Paper and Print - the new black?

We were lucky enough to attend a breakfast talk last week held by K.W.Doggett, centred around a discussion on selling print and the return on investment this medium provides. The morning was backed by research and facts from the Value of Paper and Print (VoPP), which is an industry report about the effectiveness of print. Kellie Northword, the very inspiring woman behind (VoPP) and Executive Director of Two Sides, provided us with some really interesting case studies and inspired us again about the power of print in today's ever expanding online landscape.

Key facts that impressed us were:

93% of female magazine readers engage with print advertisements (YouGov, 2013)

Letterbox distribution reaches over 18.3 million Australians, five days a week (ACA, 2014)

67% of people believe paper to be more trustworthy than digital

Newspapers are read by more than 15 million Australian's every month, or 86% of the population aged 14+

20% of users remember an article better when ready on paper (Miratech, 2011)

Psychological and physiological studies demonstrate the human brain will retain and recall messages better when read from paper (Wolf, 2012)

Throughout the talk, we heard how print has had to defend itself over recent years, it has been criticised with headlines such as 'print is dead', 'the paperless office' etc, yet it remains one of the largest industries in Australia. As a country we spend $790 million a year on magazines, one of the highest per capita across the globe. Print still remains a strong industry and has the widest reach of any channel.

We loved this example of Microsoft who placed a WiFi enabled print advertisement in a special edition of Forbes to promote its Office 365 software, providing free internet to those who kept the magazine with them. Once activated, the router embedded within the pages provided users with 15 days of free internet, which could easily be used by up to five devices simultaneously.

In summary, which channel mix promises the best from print, TV, radio to newer and emerging channels such as the internet and digital? Which is the most cost effective and efficient combination? The answer isn't really one or the other, more a much-needed understanding of how each inter-relates and connects the audience. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses - digital offers instant connect, while print will hold our attention for longer. Television can be socially engaging, while magazines are selected and held onto. 

We didn't need any more convincing (although the stats really surprised us), it just confirmed our love for all things printed!

Lastly we couldn't help but laugh at this tongue-in-cheek 'bookbook' from Ikea. 

Thanks to K.W. Doggett for the opportunity to attend this talk and to the very inspiring Kelly Northwood. For more information check out www.valueofpaperandprint.com.au