In the Digital Age, this is why print still has a chance
It is the most aggravating thing on the Internet. We've all been there.
You click on a headline or video tease to get the info you're interested in, and instead, a blaring video jumps out at you, taunting a new cologne or music system or a series on The CW.
Problem is, you aren't dating, you already have a great home-sound system and you are tired of watching unbelievably attractive teens act like vampires, zombies and superheroes.
We also know, with increasing awareness, that every time you click, an Algorithm Robot is sucking all your personal information off your web-based accounts, all so it can better market to you. Or worse...
Yet, with all this sophistication that is supposed to be a panacea for advertisers and consumers alike, it still doesn't work. Internet advertising has never been the boom we envisioned 15 or even 10 years ago. Though spending on digital advertising skyrocketed since 2000 or so, the return on investment continues to shrink: A phenomenon often called "ad fatigue." The fact is, response to internet advertising is painfully low. Email campaigns are a success if 15 to 20 percent of recipients actually open the email to read the content. Even after that click, the actual conversion rate is still between 1 percent and 10 percent, even if you're selling pizzas or iPhones. It the odds are even longer on websites and social media pages.
Frankly, whether you are 18 or 80, no one wants their Internet surfing interrupted by a tidal wave of ads that wipe you out or scrub your ride.
Also, it still amazes me that my wife can do a search for a bra that fits correctly, then gets advertisements from lesbian-based, over-40, porn sites for a week.
I just looked for some auto parts online then received a slew of online ads for tires, ashtray replacements, in-car fridges, bumper-mounted satellite WIFI, and country music downloads. (Ironic that Johnny Cash and Hank Williams are still collecting royalties from digital sales!) All I really wanted, was to know what grade of gas to put in the new car.
Yet all that frustration pales in comparison to the more frequently occurring hacking, dark-web activities and outright security breaches.
So how does print regain a foothold?
Well, no pimple-faced millennial ever hacked into a newspaper, magazine, or National Inquirer. And, while we used to ask our designers to make their ads, “jump off the page,” it was a euphemism that has become all too real when checking out YouTube videos or Facebook rants.
When we sit down with a printed periodical, we know our security is not being threatened. We understand the publisher and the advertisers know exactly who their target audience is and create advertising directly aimed at the consumer. It is also passive, which works effectively with this demographic.
A newspaper can't get a Digital Virus and it won't hijack your browser until you buy antivirus software or payoff an IRS fine. Statistics show that a magazine reader doesn't care if they get their information from an editorial story or a well-designed and believable advertisement. Regardless, dog-earing a page so they can go back to it later is an easy option compared to tracking down a heated Twitter Storm.
When reading ink on paper, there is no threat of trolls, name-callers and keyboard tough guys.
Perhaps most importantly, those who read print are demographically wealthier, older, smarter, better educated, better looking and more likely to respond to ads that actually provide goods or services they consider valuable. And, price is often not as important as quality and service to these folks. (They might not be better looking but I slipped that in to make sure you are paying attention.)
As marketers, we still believe a multi-media approach is the most effective and efficient way to make sure an advertiser is maximizing their penetration into their selected niches.
Now, all that being written, please click on the picture below and order the most succulent steaks in the country via the internet.
