Commentary on Paper making a Comeback

The recent article, "'Dead-tree Medium' No Longer: For Many Marketers, Print Outperforms Digital" published in Knowledge@Wharton on March 19, 2008 confirmed my suspicions that paper as a marketing medium was always effective, but merely pushed aside as the fresh and tech-magnetic internet gobbled up advertising dollars.

The print industry has experienced many ebbs ands flows (mostly ebbs) since the dawn of the internet/website/html/pay-per-click age, but now seems to be making a comeback as e-mail boxes become bloated, websites more common, and optimization more expensive. I am not insinuating that the internet is not a wonderful communication tool, but merely pointing out that it is only one of the many useful advertising and marketing tools available for small to large businesses. Moreover, I highly suggest internet presence and marketing when coupled with a strong print campaign.

I would like to highlight a few quotes from this article to support my claim:

1. "...print today defines as its core strength the flexibility once claimed by digital communications"

It's interesting that now, in 2008, banner ads and pay-per-clicks are a competitive market. No longer can you pick the best word to describe your business and wait to watch your online presence grow. No, now you must optimize, strategize, and pay out the nose for appropriate website services. These services that are available are no doubt a great way to go IF you have the cash. It is documented that SEO services have a great return on investment but do you have $80,000 to invest right now?

Why the huge price tag? Increased competition. Have you noticed that there is less and less mail coming through your physical mailbox? Because the advertising pendolem has shifted, there is an open market for the taking through direct mail and catalog marketing. Imagine being promised that 75% of your prospective client list would read (eyes to paper) the exact message that you want to communicate to them? Well it's possible, and it's possible (for a lot less money) with paper.

2. "Brendan Hoffman, president and chief executive of NeimanMarcus.com, the retail website, says that even though print is expensive, it gets the job done...We send out approximately a million catalogs a year, and about 99% are thrown out...but when we stop mailing out catalogs, we lose customers."

I think there are two needs being fulfilled here:
Value-added Experience- When I receive a Pottery Barn catalog in the mail, it makes me feel good. I like to sit it on the coffee table so that in the evening I have something to pick up, thumb through, and imagine my home with pottery barn furniture. Will I buy a couch that night? Probably not. But I can promise you the next time I need to purchase a new slip cover, I will be going to their website looking for their sage green with white pin stripe number featured in their Spring Catalog.

The second, Focus on Customer Service- Our print industry once built its core around catalog design, print and fulfillment. When the online boom hit, these slowly disappeared one by one, making their way to pdf formats. The consumers have had time now to share their input and it seems that most buyers would rather read a hard copy than a pdf on their screen. Moreover, they don't think well of a company that demands their expense to print off a 50 page color manual. Now before you start lamenting over lost rain-forests, remember that most catalogs today are printed on 90% post-consumer materials and are quite earth friendly.

Online advertising is effective. Online advertising along with a well-planned print campaign is MORE effective.