It's time advertisers and agencies took a more evidence-based approach to media planning and realised the power of print in the campaign mix.

In a media landscape muddied by unfounded biases, questionable metrics and marketing jargon, the challenge for advertisers and agencies is to cut through the BS and identify which channels legitimately boost marketing effectiveness. It's no easy task in an evolving, expanding and increasingly fragmented marketplace. And doing so asks that marketers leave their preconceptions at the door and consider all channels.

From print to social media, all have strengths and weaknesses. What's important now is that marketers in all their various guises take an evidence-based approach to the increasingly complex business of media planning in the digital age.

The perception/ reality chasm

This issue of media bias was highlighted most starkly in a report penned in 2018 by the Radiocentre and Ebiquity. Titled Re-evaluating Media, the findings, in the words of media commentator Mark Ritson, "laid bare marketers' perceptions about which channels perform best, and the extent to which they're divorced from reality".

Looking at the 10 channels that claw the majority of advertising spend (direct mail, magazines, newspapers, online display, online video, out-of-home, radio, social media and TV), the study first identified the four main drivers for media selection and compared marketing perceptions against actual performance.

The report sheds light on which factors marketers most value (targeting, ROI, emotional response and brand salience), but the results also illuminate whether this love-in with digital and the reticence towards traditional media is grounded in reality. Spoiler: It's not.

Ritson says the conclusions are twofold: "First, a significant number of marketers are not driven by data any more. They look at their own highly unrepresentative media consumption and use that as a proxy for their media planning."

Second, he says, "there is a significant bias within media agencies towards digital media and against so-called traditional alternatives. If you look at the amount of money that can be made in fees and rebates from digital media it is often a factor of three or four times more profitable to recommend digital video over TV or radio."

Clearly the likes of newspapers, magazines and direct mail are dismissed far too easily by marketers, many of whom are suffering from a touch of the shiny things syndrome. Clearly, there is a gulf between perception and reality.

On emotional response metrics, advertisers and agencies ranked magazines, newspaper and direct mail in fifth, eighth and ninth place out of ten respectively, when in reality they number second, fifth and seventh. The same applies to brand salience, where perceptions say fourth, eight and tenth, and the facts say joint second and fifth.

Most worrying of all was that the perception/reality gap was most pronounced when measured against 12 criteria (including the four mentioned above). This "overall weighted score" put magazines, newspapers and direct mail in tenth and joint seventh. While in reality the three channels placed in fourth, third and sixth respectively, beating social (7), online video (9) and online display (10).

This and yet the latter three receive a more generous slice of media spend, with much of it stripped from traditional media.

This article first appeared here. Stay tuned for the rest of this series.

That's what a growing number of people are becoming in response to the overwhelming onslaught of digital information.

Certainly, as consumers, you and I probably agree we're bombarded on all sides.

But there's something else going on, too: Direct Mail while laughed at by many is suddenly becoming cool again. Have you noticed? Here's why, with a little help from our friends at USPS.

Direct Mail's Resurgence

USPS has conducted research showing that marketing decision-makers in retail, digital commerce, financial services, and telecommunications are using direct mail in ways that differ from the past. Put another way, this ain't your daddy's direct mail.

Marketing decision-makers in retail, digital commerce, financial services, and telecommunications are using direct mail in ways that differ from the past.
In their survey of marketing executives in these companies, they learned how leading organizations are doing unusual things (like integrating direct mail with Facebook), to achieve results that exceed the use of a single channel on its own.

They Think They Know, But They Don't

While many marketers think they know all the facts about direct mail, one stat that will certainly get anyone's attention is the study's average response rate: 9% (OK, via a house list, but still do you get that kind of response rate with your house email list?  Didn't think so.) Further, when combined with digital as mentioned a moment ago, the study found these results (and this is just a snapshot of a few of the metrics shared):

There's a lot more data in the report. If you want to grab a copy, I've included a link at the bottom of this post where you can download it yourself and see the results in full.

This blog post first appeared here.

We have such an incredible team here at Digitalpress and each person plays a very important role in the production of each of our projects from our admin team to our sales team all the way to our finishing team. Whilst you may recognise some names, we're excited to put some faces to those names and introduce you to our team.

Name & How long you've been with DP:
Terry Magafas I have been with Digitalpress for just over two years.
 
At Digitalpress, I'm responsible for:
Looking after key clients and facilitating new inquiries
 
A typical working day at Digitalpress looks like:
My day usually starts 8:30 working through customer inquires, preparing quotes processing invoices, and visiting with our clients.
 
Something people don't know about my role is:
I come from a family who have been passionately involved in the print trade and am the 3 generation to continue in the printing industry.

One of my favourite Beautiful Print moments is:
Working on invitation for Deloitte invitations for their shareholders to attend the 2019 Australian Open. This invitation later went on to win silver at our prestigious print awards this year.
 

The thing I like most about working at Digitalpress is:
The availability of service we can offer our clients and the personality and team spirit of my colleague's coupled with the experience we collectively share.
 
I'm passionate about print because:
The way that print on paper makes people feel.
 
On the weekend, you'll find me:
Working in my garden.
 
If I wasn't doing this as a career, I'd be...
A tradesman working with wood.

We have such an incredible team here at Digitalpress and each person plays a very important role in the production of each of our projects from our admin team to our sales team all the way to our finishing team. Whilst you may recognise some names, we're excited to put some faces to those names and introduce you to our team. 

Name & How long you've been with DP: 
Hi, I'm Robbie Granland and I have been with Digitalpress about a year now.

At Digitalpress, I'm responsible for:
Keeping Theo under control we work side by side and I am his back up.  I'd like to think that I offer support to the whole team here as well as our customers.

A typical working day at Digitalpress looks like:
Usually it is a few meetings start the day off; this ensures we are all up to speed on jobs, quotes and delivery expectations. I spend a lot of my day making sure all of our customers are experiencing the best possible level of customer care.

Something people don't know about my role is:
I always seem to buy the coffee!

One of my favourite Beautiful Print moments is:
Anything that includes flowers or beautiful art. I'm also partial to a bit of subtle embellishment & love a triplex mount!

The thing I like most about working at Digitalpress is:
Our customers and the team. I also love the fact that we produce beautiful pieces that evoke emotions. Today we are doing a funeral card which will be treasured by the family, last week we did a beautiful wedding invitation which is another celebration of life.

On the weekend, you'll find me:
Planning my next travel adventure or hitching up the camper trailer to the Subaru and escaping the city.