Why Print Advertising Still Works in the Digital Age
In today’s digital world, what use do we have for print advertising? You might be surprised, once you start looking into it. A number of studies show that people behave differently when reading print media than they do when reading digital media.
One such study, published in 2008 in the Journal of Research in Reading, reveals that reading online may not be as effective or rewarding as the printed word. Physical manipulation (such as scrolling) distracts our focus from what we are reading, and the lack of physical dimension also seems to interfere. Multimedia features, such as links, videos, and animations, tend to distract and also leave little room for imagination to come into play. The result is that people do not fully absorb digital media in the way that they absorb print media information.[i]
Print advertising is absorbed in a linear and user-controlled manner. The reader decides how long to stay on each page, and when to move away. It’s actually easy to observe the difference if you spend time in an airport terminal. Watch the people reading magazines and those reading on their laptops or tablets. You will notice that people reading magazines spend more time on each page (compared to how long people spend on each screen), and that they tend to be more relaxed and leisurely about what they are doing. People using digital devices tend to tap, mouse, scroll, and swipe as they skip from screen to screen fairly rapidly. (This is true across all generations, by the way—not just for “digital natives.”)
Digital ads don’t have the “share of eye” that print ads have. And while there are an over-abundance of aggravating pop-ups and interstitial pages that beg the reader to search for the “X”, Skip or Close button, there is no such thing as a full-screen digital ad. When a reader turns to an impactful full-page ad, it tends to catch and hold attention, giving you room to engage and communicate more deeply. Digital ads are sold in banner ads and skyscrapers that just don’t have the same effect as the print full-page ad. According to the Center for Media Research, McPheters & Company used 30-second TV ads, full-page four-color magazine ads, and Internet banner ads in standard sizes, and employed eye-tracking software to determine if (and how) Internet ads were actually seen by respondents.[ii] Study results, in combination with information on probability of exposure, found that:
- A full-page, four-color magazine ad had 83% of the value of a 30-second television commercial.
- A typical Internet banner ad had 16% of the value of a 30-second television commercial.
What Makes a Good Print Ad?
There are dangers to setting hard and fast rules about what makes a good print ad, and the last thing we want to do is stifle creativity. However, effective print ads share some critical elements:
- The ad connects with the reader right from the headline, and knows its audience inside and out.
- It’s memorable.
- It provides quick, clear information.
- It doesn’t confuse the viewer or its purpose (being clever for the sake of being clever is the usual pitfall here).
- There is a clear call to action.
- The ad leverages the media in which it appears. Research the media and work to avoid the clichés used by others in that media. In short, strive for the unexpected.
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