Print Marketing Needed a Makeover, But It Got a Revolution

Print advertising was one of the first marketing channels around to promote businesses or products. And over 100 years later, it’s impact still holds tremendous weight with customers. In fact, according to Marketing Profs, 77% of consumers believe print drives higher levels of recall than any other channel. But with the proliferation of newer, more innovative platforms, like digital and connected TV, allocating budgets to a medium that has no insight into campaign performance has become far less appealing to marketers. The ability to measure impact and prove ROI has become integral to the marketing cycle, which means that any channel that lacks intelligence, like print, is operating at a serious disadvantage.

So what does that mean for print? Is it dead…or is it just ripe for a revolution?

What really happened to print?

Print wasn’t lagging behind because customers lost interest, it was lagging behind because It hasn’t innovated in over a century. With video marketing leading the way in engagement, and digital leading the way in measurement, it’s hard to compete.

According to a Wyzowl study, 66% of consumers prefer watching a video than reading about a product. And 84% say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching the brand’s video. Thats why more than 2/3 of marketers are using video in their strategies.

More video means less print!

When it comes to data, measurement and attribution, print is the weakest channel in the market today. It has no data, no interactions, and no feedback. And since insights are critical to any marketing or sales strategy, brands are leaning to digital platforms to fulfill their campaign needs, from YouTube to Google to good old TV, which even offers viewership data that’s become instrumental in media strategies.

So, between the popularity of video and the need for data, print was hung out to dry.

The future of print marketing is here

Despite its shortcomings, print marketing has high open rates, particularly with direct mail. In fact, according to Epsilon, 73% of American consumers say they prefer being contacted by brands via direct mail because they can read it whenever they want.

And research shows that the only “tangible” marketing channel available builds trust between the customer and the brand. According to Burstein, 82% of consumers trust print ads more than any other format when making a purchasing decision.

What if we took the trust of print marketing, the engagement of video marketing and the measurement of digital marketing, to create a brand new marketing channel? Welcome to Marc! It’s an innovative, intelligent and unique experience for audiences.

With the help of IoT technology, first person data can now be tracked for print campaigns! Analytics like opens, location, time, and re-engagement are all available through Marc.

When customers receive the video brochure, they’ll open it to discover video campaign(s) of your products or brand. Think of it like opening a beautiful print brochure, only to be greeted by a compelling video embedded in an innovative LCD screen. Similar to most video players, you’re able to easily switch between videos, forward/rewind, and replay creative. Every action taken is recorded, so you know exactly how your customers are interacting with the brochure.

How many times have they opened it? Did they take it to another location? Did they request more information? All these questions are provided through user friendly dashboards, in real time.

Every Marc campaign allows you to track the following:

• Open rates
• Impressions
• Feedback
• Interactions
• Watch duration
• Location and location changes

What’s the importance of analytics in digital print marketing?

First person data for print marketing can tell you even more about your prospects than most digital ad platforms. It gives you a brand new set of questions to ask yourself as a marketer:

• What time of day is best for reaching prospects (or a specific prospect)?
• How many times was the Marc reopened or rewatched?
• What do they like or dislike about your product?
• Did they travel with the Marc?
• Did they watch half of the video? Did they watch all the videos?

Make your Marc on the world

Marc brochures are the first print or direct mail pieces designed with IoT technology. They were built to help grow your brand, interact with customers and inform audiences.

Are you ready to make your Marc? Consult with us and we’ll launch your first Marc campaign together.

Print marketing is not dead, it’s revolutionized!