Smart printing,
that fulfils a particular need or niche, will survive the digital shift
into 2012 and beyond. I like to think that print will never disappear.
With many people spending their entire working day in front of a screen
or glued to their smartphone, easing the commute with a newspaper on the
Gautrain or relaxing in the bath with a book after a long day are some
of life's great luxuries.
Everyone's still talking about it...Two Sides Autumn Seminar,
held in London towards the end of 2011, reaffirmed the popularity of
print as an essential medium, citing print as 'the new cool' and having a
unique appeal.
Speakers talked about how important print is
and results from their surveys suggested the younger generation actually
preferred reading on paper than reading on screens!
Comfort factor
According to the November 2011 issue of
Loyalty Magazine,
editors found that when they transferred their offering from print to
online, they received many concerned messages from readers who 'want to
be able to flick through and browse' the articles. Many readers
suggested that the online news service lacked the comfort factor of a
'real' magazine, so
Loyalty decided to go retro and now publish a printed version three times a year.
We
here at PocketMedia Solutions are strong believers that print will
always be a reliable and innovative way to market your brand. As former
BBC online editor Ashley Highfield suggests, "The trick is to help move
those brands into the digital age and get the right balance between
print and digital." Print is a crucial component to any successful
marketing or advertising process.
Trends that We foresee in 2012
-
Chunky catalogues continuing to be replaced with small hand-held forms
of print communication in 2012, directing consumers to websites or being
used as quick reference guides.
- Manufacturers finding
more ways to become efficient at a lower cost through workflow changes,
new equipment purchases and diversification.
- More use of QR codes providing marketers with integrated marketing campaigns
- More dynamic use of augmented reality, with print communication as the driver.
- The continued growth of ambient media; we are always looking out for something new.
- Smaller print runs becoming more cost effective with digital print
- Going Green - companies are turning more frequently to environmentally friendly solutions to lower their carbon footprints.
- Shorter turn-around times - in print everyone wants everything yesterday; gone are the days of two week turn-around times.
- All-in-one print mailing solutions became popular towards the latter half of 2011. I expect this trend to boom in 2012.
- Return on investment - finding a marketing solution that consumers can keep offers a greater ROI for brands
- For
the FMCG market, interactive bottle hangs are becoming popular and I
expect to see greater growth with this application in 2012 - especially
those that include a QR code or UFO, which opens to reveal a prize.
