Print Advertising is NOT dead! Kind Of.
Prior to my enrolment on my marketing Masters, I was aware of print advertising, regularly inundated with various leaflets through my front door.
In one of my first classes during my masters, my tutor described print advertising as an archaic and ineffective mode of advertising. He used the example of Domino’s Pizza, suggesting they are wasting their time and money, as no matter how many leaflets he receives he will never buy from them.
I agreed, I too will never buy from Dominos no matter how many leaflets I receive (I actually received one whilst drafting this post). Environmental concerns added to my low opinion of print advertising. I thought, surely Domino’s benefits more from its extensive TV, Online and Billboard campaigns, which consumers cannot simply discard. Making them a more efficient method of securing precious space in a consumer’s subconscious.
I never really questioned opinion, until I was writing a literature review for my final assignment. I found research suggesting that in 2007, consumers were exposed to over 5000 ads of all kinds per day (Story, 2007). My educated assumption led me to the conclusion that with the increased use of social media, streaming services and general internet usage this number must’ve increased.
Emilia Kirk agreed, with an estimation of consumers being exposed to between 6000 and 10,000 ads per day, although she doesn’t state where she found this data. In 2023, The Drum’s Sam Anderson reckoned this number was a myth, attempting to debunk this theory, he found that he was exposed to just 93 adverts per day. I don’t believe this and I’m not the only one. Simms and Murray from The Ecologist estimated that we are exposed to 16,000 ads per day, which seems like an obscenely high number. Even when you include ads on websites, social media, TV and radio, billboards, buses etc., 16,000 seems impossible. They then questioned, what counts as an ad. Are brand logos ads? If so when logos are taken into account, such as a Nike swoosh, McDonalds’ golden arches or Audi’s 5 rings, 16,000 feels a bit more feasible. The exact number is impossible to estimate, as it depends heavily on individual consumers’ habits and their definition of an ad. My dad may consume most ads in newspapers and on TV with the opinion that a logo is not an ad. Whereas I consume the most ads through YouTube and I’m of the opinion that a logo is an ad.
‘Bombardment’ was noted as a major reason for favourability towards ads falling to 25% among consumers in 2019. This supports previous research by Lee, Ahn and Park (2015), who determined that due to an increased awareness of brands’ advertising activities, consumers may ignore adverts, particularly online. This means that if Domino’s advertise online, they may be ignored and therefore wasting their marketing resources. Whereas if they put a leaflet through our door, we as the receiver have no choice but to read the leaflet, acknowledging the ad before we can choose to act on it through a purchase or discard it. For my tutor and I, the logo alone would give us enough information to understand it is something we are not interested in. For others, the leaflet may tempt them into an impulsive purchase. This realisation changed my opinion that print advertisement is an ineffective marketing method.
Print advertising offers a directness that other methods of advertising cannot achieve.
Throughout the past couple of weeks, I have been collecting all print advertisements that have come through my door, to try and understand why brands are still using this method. One of the strangest ones was for Hillary’s Blinds. I thought to myself, surely if someone wants blinds, it’s a purchase decision that takes long-term consideration. A decision that can be influenced through TV, radio, newspaper and online advertising over an extended period. A simple leaflet is not going to make me impulsively replace all my curtains.
So, when are print ads useful?
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The example of Dominos is somewhat unique, as a pizza can be an impulsive purchase. Something as simple as a leaflet can persuade consumers to treat themselves.
While true, I found the most effective leaflets to be the ones promoting local companies. Most notably an A4, four page spread for a carpet cleaning service, whose leaflet I have posted below. I love this leaflet, it feels straight out of the early 2000s. While slightly overwhelming, it is certainly memorable. When my dad mentioned getting the carpets professionally cleaned, this lovely couple came straight into the forefront of my mind. A few days later a colourful and memorable leaflet from a furniture upholstery repairs company came through my door. Again, this is a service I do not currently require, but if/when I do, you best believe I will be digging this leaflet out and calling them. The final print advertisement I found myself regularly recalling is a big book of local services, called NG2 where I live. Similar to the Yellow Pages, this book includes a multitude of local services: dog walkers to yoga instructors, youth football teams to independent opticians, local vets to French tutors. All of which have gained my acknowledgement by being part of a ‘magazine’ I can’t just ignore.
My recent obsession with these print adverts has led me to think, print advertising is certainly not dead.
In the case of large, financially well off companies that can afford extravagant multimedia campaigns, print advertising could be ineffective. But, large companies that rely on impulsive purchases such as Domino’s can benefit from print ads.
As for local companies, it may be more alive than ever. It’s cheaper, more direct and attention-grabbing than online ads, which is key for small local businesses that cannot afford to risk their tiny marketing budgets on ads that will likely be ignored, competing against larger companies that can afford to buy all the online ad space. My ongoing issue is one of my first issues with print advertising, the amount of paper it requires, which I am not ignoring. But then again as long as this paper is properly recycled, the damage done is significantly less than that done by large, global companies who continue to pollute our planet in the name of profits.
So, if you are a small business, looking for local trade, ignore those telling you that online advertising is essential. Sometimes a simple eye-catching leaflet will do the trick.
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References.
Lee, J. et al. (2015) The effect of repetition in Internet banner ads and the moderating role of animation. Computers in human behavior. [Online] 46202–209.
Story, L. (2007) Anywhere the Eye Can See, It’s Now Likely to See an Ad. The New York times. A1-.
