As a businesses specialising in both digital and printed advertising options, we fall in a niche category. Whilst digital is fantastic – have a look at our Search Engine Advertising options – there is no evidence that whenever something new emerges in communications, that the previous technology becomes obsolete and that is what we feel about print advertising.
TV did not kill radio. Radio is doing just fine and gaining audiences. And we still watch TV in between YouTube and Spotify.
That is how we feel about print advertising – that it’s not out because digital is ‘in’! Print advertising remains a viable component of any media mix. Did you know Google spent over a million dollars in print advertising in 2012? A great statistic!
Print retains some undeniable advantages. Here are a few.
- Print advertising does things online adverting/content can’t because it is narrowly targetable and long-lived – people see print more often.
- It is a solid vehicle for establishing brand identity. People understand print – whatever age they are.
- Certain target audience don’t live online and print can be the only real way to reach these consumers.
- Print can also can communicate longer, more complex messages with more personality and resonance.
- With print advertising, businesses can choose exactly where they would like their ad placed. That means you can target the right people by targeting specific cities and lifestyle types.
What do the stats say?
A study has shown that people read digital screen text 20% – 30% slower than printed paper, and read less of it (Alshaali & Varshney) and another study for the MPA measured the total increase in purchase consideration/intent for a variety of products and whereas television accounted for a 30% increase, printed advertising within magazines represented a 56% increase – a huge proportion!
The one issue we come across is the worry that it is hard to make print more accountable, or as accountable for ROI as digital. To enhance your print ROI analysis, give your print adverts a call to action that drives them to your website and keep this to a landing page, a specific URL or use a QR code.
You can also ask to speak to us about our real business case studies – we think you will be pleasantly surprised at what print advertising can do. As you can see, there are many reasons print is still a viable option as a part of your advertising campaign budget – from the memorability to the placement and the open ended options for the volume of copy.
At UK Advertising we work with clients like ASDA to get your message out there. We also see a lot of success with customer information boards at train stations and we can help in plenty of other areas. Why not get in touch with us today and speak to us about how we can launch your next advertising campaign, either locally or nationally?
