By Sander Sondaal, Director Commercial Print Sales, Ricoh Graphic Communications, Ricoh Europe
The effectiveness of print in communicating messages that are heard, trusted and remembered has been confirmed by three recent reports.
Research, commissioned by Newsworks, the marketing body for Great Britain’s national news publishers, and IPA Databank, found the advertising impact for a brand of combining print and digital, with an emphasis on news brands, is greater than using social media or print alone. Advertisers using a multi-platform (combining print and digital) approach enjoyed an uplift of 61% versus brands not advertising in news brands.
The key factor is trust. When consumers trust the medium the ad is placed with, it significantly improves the impact. Companies using news brand titles noted a 32% uplift in the effectiveness of their spend in 2012-2016 and a 52% uplift between 2018-2022, a period where Covid and the invasion of Ukraine led consumers to focus on trusted sources.
The second study, the Briefkasten Monitor 2022 (Letterbox Monitor 2022) by Spectos’ for Deutsche Post, surveyed 1,700 German households and found 42% reported their buying decisions are always or often influenced by printed mail. While regular letters were liked most, advertising mail ranked second. The study also revealed that recipients of advertising mail don’t read it immediately. They put it aside for some time and pick it up later to look for special offers and coupons that can be redeemed in a store or online. Only 20% of German consumers throw away advertising mail (personalised or unpersonalised). This is down from 34% in 2020.
The third is the latest JICMAIL (the Joint Industry Committee for Mail) The Time We Spend With Mail study on attention. To understand how people interact with mail over a 28 day period it surveyed 1,000 Britis households. A further 32 households took part in more indepth research using video and AI.
Research showed well presented advertising, that is conscious of how and where consumers will interact with it, is highly effective at gaining and holding attention. For a piece of direct mail, that attention can reach 108 seconds, partially addressed mail earns 64 seconds, and a door drop will hold the attention of a consumer for 46 seconds.
One of the consumer comments featured in the report stated: “If you feel the company has invested in printing... it means they are quite committed.”
The report goes on to say it costs 7p per minute to grab a consumer’s attention with a door drop and 11p per minute with a direct mail piece. This compared to 16p per minute for TV and 19p per minute for social display.
Put simply print that is delivered to households is more cost effective than other channels.
Also highlighted in the report was the fact a magazine will engage the average consumer for more than five-and-a-half minutes over 28 days with a catalogue gaining over three minutes of attention.
The effectiveness of combining these two media can be achieved with a magalogue (journalistic content i.e. the “maga” from magazine and product sales and advertorial material i.e. “logue” from catalogue).
Designed to be held onto for a while in the home as a resource that can be frequently referred to, it is more than a product list. As such it can drive the sales process by selling an aspirational lifestyle. The ability to feature products along with relevant and entertaining content also makes it attractive to multiple readers in the in the home.
The strength of a magalogue is it can:
Capture attention as printed communications are easily accessible and highly trusted by consumers who view them favourably. It appeals to those looking for a more meaningful buying experience.
Increase engagement as the features and articles of interest that complement the products being advertised will encourage consumers to spend more time looking through them.
Prompt greater interaction as more time is spent discovering the new products being promoted.
Activate word of mouth – the most powerful marketing channel.
There are many ways digital print can be used to create highly targeted and engaging communications. Whether it is magalogues, magazines, catalogues, direct mail, partially addressed mail or door drops, there is something that can meet your clients’ needs and achieve the desired results. What will you choose?
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