Are companies experiencing any level of success with print advertising ? Has this form of advertising truly taken its last breath? Opinion?
I am curious as to why many companies representing world recognized products are still willing to shell out thousands on local print media. As a new member of the "Digital Media" craze, it seems that I am having to convince decision makers that there is this thing called the internet, and mobile device marketing. Exposing their companies name over numerous platforms gets met with resistance. I'm puzzled, because it simply makes so much sense!
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Feb 21, 2014
With our business it depends on the publication. We get terrific call volume and subsequent sales from coupon mailers and discount circulators, but have found newspapers to be ineffective. The key for us is focusing on the target customer base of the print ad as well as the products accustomed to being placed in it. Running print ads based on circulation volume alone will leave you with nothing but lighter pockets.
Feb 15, 2014
Some great answers in the 18 posts before me. At the risk of repeating, here are a few broad strokes. Success starts with advertising where your target audience is. And that comes from knowing who your target audience is - specifically researching and documenting what you know about them that'll help you decide on the advertising medium. Success implies there is a desired outcome. Decide what that is and put in place a plan to test and measure...then tweak.
Feb 13, 2014
Lets put it this way, rolling down the road at 65 to 70 mph one should not be texting, or looking at websites (or anything on a separate screen). A driver should be paying attention to the vehicles around them. If a vehicle around them has advertising on it or there is a billboard around with a message on it the actions are one would remember it.
Now, if there wasn't print media, you would not have the advertisement on the vehicle or the billboard. The chances of avoiding a mishap is greatly reduced and the vehicle driver is safely at work or home (where they can visit the website they saw on the advertisement).
Feb 12, 2014
You have to consider the generational comparability. Those who were raised on print feel most comfortable with it. When i move my clients toward a variety of media options i rely on numbers - digital numbers are much better for certain industries and work well in others when paired with print - for my food trucks "digital is in" for my high reputation clothiers - they prefer print - no matter what you use, nothing beats well written ad copy.
Feb 12, 2014
Print newspaper advertising still has a place but you have to remember their target market. They target 45+ with "paper news" so make sure your business or client is targeting the demo.
Denture, hearing aid, etc are all great for print.
Magazines again have a targeting demo as well, again, just make sure you have the same target.
Any medium will work if you utilize it correctly!
Feb 11, 2014
pRINT ADVERTISING will never die. It has enhanced much more than before. It was in past ,much better in present and will best in future.
Ask me how?
Feb 11, 2014
I think it depends what you are trying to do. I see that you are in mobile technology so I will talk about that specifically. Mobile technology mainly caters to a younger demographic, so online advertising, such as google adwords and SEO are very important. Ranking high in the app store is also very important as well. There is a startup company called Apposk (www.apposk.com that is bucking this trend a bit and is putting up kiosks advertising mobile applications in high traffic areas. In respect to 90% of retail sales in general are still made in-store, this approach is very viable especially that they have tablets attached to each kiosk so that people can try before they buy/download a desired app.
Feb 11, 2014
Two comments related to the answers of other posters:
-- If you want to stand out, do something different from your competitors. I have clients who are now getting great results from direct mail, especially letters. And postcards. Why? People are inundated with online appeals. Your email flashes past, never noticed, or is sent automatically to Spam. Your tweets are buried in a firehose flood of autotweets. Yelp reviews arouse suspicion. Then a single first class letter arrives, and it gets read, because it's novel.
-- Many posters here pull the age card: old codgers aren't online. Not true. I'm 71 and I've been doing this for years. Remember, everybody gets a year older each year, including you tweetsters! However, older people have better bullcr*p detectors, and quickly pass over stuff that is overhyped or poorly written.
Clear message, well-targeted, offering that meets needs, perceived quality and value, proper channel, good customer communications and followup. Marketing 101. The basics never change.
Feb 11, 2014
If you're seeing ads by successful companies then you can pretty much assume it's working for them if it continutes to run continuously. Afterall, those companies BECAME successful as a result of doing the right things consistently. So, they know what they're doing and if they're ALSO becoming more and MORE successful as time goes by then the things they're doing are definitely working gangbusters for them.
- Jason Oman
#1 Best-Selling Author & TV Success Story
Feb 11, 2014
Before you decide on the tactical advertising method (i.e. print), you first need to master the strategic side of marketing, the message. If your messge isn't clear and compelling, then no form of advertising will work.
Follow the marketing equation of Interrupt, engage, educate and offer to build your compelling marketing message.
Feb 11, 2014
Let's not act like companies are fools for spending money. Print advertising has changed, dramatically from when I was part of it in its heyday. But, yes, it absolutely works or it wouldn't be there. There was once the same cry that no one would advertise on Radio because of television and the timeliness of newspapers and TV would kill magazines. The advertising landscape changes and there is no one perfect solution, digital has plenty of need to be supported with other media or has it's own downside. Know your value in digital and what you do to drive business revenues but do not suppose absolute superiority or that the Internet is a holy grail. Ad money goes to ad success and ad success comes from strategy and purpose...period.
