In recent years, print advertising has taken a back seat to the rise of digital advertising in the marketing mix, as advertisers increase their spending towards digital marketing on popular platforms. This trend has caused some to even go so far to claim that print advertising is no longer relevant and dead. However, this cannot be farther away from the truth.
Here are 4 main advantages print advertising has over digital advertising.
1. Increased Credibility
Advertisements and publications in print mediums such as newspapers and magazines are generally perceived to have higher credibility as compared to digital marketing as a result of their long-standing history with delivering timely and informative news to the public for centuries.
As opposed to digital advertisements, there is also lower perceived “risks” in finding out more from the advertisements. Print advertisements present the information you need at a glance, whereas there is a certain level of uncertainty with what is behind a digital advertisement with the rise of scams on the internet.
2. Longer Lifetime Value
Printed advertisements has a longer life time value and has the potential for more visibility because it will remain until its content is; A) no longer valid (eg. promotions on billboard advertisements) or B) it has been discarded after usage (eg. newspaper, magazines).
In scenario B, the timeframe of use is usually longer with “pass along” value to other readers who may be keen in the medium’s overall content.
3. Longer-lasting Impressions
With the rise of content on the internet, more information are being sent to web and mobile users causing some to experience the unpleasant information overload. The internet is a busy place and readers are constantly distracted by advertisements and notification banners popping up all over their screens causing them to be drained of their mental capacity and attention spans.
On the flip side, print readers can be better engaged when going through a print publication like a newspaper, magazine or product catalog while keeping distractions at bay. This allows them to better absorb and understand the contents of the advertisements and create a longer lasting impression on their minds.
4. Higher Associated Purchase Intent
People subscribe to newspaper and magazines to improve in the areas of knowledge and skills. They value the contents within the publications highly due such as subject matter experts’ inputs and latest trends commonly seen in specialty newspapers and magazines.
This behaviour suggests that the readers will be more receptive to advertisements they see in the print publications if the advertised product or service have a clear perceived benefit to their aspirations, making print advertising a mainstay in targeted advertisements.
Print advertising is not dead.
Print advertising has many unique benefits, and it still form a vital part of most companies’ marketing campaign. The important thing to take note when planning your marketing campaign is not to choose one over the other but to create a synergistic pairing that will improve the targeted users’ overall experience with your brand and improve the performance of your marketing campaign.