For Jenna Bruce, singing the praises of print comes naturally. She makes her living through print advertising, so of course, she’s a big fan.
But as Bruce points out in Media Space Solutions, “sometimes, in order to convince people of something, you need more than sung praises – you need science.”
And science has obliged.
Bruce notes plenty of research that proves print ads make better impressions than digital ones, and that people process print with more focus and engagement. Beyond the neuroscience, however, lie a few more reasons why print, according to Bruce, will always remain relevant.
She talks about respectability (“Perhaps the fact that print has been around so long gives it prestige. Thanks to its rich history, ads that appear in print tend to be taken much more seriously.”), as well as trust (“Studies suggest that readers trust print more than any other medium. In fact, according to an October 2016 survey by MarketingSherpa, 82% of U.S. internet users trust print ads when making a purchase decision, more than any other medium.”)
Bruce also talks about print’s ability to raise ROI, higher engagement rates compared to digital, and the vital role it plays in launching online brand engagement that leads to sales.
Like us, Bruce is not necessarily anti-digital.
“It’s not that digital ads should have no place in your marketing arsenal. It’s just if you want your audience to really connect with your ads, science says your best chances are through print publications.”
So what about the bottom line question: Will print advertising work in 2018?
Science proves its effectiveness. If something really works, it will last.