something todays media savvy consumers don’t really have with digital content. A study compiled by Yougov - Cambridge Globalisation Project found that 83% of people have no faith in platforms like FaceBook or Twitter. The study found that consumers were much more trusting of print publications over digital.

Moving to a marketing aspect, have companies stopped spending on print media? Yes there has been a considerable decline, but print media is seen as a much more respected form of advertising than so many ‘frustrating’ online adverts. In fact, 8 out of ten internet users trusted print adverts to make purchasing decisions, rather than online equivalents. 

Thing is, there is something beautiful about printed magazine. It looks nice, it feels more personal, its in your hands, you can smell the print and paper, but it also allows the reader to engage with the colours and other creative aspects of the publication. It also creates a longer lasting impression, has a longer shelf life, often passes from hand to hand, reaching more eyes, than say your limited but targeted digital adverts. Neuroscience researchers have found that paper-based content is actually much more memorable to readers of digital content. A study in 2009 from Bangor University and branding agency Millward Brown found that the creativity of print media meant that it appeared more ‘real’ to the brain; it had a meaning and place which better engaged with a consumers spatial memory network.

Last year, ￡42 billion was spent on print advertising globally, a far cry from a dying out industry, in fact, the UK is the fifth largest producer of print media worldwide, showing a ￡14 Billion turnover from 10,500 affiliated companies. 

So why are businesses still spending so much on printed media, especially advertising?

Well value for money for one thing. Magazines and newspapers only tend to feature printed adverts that are relevant to the content they contain, whereas digital adverts range from anything to everything. Producing printed media can also be a lot more affordable than running digital campaigns, and provide consumers with a physical product they can have an emotional attachment to. Im not saying digital media doesn’t have its advantages, it certainly does, but for many people, being able to hold and look at a physical product is preferred to having to stare at a phone or tablet hours on end. 

You may be feeling that this article is biased towards printed media, and that print is better than digital, but thats not the case, both media have pros and cons. Rather than this being a Print V Digital, both platforms should be used to complement each other, it doesn’t have to be a competition. Businesses need to understand this and implement strategies that encompass both. 

Yes print maybe declining, but its certainly not dying out. 

Digital media, may eventually take over and make print media redundant, but that time looks like being a long way off, so the print industry will remain a vital commodity of modern life for years and years to come. 

In the 20 years in which I have worked in advertising, moving with the times and watching the changes take place, feeling the financial strains running a print company has, I have had so many board meeting about going 100% digital, getting rid of the print publications and moving into the future, I have resisted for what I have written above. To me, a thing I am passionate about is a finished print edition, holding it in my hands, smelling the print, looking at the colours, looking at the adverts. Seeing people consuming the content and commenting on the quality is and always has been a huge passion of mine. Pimagazine Asia has been a print magazine and digital platform for the last 10 years, and yes we have struggled, however we are still here and have the ability to offer our customers a complete advertising solution to reach there chosen audience. Things are only going to get better and stronger from our perspective, so if you wish to learn more about our solutions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us and allow us to help you reach your marketing goals. 

Print is dead, long live Print!!