At about this time 19 years ago my future business
partner and I were making plans to launch our business. We were two idealistic
kids (we were in our 20 then) with dreams of filling our days doing amazing
creative work. We chose our company name because we wanted to provide all the
creative services needed for any project that would end up in print. We wanted
to work on ad campaigns, brochures, annual reports, catalogs, publications,
packaging and more. We especially wanted to do lots of corporate identity work.
We were doing branding before branding was cool. It was fun and rewarding work.
Life was good.
Then the marketing landscape changed. Today no great
brand can thrive without a presence on the web. We recognized that fact early
and branched out beyond print to web design. As the world continued to evolve,
we grew to offer new services to our clients, such as e-mail marketing, SEO
guidance, and consultation on social media strategy. We have spent considerable
energy communicating to clients and potential clients that integrated campaigns
are the best avenue to marketing success and that as a well-rounded agency we
can help them through all media, not just print.
Then the pendulum swung further as pundits started to
proclaim that print is dead. Well, that was — and still is — a bit premature.
In my opinion, statements like that are made simply to be provocative. Can
anyone in their right mind really believe that print media is useless as a
marketing tool? Now that pendulum is moving in the other direction. There is a
terrific campaign underway by several large magazine publishers to convince
advertisers that print is very healthy indeed. Magazine subscriptions in
America reached a 10-year high in 2008. Even the number of young readers (age
18-34) has grown over the past five years.* Consider this fact, when websites
offer consumers an opportunity to request more information on their product or
service, what exactly are they offering? Answer: A printed brochure or catalog. My friends, print is nowhere near dead. It's more valuable than ever if it's used wisely.
Marketers need to
use any and all media that have the power to reach their potential customers.
The mix of media and the amount invested in each will vary for every unique
client (some things change), but an integrated approach remains the best advice
(some things don't).
* Source: Magazine Publishers of America
