Branding
Is print dead?
By Eric Groves
We’re gathered here today to honor the long life of the most important communication tool to have ever lived. Print will be greatly missed. From its humble beginnings of illuminated manuscripts and scrolls to its eventual evolution to the printing press, print’s life has been long and has greatly impacted all of humanity. You had a good run, buddy. Thanks for all the information we’ve shared through you. See ya on the other side.
Hold up, now. Before you go and post this on your online obituary, you should know one thing. Print is definitely not dead. If we were actually at a funeral right now, what would you be holding? Oh yeah, a PRINTED program of the service. Point proven, blog over.
Ok, so maybe it’s not that simple to sum up.
The point of this weird funeral metaphor is that print is still important and effective. Here are the top 3 reasons why:
1. MAILBOXES HAVE FLIPPED
The days of stuffed mailboxes are over… unless we’re talking about your email inbox. Today, your physical mailbox has been cleared out while the junk mail flows freely into your email’s inbox. Mail that used to be thrown away is simply not being clicked. Extra space in your physical mailbox creates an opportunity to stand out. Even if it is old school, sending a physical mail piece can create a major impact.
2. LONG SHELF LIFE
That email blast already got buried in a slew of other emails in your prospective customer’s inbox. And if they did open it, they probably only scanned it for a few seconds. And that super clever Tweet you sent with a bunch of awesome #hashtags? Yea, that only has about an 18-minute life span. Now, when that flyer, direct mailer, insert, or packet of product information hits the kitchen table, it could be sitting around for months! It could even get passed around to friends.
3. IT GIVES YOU FEELS
Print is tangible. There’s something different about receiving a flyer, direct mailer, insert or the packet of product information. The experience of physically flipping through something is still appealing to customers. Another bonus: print gives you credibility. If it was important enough to be printed and sent out, it must be legit.
Don’t mourn the death of print. While its role has evolved over time, we don’t see it going anywhere anytime soon. Telling great stories and gaining the attention of your customers through exceptional design will never go out of style. Digital and traditional advertising methods are important and each has their time and place to be effective. So, there are no funerals. The only reason we’re gathered here today is not to cry over print’s death, but to give a toast to an important medium that deserves attention.
So here’s to you, print. May your life be filled with mailboxes and your paper be covered in thumbprints.
