Is Print Back On Top?

It used to be the case that books and newspapers were the most popular forms of media. This may have been a long time ago, but before the creation and popularity of radio and television, print ruled the media roost. Of course, in today’s society most people would say that digital is in charge, with email and internet services putting print on the back burner in terms of priorities for numerous businesses.

However, we came across an article on the Print Week website which states that, in all actuality, print is on the up. Of course, the site may be slightly biased, but we’re keen to hear out the reasoning behind such a bold statement.
According to the article, big-name brands that fell out of love with print after the ascension of digital are beginning to fall back in love with it again. It seems that a number of businesses have come to the realisation that digital isn’t enough – consumers need print as well and the combination of the two is what makes for a truly exciting and successful campaign.

Let’s give an example: here in the UK, fashion retailer Next reintroduced its use of catalogues last year due to the medium’s ability to increase sales – and there are other examples of this happening in big-name brands across the globe.
So, whilst purely digital advertising may have been saving brands money, it simply wasn’t generating the responses that print did – hence its big return. Direct mail is also an under-used channel compared to the over-crowded inboxes of consumers the world over; it presents a unique opportunity to connect that businesses are beginning to recognise (again)!

What other reasons can you think of for print’s big return?