Strengthen Your Marketing Outcome with Print

Welcome to the Dove Direct Print and Marketing Blog. Today's post, "Strengthen Your Marketing Outcome with Print," encapsulates print's effectiveness and the importance and value of print advertising as a compliment to combat digital's everlasting scroll conundrum, particularly during a pandemic.  For many years, marketing and brand experts have continued to stick to various assertions concerning the state of print.  We have heard memorable statements such as, "Print is dead" or "print no longer matters," and other, more sinister comments.  However, that ideology no longer holds water.  It doesn't make sense given today's host of print marketing tools and strategies.  As with science, the numbers tell a unique story.

  In a nutshell, print serves a vital role as far as customer engagement goes.  Printed collateral is also the medium that fills the emotional gap. With all of the upheaval in the marketing world, print is the only medium that offers tangible permanence.  In addition, some brands are discovering that consumers want to explore and take in brand information at their own pace.  As a result, they are finding successful outcomes from printed collateral.


Our Quote of the Day:  "Instead of using technology to automate processes, think about using technology to enhance human interaction." – Tony Zambito, Buyer Persona

At this time in our history, there is a need to maintain a healthy balance between savings and profits.  When in doubt, seek a professional. Professional marketing and communications specialists can help you clarify your messaging, communicate clear and concise messages, and determine the best mediums and distribution.  That said, some mediums are more effective than others, which leads us to the world of print advertising.  It's no secret that newspaper and magazine subscribers have been in decline.  However, periodical publishers can now assert that the current readership is the right audience for the marketer's message.  Beyond readership, there are competitive and encouraging response rates for any print call to action.

  The American Marketing Association states, "Print circulations are down, but in many cases, that means that publications' readership has been culled to only the most engaged, which is a desirable trait, from an advertising standpoint."  Therefore, it is critical to realize that the effectiveness of print ads is not in decline; instead, they are essential for a few categories.  




Print is the Most Trustworthy

Over the past three years, print collateral has risen to the top as the most trustworthy form of advertisement.  MarketingSherpa surveyed 1,200 Americans in 2016 and discovered that consumers trust print ads over any other kind of advertising.  The following are the results gleaned from one of the survey's questions: 

In general, which type of advertising channels do you trust more when you want to make a purchase decision?


• Print ads (newspapers, magazines) = 82%
• TV ads = 80%
• Ads/catalogs I receive in the mail = 76%
• Radio Ads = 71%
• Ads in outdoor and public places ( like billboards, transit ads, posters, etc.) = 69%
• Search engine ads (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.) = 61%
• Video ads that appear before an online video = 47%
• Sponsored posts on blogs that I read = 43%
• Ads embedded in social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) = 43%
• Online banner ads = 39%
• Mobile Phone ads = 39%
• Ads in podcasts = 37%
• Online pop-ups = 25%


In this MarketingSherpa survey, folks sorted advertising channels into "ads I trust," and "ads I don't trust."  These numbers have been in the media comparison sphere since 2016 and continue to hold steady. 

 2018 DMA Response Rate Report 

The DMA Response Rate Report includes direct mail piece size, the industries that top the charts for using direct mail, and the most popular methods advertisers use to track the results.  It may shock you to learn that letter-sized direct mail outperformed all other channels when it came to lead generation.  Letter-sized direct mail delivers a whopping 15.1% response rate in lead generation.  Simply astounding! Here are the industries that are leading the pack with the usage of direct mail:

• Hospitality and Travel at 80%,
• Followed by Nonprofit at 75%,
• Then Media or Publishing at 71%,
• Financial Services, Banks, and Creditors at 67%,
• Healthcare coming in at 63%, and
• Insurance at 50%


Brand Recall



The Internet is full of distractions.  Any online destination is chock full of links, ads, calls-to-action, and a host of other attention grabbers. Conversely, one could argue that reading newspapers and magazines have distractions; however, there are far fewer, and reading print requires a physical interaction with the printed content that no other medium provides.

  Media Space Solutions adds that even though "digital content is scanned quickly, paper-based reading is slower and more deliberate, resulting in greater rates of comprehension and recall.  For advertisers, this means that traditional print media ads are more likely to make a lasting impression and, thus, lead to more sales.  "

Therefore, it should be of no surprise that neuroscientists have discovered that 70% are more likely to recall your brand after seeing it in print versus a digital version.



Print Outlasts Digital



Have you ever thought of deleting your Facebook account because of fake news or the bombardment of ads in your timeline every time you access your account?  Or, if not, consider the person who deliberates quitting Google because of various ads shown during unrelated searches.  When you visit your doctor or automotive service department, you'll notice newspapers and magazines on the counters or racks in public spaces.  It should come as no surprise that the shelf-life of those publications is extended for weeks and passed along to various readers visiting the establishment. This type of viewing/sharing increases the reach of every publication before it is removed or recycled. 

 The American Marketing Association recently stated, "Print ads are worth it in the end because of print's longer shelf life and higher potential for reverberations beyond the initial reader."



Print Engages Audience Interests



People subscribe to various newspapers and magazines based on their interests.  Those specific interests translate into captive audiences who are looking for that particular content.  Furthermore, the ads in the publication tend to align with the overall scope of the magazine or newspaper. Therefore, the print publication and the ads contained therein both add value for the reader. 

 Folks tend to read magazines to improve their professional status, learn more about a particular interest, or dive into their passions.

Interestingly enough, the ads are viewed as part of the reading experience and not an interruption of the content! 

 Again, Britt Fero, the founder of PB&, states it this way. "People are in different mental spaces when they choose to engage with a printed magazine versus digital content.  What does the reader want to get out of those five minutes that he spends with that particular title?  This is really where, in marketing, you can add value to a medium because the reader is looking for specific content versus just talking about your brand.  "

Digital advertising is great for accumulating data and for delivering quick insertions into the mix.  However, for achieving market penetration, print needs to be part of your strategy.  By physically placing your branded content into the hands of people, a connection occurs, and that creates a lasting impression, which goes to the heart of brand recall.  All successful advertising and marketing exploits share a commonality in that the level of engagement, response rates, and brand recall is of the highest order. 



The Net-Net



Regardless of the marketing strategy, it's called a media mix for a reason.  No one medium can deliver everything.   With various niche groups splintering even further, the media landscape to reach them is more complicated.  Brand recall, trustworthiness, and emotive responses are the hallmarks of print collateral.  That's why we contend that adding print to the marketing mix will enable you to achieve significantly better results, develop longer-lasting impressions, and in all likelihood, enjoy a lift in ROI.  Thanks for reading "Strengthen Your Marketing Outcome with Print!"

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