60SECONDS: Print Assets Push e-media

Developments in e-mail technology, online advertising and other communication vehicles offer marketers interesting new ways to reach consumers. But print advertising—including inserts and circulars—remains an excellent way to drive consumer behavior and purchasing decisions.

In a recent Vertis Communications study analyzing media fragmentation/usage, it was revealed that even the most tech-savvy consumers still rely on print media as a source of both leisure reading and information gathering. From 2000-08, the number of consumers who read a newspaper each week held steady at 71%; and those who reviewed inserts and circulars rose from 81% to 84% during the same time period.

Vertis's most recent Customer Focus study provided additional evidence of the power of print in the marketing mix, finding that 47% of Americans believe inserts and circulars are the advertising vehicles that best capture their attention: a 9% increase since 2003. The data also shows that inserts and circulars are beating TV advertising as the medium most able to elicit consumer attention.

Given the continued reliance on print media when deciding which products or services to purchase, print advertising is an essential multichannel campaign element. Whether it's a 4-color glossy advertisement in a consumer magazine, a personalized direct mail piece or a double-truck in a daily paper, consumers are likely to respond favorably.

What marketers may not truly grasp, however, is how to incorporate these efforts into a multi-channel campaign. Many companies already communicate with consumers through print. These companies also have all the digital assets needed (product imagery, copy, pricing, description, etc.) to reach customers in the e-universe. The fact that many firms are already active in the print space makes leveraging the channel to broaden communication options more appealing and beneficial. In essence, print can serve as a mouse trap, snaring consumers' attention while companies establish continuous communication that extends far beyond ink on paper.

Our Customer Focus study also found that 24% of the U.S. population pays attention to e-mail and Internet advertisements on a weekly basis. Further, it has been determined that using print media in conjunction with interactive messaging allows advertisers to double the potential reach of their multichannel efforts—and ensure that more than half of a campaign's digital target audience would be exposed to the message twice.

Specific examples of how to include print media as vital components of multichannel campaigns include designing print advertisements that drive consumers online to learn more about a product or service, personalizing direct mail pieces using variable data to drive consumers to a specially designed Website, known as a personalized URL (PURL) and applying print-on-demand tactics to deliver tangible materials to those who make inquiries via the Internet. These campaigns should be designed to elicit communication preferences, build brand awareness and drive actionable results and ROI.