Feeling the Love: How Print Works on our Emotions

Andy Rogers is one of us.

“Print is like a relationship, we keep going back to it for one reason only: the way it makes us feel,” Rogers writes in his post “Why Everyone is Falling in Love With Print Again.”

“Every relationship we have, we are in because of some emotional connection,” he continues. “When done well, your print media can evoke almost every emotion, which in turn increases your advertising effectiveness.”

Why are emotions so important? Well, we know from recent research that when the brain engages emotionally, good things happen for advertisers. Print ads have been shown to be more effective at driving those buying emotions than their digital counterparts.

Rogers cites research that shows that “when brands appeal to more than three senses, advertising effectiveness will increase with 70%.” 

Print’s appeal isn’t just for advertisers, of course. As Rogers notes, the entire reading experience is an emotional immersion for readers, whether the content is ads or editorial. While science shows us that print is more memorable and more engaging, there’s another benefit to the sensory print experience: it puts you ahead of your competitors.

“Although we like to be up-to-date and in fashion, we also love when something that’s ‘retro’ becomes ‘trendy’ again. As electronic gadgets, social media and online content is all part of the modern marketing, what excites marketers and buyers today is something different! Enter, print! With so many different ways to use it, it’s a very exciting marketing tool to play around with. And what happens when consumers are excited? They buy,” Rogers notes.

As marketers look to cut through the digital noise and give their brand a distinct voice, they continue to trust the print effect to move the metrics that matter.

“So with more and more people falling in love with print again, it’s a great time to be using print marketing!” Rogers writes. “You can establish relationships with your audience by evoking emotion, and they are more likely to remember you, your brand and your message. Wouldn’t you rather make someone feel appreciated than throw information at them that they’ll forget?”

Roger, Roger. We hear you.