Print medium is as powerful as it ever was, both for news dissemination and advertising. Print medium holds its own position of power to influence the public compared to any other medium. This is a fact acknowledged by media pundits and marketing professionals of all persuasions. A recent report, published by Newsworks, has shown that adding newspapers to an advertising campaign raises the overall effectiveness of the campaign and increases return on investment from TV and radio.
Switch the TV on or off, click, tap and scroll through a palm-size mobile window, information is at your mercy. And at present, among all media, the reigning ranks are held by print, TV, social media and internet spaces. Among them, the advent of 'digital', and the scale at which it has been adopted by businesses for advertising, has forced discussions on the relevance of Print Media.
However, it is the gross misunderstanding of the power, reach and function of each medium that has led to haphazard debates pitting 'Digital vs Print'. These dialogues plainly assume that digital, TV or radio can replicate the experience, connection, interaction, and mostly 'value in money', offered by Print. Print Media occupy a unique position and relevance that cannot be argued in simple terms, solely because of the connection they have with their readers.
Every enterprising business attempts to grab the attention of its customers. Its choice of advertising channels is driven by a media's unique advantage to talk, inform and engage.
According to the report published by Newsworks, busineses, small and large, have gained tremendously by adding Print Media to their marketing mix. Financial Industries gained a whopping 570%. Retail grew by 280% and the Automotive industry surged by 170% (Source: newsworks.org.co.uk/effectiveness). Print has been the essential ingredient that gave power to their marketing efforts, that made them stay on top of their competition.
How did this happen?
This was no sheer luck, but a positive exploitation of the unique power of Print.
Reading a paper or a magazine is an experience in itself. The contents of the paper surpass the fleeting nature of a blog or a social media feed, as one scrolls through numerous pages a day. This power is gained through the trust that newspapers build, almost instantly, as a reader picks up a paper, by their own choice.
A newspaper or a magazine is driven by real people, personalities, ideologies, and a vision that cannot be easily replicated or translated. This creates a higher level of connection with the reader, by virtue of every single piece of content creating a personal relationship that is accepted by the reader.
As a reader is thoroughly engaged in the editorial power of the paper, advertisements gain the same engagement as is habituated by the reader. The print advertisements have the advantage of not diverting the attention of the reader and have hence more authority in establishing a relationship with the reader. In direct contrast, online or TV Ads disrupt the experience of the visitor.
Moreover, the way a print publication is distributed, multiplies its value. The utility of 'sharing' and 'social networks' are easily embedded in the physical product. They lie in homes, offices, and spaces that spread the message more authoritatively than any other medium. Readers share their copies. Their peers pick them up, and skim and scan through them. They do not dissipate into cyberspace, and hence the message lives longer. This allows a stronger opportunity to hyper-target and hyper-localize advertising campaigns, especially ethnic media marketing campaigns.
Importance of engaging with UK's Ethnic community through Print
Around 13% of the UK's population is black and ethnic minority and the purchasing power of the community is estimated to be worth a whopping £300 billion. In 30 years’ time (2045) it is forecasted that BME groups in this country will be twice as large as they are today. A report by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) raises serious concerns that many mainstream companies are not using an increasingly dynamic ethnic media to target BME groups despite research showing ethnic audiences would be 60 per cent more likely to buy a product or service if it were advertised in their media.
The IPA report debunks three popular misconceptions about ethnic minorities:
Myth No. 1 – They don’t spend.
British Indian men have an average higher income than the average White Briton.
Myth No. 2 – They behave the same as Whites.
That’s not true either in the media they consume or in any other behaviour. Only 18 per cent of ethnic minorities in Britain solely watch mainstream TV. Sixteen per cent only watch ethnic programming.
Myth No. 3 – They are too hard to target.
It’s wrong to believe there are too many differences between ethnic groups to target them effectively. There’s a lot of business to be had with relatively cheap, well-targeted campaigns.
Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar
While there has been a proliferation of ethnic broadcast media, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar's position as market leaders in the ethnic print media remains unchallenged. That businesses have been consistently engaging with the ethnic community through our print titles for over four decades is another testimony to the power of print. The influence that our print titles command is a vital ingredient in the success of key events such as Asian Achievers Awards, Asian Voice Charity Awards, and Asian Voice Political and Public Life Awards, among others.
Readers yearn and wait for ideas that are printed on Print, and this anticipation is a strong psychological force that advertisers can tap into, to pleasantly surprise their soon-to-be customers. There are key areas of an engagement experience, where Print dominates, and these areas are very important for any marketing campaign.
For long term marketing objectives, advertisers have the unique power to reach their target audience – an audience that is receptive, trusts the message, and is highly likely to recall the information. And to get an immediate response for retail offers or classifieds, advertising in paper is more trustworthy as it is already vetted as opposed to unverified online listings.
You can switch off your TV, scroll off those ads, but Print is not going anywhere. It is a vital part of engaging readers, and providing value to advertisers.
Needless to say, Print is Power.
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Infographic
Worth the Paper it's Printed on
* Newspapers raise the overall effectiveness of the ad campaign.
* Print Media do not just communicate. They connect with the readers.
* Financial industries have gained a whopping 570% by adding Print Media to their marketing mix.
* Similarly, retail grew by 280%, while the automotive industry surged by 170%.
* The paper content surpasses the fleeting nature of a blog or a social media feed.
* You can trust a newspaper or a magazine as it is driven by real people, personalities and ideologies.
* Also, the ad content is vetted properly as opposed to unverified online listings.
* The print advertisements do not distract the reader.
* Research shows many mainstream companies are not cashing in on ethnic media to target BME groups.
* Study shows ethnic audiences are 60% more likely to buy a product or service if it were advertised in the ethnic media.
