In the red corner, print advertising: reliable, authentic and trusted. But it’s also expensive, and perhaps a little out of touch. In the blue corner, digital advertising: far-reaching, highly targeted and cost-effective. But its intangible nature has a credibility issue and can feel somewhat impersonal, even forgettable. Print is durable and tactile, the absolute nature of which helps to engage captive audiences. Digital is highly diversified and claims to solve the age-old problem of ROI accountability. On the face of it, an even fight.
Let’s briefly tackle this issue of ROI, or ROMI (Return on Marketing Investment). Marketing is—and always will be—an investment, and a frustrating one to measure. However, digital advertising, thanks to Google analytics et al., now enables us to define SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) KPIs against which to measure our coveted market budget. Today, success can be defined by clicks and open rates (awareness), website traffic and bounces (engagement), and conversion (buyer behavior). And with that, digital lands the sucker punch.
Well, that’s the theory; the practice is somewhat different. The distinction between direct response marketing (investments designed to generate a short-term conversion) and brand marketing (investments devised to shape long-term perception) is undeniable, and tantamount to the difference between being efficient (optimizing immediate ROMI) and being effective (maximizing profit and shareholder value).
This is where print and digital come to blows: the art of advertising in a digital age. Our 21st-century infatuation with data and devices has had a profound impact on the way we consume advertising. Digital real estate calls for disruptive CTAs that kick start a customer journey, rather than carefully worded full-page glossy creatives. However, as persuasive as the potential for digital dissemination may seem, there is little evidence to suggest that this translates into a transaction or loyalty. This varies by sector, naturally, but in the ocean industry, the sales cycles tend to be longer than most—impulse purchasing is anything but normative buyer behavior. And that, more than anything, is the essence of advertising—to create perception and influence action. To this end, we are beginning to see a telling resurgence in brand-led print advertising.
Why? Somewhat ironically, print—often touted as a dying medium—offers fresh currency in a digital world saturated by disposable, “not now” content. Consequently, marketers are reevaluating the strategic role of print media. Gone are the cluttered full-page creatives, overburdened by detail. Today, print marketing has a much more single-minded purpose—to work symbiotically with digital assets. Bold images and snappy copy are the new triggers, while CTA’s and QR codes point readers to trackable URLs. In short, print has found its clout in a digital realm.
That’s certainly our belief here at TSC Strategic, where we take a multichannel approach to marketing and media. We believe organizations should approach their media mix like a long-term, diversified investment portfolio—horizons for return may vary, but the overall goal is to achieve a positive balance.
Advertising is unquestionably a battle for our attention, but there is no conflict here between print and digital. Quite the opposite, just a pair of sparring partners.