The power of printing

Marketers' perceptions about which channels are most effective rarely match reality. The truth is that magazines, newspapers and direct mail are increasingly underestimated by marketers.

Advertisements in newspapers increase the ROI of campaigns by as much as 570%, with more than one in five provoking direct mail campaigns, and magazine ads generating £2.43 for every £1 invested. The statistics that argue for the effectiveness of print media are clear.

Brands that use the power of the tangible to create impact, create an emotional connection and enhance memory are a rising trend. After all, marketing and advertising are about big ideas. There is no shortage of those ideas in the print media space. Look no further than the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, where some truly innovative print campaigns won top honors.

Peter Field: "We are being turned upside down and oversold about a uniquely digital future. We need to face reality and take a more fact-based view of what really drives effectiveness."

In general, marketing campaigns are most effective when print is used as part of an integrated approach. Research shows that adding print to the media mix increases campaign ROI and builds more trust than would otherwise be the case.

After the imminent launch of a brand new internal project, we added a tangible promotional page to our quarterly magazine with a link to the new project's landing page.

This print piece gave us results we have yet to achieve online. We reached more than 1,000 people, just under 15% of whom converted. When you know that the average online conversion rate for most industries is around 3 to 5 percent, you realize the power of print.