Print Power

Traditional media, among which print media, remain the most trusted information source concludes the Edelman Trustbarometer 2012. Of the informed public aged 25-64, 32% trust traditional media (+10%), 26% put their trust in multiple online sources (+18%), 16% in corporate information (+23%) and 14% in social media (+75%). Trust in institutions, such as Governement, Businesses and NGO's declined, whereas trust in Media increased.

After slightly slower growth experienced during May and June, the European advertising market picked up again in the first two months of the third quarter, with July 2011 showing a +4.3 percent growth over July 2010 and August showing a +6.6 percent growth over August 2010. From January to August 2011, the seven countries in this report recorded a total of a +5.6 percent growth in advertising spend versus the same months in 2010.

Click here for the full report.

At the World Newspaper Congress in Vienna,Christoph Riess presented the results of the annual study WAN-IFRA has been carrying out since 1988. Media-consumption patterns vary widely per country, confirming the culturally defined media landscape. Today, newspapers account for 80% of media-consumption time, but only 20% of advertising revenues. Internet consumption is increasing worldwide, and therefore newspaper readers also have more choices. Newspapers will have to do more to attract readers and to create loyalty. Daily print circulation declined by 2 percent in 2010, but the drop was largely compensated by the growth of digital newspaper readers. In fact, in terms of readership, newspapers reach 2.3 billion people every day, 20 percent more than the 1.9 billion that the Internet reaches worldwide.

The Germans have an increasing interest in print media. They like to read books: 53 percent say they like to read books (a lot). This also seems to be true for magazines, as the recent AWA media research data indicates. The research data show an increase of 0.7 percent coverage of the German magazines after four years of decreasing coverage. Out of the 243 magazines, 99 show an increase of readers, 80 have maintained their readership and 64 show a relatively small loss. The increase is even shown among young readers. For the first time in three years, 14-29 year-olds read more print magazines than they did in the previous year. Also, the heavy internet users increased their magazine reading, with 8.2 percent more contacts. AWA research is one of the largest German consumer-media surveys, researching the 14-plus population, with a sample size of 20,990.

Newspapers should be present at four platforms, says Mario Garcia: in print, online, for mobile devices and tablets. It’s like a menu where people can choose between a snack or a seven-course dinner, or even taking a pill. People want to choose and newspapers need to offer the choice. In an interview in the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad, Garcia refers to his 578^th project, the redesign of the Austrian Kronen Zeitung. He is the world’s best-known newspaper designer. He refers to a success rate of 75 percent, of having realised increased circulation, and having improved brand personality or repositioning.

Printed paper has so much to play with. And as mentioned in earlier posts, interactivity does not equal digital. This print ad is promoting green energy by being solar-powered itself. In the magazine, the page is just a plain looking black-and-white sketch. But held up to the sunlight, it blossoms into full colour. The advertisement, developed by a Saatchi & Saatchi agency, promotes the Israeli solar energy company Shikun & Binui Solaria.

At the next European Marketing Dynamics Summit (EMDS), scheduled from 24-25 November, Print Power will be addressing print service providers from all over Europe. The EMDS is the annual conference focussing on how to position, sell, integrate and deliver direct mail in today’s multi-media environment. This year’s agenda covers subjects related to economics, printing technology, marketing and communication, data protection and postal liberalisation. The event will feature senior analysts from InfoTrends and chief marketers of the industry’s vertical markets to explain what their communication needs are today. More information and registration here.

The cover of the German design magazine Novum shows a superb innovation: flexibility. The cover shows a mosaic and each section of the mosiac can be folded. Watch the effect in the "making-of" clip.

A print campaign for Lubriderm moisturizing and exfoliation cream has increased sales with 16
percent and made the brand top the top-of-mind charts during the launch month. What made the campaign so succesful? Have a look at the video of the advertisement and you will notice the smart use of two layers of paper to demonstrate the sensory benefits of the cream.

The briefing for the brand was clear: demonstrate the benefits of the moisturising and exfoliating cream. The most important benefit is the smoothness of the skin. Johnson & Johnson, the company behind Lubriderm, wanted to communicate this sensation via the sensation of touch.

At the FIPP Magazine Publishers Congress Esther Braspenning (Sanoma Belgium) presented an interesting view on the value of Magazines. Her presentation referred to the unique qualities of magazines to engage readers. Magazines are often perceived a "my magazines", relevant, initimate and trusted. Magazines can therefore be appreciated as friends of readers. Magazines obtain such a preferred position as they benefit form focussed attention. In this hectic world where multi-tasking has become the common routine, magazines grab readers primary attention. And once having read the advertisements, readers act. Two out of five readers go and buy something after having seen an ad, and 36 percent try something for the first time.

We have discussed the way information is processed in the brain in earlier posts. Research using a fMRI scan now confirms that a magazine advertisement is better processed and stored in memory than a TV commercial. Print media therefore seems to leave stronger traces in the memory and therefore confirms to be a very effective channel for advertising.