Falling in love with print again

7th July, 2011

VW 300x217

Despite what you may have heard over the last few years about print being a dying trade and everything turning digital, recent developments in the industry and current marketing activity being undertaken by some major brands may suggest that print is in fact as popular and effective as its ever been.

Peugeot, Volkswagen and Boden have all participated in some heavy print related activity in recent months which has proven to be highly successful and lucrative for the brands. New developments and innovations within the print industry have allowed these and other major brands to engage with and target their customers in new and inventive ways that have made them stand out from their competitors.

Whether its through direct mail, outdoor campaigns or new technologies, these brands that are embracing the developments and capabilities of todays print market are creating quite a stir within the industry.

New technologies and capabilities of print has meant that what used to be a costly and fairly lengthy process is now much more affordable and available to a broader range of brands and products. There has been a huge increase in the demand for metallic, glittery and scented inks as well as holograms, specialist die cut shapes that can be tailored specifically to a brand's identity and the range of materials to be printed onto.

VW received quite a lot of attention last year by creating a direct mail piece which printed straight onto leather. The activity itself caused 4 printers to break in the process but the response VW received from its recipients certainly outweighed this slight mishap!

One of the biggest developments perhaps was the launch of a printed B2B magazine by online giant Google. In a time when we have seen major publications such as the Sky magazine reducing the number of its yearly issues, this sidestep away from the digital world we associate Google with so naturally, suggests that print is in fact picking up and moving forward.

What better way to create a lasting impression than to physically leave something in someones hand? How many times have you received an email, skim read it then deleted it to be forgotten about forever? With an innovative and creative piece of print, your message can stay behind long after initial delivery. If you can physically get a consumer to engage with your brand through an interesting or unusual item that leaves a lasting impression or generates further interest into the marketing activity being undertaken, then you have already succeeded where so many digital/online campaigns have failed in the past.

This is not to say digital and online marketing is dwindling! Quite the opposite in fact. The market sees significant growth and new developments year on year but I like to think that print isnt going to give in that easily! Don't forget the story about the hare and the tortoise; although print may have taken a bit longer to bring in these new developments, now that they are being explored and tested out, it looks like the competition is truly on!

Further reading: http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/1075882/Brands-paper-trail/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH

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