Is Print advertising still relevant?

Advertising has evolved dramatically over the decades, going from newspapers printed to social media and online advertisements. Digital occupies an increasingly important place today in our daily lives. So much so that companies wonder if print print advertising is still useful.

However, this raises the crucial question: is printed advertising still relevant in the current marketing landscape? Let us take a closer look at this traditional method to determine if it retains its relevance in the digital age.

Print advertising loss of speed

The printed advertisement seems to disinterest marks, because paper newspapers no longer have the rating anymore.

According to a BUMP report, the paper press looks gray, but increased in small doses: despite a slight increase of 0.7 % in 2021, it underwent a significant loss of speed as evidenced by a drop of 11.3 % Since 2019. Even if advertising expenses are increasing, all media combined, growth is mainly carried by digital communication (+ 13.4 % increase compared to 2021).

On the American side, the balance sheet is significantly the same. The New York Times saw its income from printed advertising decrease by 18 %. This is why for a few years now, the New York Times has taken the digital turn thanks to its application, which exceeded one billion turnover in 2023.

Fortunately, the newspaper took the digital turn early: the online advertising market represents 4.4 billion turnover in the first half of 2023 in France.

Printed advertising is still relevant!

Even if it is true that digital advertising has exceeded printed advertising, the print is not about to disappear! It offers high conversion rates, a strong audience demography, improves the company's reputation and provides a unique interactive format that only paper can offer.

So let's take a closer look at some of the print advantages:

1. People remember the printed advertisements better than digital advertisements

It is difficult to stay focused with digital, your ad will be drowned in the middle of many distractions.

In a magazine or a newspaper, for example, readers are always exposed to distractions, but they are generally less numerous, and, as a reader, you pass physically through advertisements by interacting with the content.

Your prospects are 70 % more likely to remember your brand after having seen it in printed advertising than in digital advertising.

2. We more easily grant our confidence to printed advertisements

Printed advertisements, when presented in respected and established media, can capitalize on the trust associated with traditional sources.

Consumers often tend to perceive online advertisements as invasive and, in some cases, unreliable due to the proliferation of false information. Ads printed in renowned magazines, respected newspapers or other printed supports benefit from the positive association with editorially reliable media.

This association contributes to strengthening the brand's credibility and establishing confidence with the target audience.

3. It is nice to have physical content

All marketing specialists know this, they must call on all consumer senses.

With the printed media, you have the smell of freshly printed paper, the feeling of paper in your hand, the bright colors and the sound of the moving paper.

It is also a homecoming that can appeal to many people. Indeed, some are taken from a feeling of nostalgia by seeing its physical content as these contents were omnipresent a few years ago.

4. The conversion rates are better

Your prospects subscribe to magazines according to their interests. And advertisements are part of it, because they align with the rest of the content and add to the value of the magazine. You have, with a magazine or mail sending, an ultra -targeted advertising.

Almost 80 % of consumers react to advertising by direct mail, while less than 50 % of consumers respond to an advertisement per email. Printed media trigger actions among consumers, which makes the conversion rate much higher.

How to properly use print advertising?

Use printed advertising with relevance

As we have said, printed advertising is not yet dead.

You just have to lift your nose when you are in town or on the road. Open your mailbox and you will still find many prospectuses there.

Unless you contact a very precise niche, your prospects are everywhere. They walk in the street, they consult catalogs at home or newspapers at the table of a coffee.

Print costs have greatly decreased. You can offer yourself beautiful posters or captivating flyers without disturbing your cash flow too much. Printed advertising is therefore effective if you want:

Offer emotion to your prospects

Digital does not touch itself, does not keep itself and conveys an ephemeral emotion. It only calls on a meaning: sight.

While printed advertising stimulates sight, touch and sometimes smell. This paper keeps preciously, especially if it is beautiful, shiny and pleasant to handle.

It is easier to make an emotion On several pages than on an internet insert. However, some consumers like this contact with paper and they are fond of a more sustainable experience than a simple internet advertisement.

Printed advertising and digital, a happy marriage

Printing and digital forms a shock duo for your prospecting and the Loyalty of your customers.

By being present on these two spaces, you increase your visibility and your notoriety. You widen the field of possibilities by capturing prospects that are not very connected or not attentive to internet advertisements.

However, the question is not whether you should opt for one or the other solution, you must use these two means of communication. And in a complementary way.

For example, you can very well add a QR code On your print campaigns. This can lead to your website, additional information on the product/service, a reduction voucher … Printed advertising can also include your social networks.

Conversely, on your website, you can offer your prospects to order your paper catalog, in exchange for their contact details. It is an excellent method for flesh out your contact base.

Prepare your print advertising campaigns

You understood, if he lost in speed the print is not dead, far from it. It must be used judiciously, effectively and ecological. It allows more targeted, more interactive advertising that leaves a trace.

If you want to get started on printed advertising, but you feel a little lost, find the graphic designer who will accompany you on Coder.com!