Feb 11, 2014
Thomas makes a valid point. I have a mix of B2B and B2C clients. Advertising & promotional decisions vary by target demographic, the nature of the product/service offered, whether the service is local or national, and so on.
Promoting a brand/service across different advertising vehicles is like having a stock portfolio - some stocks perform better than others. Testing and measurement of different initiatives is key. Digital advertising vehicles are an expansion, not a replacement, of avenues to connect with customers.
Feb 11, 2014
As with all media today, testing is still key. Over and over again campaigns are thrown to the side before they have a chance to work because a new shiny thing came along. I have seen companies attempt online marketing and fail miserably because the target and offer don't work. Also companies that have never mailed out a thing doing just fine. Your offer, your audience, and testing will show you the best media option for your situation.
Feb 11, 2014
Perhaps when you are approaching these internet resistant companies you have the stats available to show them which demographic groups use digital media in conjunction with tablets and smart phones. If their target market demographics shows they are digital users, then their advertising should lean towards digital. If on the other hand their target market is mostly 60+ then perhaps print media is a better option, especially if serving a local market and using coupon promotions.
Feb 11, 2014
Depends on what the company's target audience is reading, scanning, viewing, listening, etc. One advertising medium isn't the solution, digital, print, audio, video, etc., it's the proper combination of all / some of the above, depending on who the target audience is and where they're spending their time... Dave Cochran, Cochran Edwards Capital Partners, Seattle
Feb 11, 2014
Because print works - not in all cases but in many. It depends who you want to reach and why. Repeated postcard mailings, say for a new roof, creat TOMA (top of the mind awareness) for homeowners. If you want to reach teenagers for new earrings at the mall, postcards are not very effective.
Study the stats - what % of your audience does not use a computer, what % does not use a smart phone. Like everything else, it depends.
Charlene
Feb 11, 2014
It really depends on your target audience. A little older consumer may be more attracted to print rather than online marketing. That is why so many politicians use the medium because it is very effective.
Feb 11, 2014
Thousands of businesses are being crushed, under the weight of print advertising and direct mail pieces. Why?A) Resistance to change. ("It always worked before."). B) Lack of Knowledge. ("They don't know much about Internet marketing, except, how to open their e-mail, and an occasional online review.)
C) Fear ("I don't want to invest my advertising online and lose my money!")
D) Old Relationships (My ad agency/printer has been with us from the beginning, they do good work.)
Yes, there will always be some type of 'need' for print advertising, however, are being pummeled by their online competition. Your job is to show them, how much they are losing to their competition, by not marketing online and mobile.
Hope this gives you some insight on their thinking.
Feb 10, 2014
It is not the messenger's (various kinds of media) fault. It is the message itself. How is the message being delivered?
It is not the form of advertising that is failing but the message behind. How is the message reaching its intended target market?
Feb 10, 2014
Kevin- I think it depends upon your target demographic. There are a LOT of older people with a LOT of discretionary dollars that are simply not tech savvy at all. I know it's amazing but I have met some of them. It amazes me that I have to keep a fax line because I have clients that still are more comfortable with that method of communication. I'm not sure what your product is but you might be wise to target businesses that are cognizant of what is happening and can see the big picture. You probably won't have much luck trying to educate them, and you probably don't have time for that anyway. I know what you mean, we trash our big phone books and Yellow Pages as soon as they come, I can't remember the last time I used a phone book to look something up, and our local newspaper just gets smaller and smaller we haven't subscribed to it in years. In fact I've noticed that local businesses send out coupon pages and ads separate from the paper just because there are so few subscribers.
If you are truly having to explain the existence of the Internet and digital marketing you probably need to narrow your focus. One thing to remember too in B2B sales is that most business owners are good at their particular craft, trade or business but not necessarily tech aware and are just so busy getting through every day trying to keep their heads above water that they really don't want to think about a new thing. I have found in my business that if they aren't in real pain it's very difficult to get them to change. The Status Quo is our Greatest Foe
Thanks very much to all who have responded. I wish that we could all work in the same office! But then again, I would suspect that none of you would want to move to the frigid cold and mountains of snow where I am. I wonder what the thoughts would be then if we focused on one specific target market.......automotive. I have met with some who feel that they should stay with the "Old Faithful" in print, but my thought is that it truly stays localized and even then, many read the "News" on their device rather than the medium they get at the end of their driveway. If a retailer is attempting to draw in prospects from their competitions area, I would have to suggest that the utilization of digital is where the budget should focus. I am new to this position, and may be biased, but I am looking for convincing or perhaps further justification that my target clients need to shift to digital if they haven't already. Thanks again....