Print vs Digital

In today’s tech savvy world, it’s the pesky debate that’s buzzing throughout businesses. Which is more effective, print or digital? And where should we invest our monies?

Sure we love flicking through glossy magazines and getting the paper delivered to our door step, but is this the way of the future? With digital magazines available on tablets, daily headlines available at the click of a button and book stores in full swing on e-readers, is the age of print dead?

To see what lies ahead, I posed the question to our resident fortunetellers Gary, the production manager at GPS Group and the digital team at True Alliance. We got into their brain, searched around and came out with some great insights to help you realise the potential behind both print and digital platforms.

So what are some key pros for both sides?

In the right corner we have the digital team with all their new age gadgetry, their smart phones, their tablets, social media and more generally that very large entity called “The Internet”.

Here are some points both Gary and the True Alliance’s digital team have divulged to us on the digital side:

• Content is easy and quick to update with a click of a button.

• You have the ability for tracking and analytics. Brands can know who their customers are, where they are, when they are engaging and for how long in hard, fast numbers (a little scary I know)!

• Digital has the ability to reach large audiences. Lets face it – according to recent research we Aussies are staring at our screens for an average 6.5 hours a day – That’s a whole lot of time for some digital advertising to creep in and hit us right where we are!

• Interactivity! Customers can and do start conversations. They are quick to give their five cents and make comments wherever they see fit. They have the ability to share content with their family and friends and most importantly have and want their opinion to be heard.

• A diverse channel mix to facilitate all preferences from eDM’s and blog posts to social posts and video.

But don’t be throwing out your printers just yet.

Although traditional print marketing is on the decline (newspapers, magazines, etc), fortuneteller Gary believes packaging and point of sale are continually growing. So why do we love print?

• You can touch and feel printed items giving us that sensory experience.

• It is multi-dimensional - not just information on a screen that will leave you once you hit that shut down button.

• With all that digital noise, print is something you will most likely take in and remember.

• Brand exposure continues after the purchase has been made.

We’ve heard from both sides, we’ve applauded, they’ve curtsied but we want an encore! So let’s be real – the future will see the growth of digital where we won’t be able to escape it.

Mobile technology will continue to grow, allowing more personalised digital interactions whether you’re in store, out and about or at home. However as more products reach the consumer, this allows print to grow. All products are packaged in some way and gives you guys the opportunity to maximize brand exposure after the sale.

So who has won this battle? In our opinion there really is no clear winner - “boringggg” we hear you shout. We know, we know, but the reality is this isn’t a fight to the death - both digital and print need to work together in harmony, side by side to give the customer a complete experience and gain maximum exposure.

TELL US WHAT’S NEXT WEEK’S TOPIC? Wohhh ok stop shouting, geez! We will be covering ‘Graphic Design’ - Steps to take to minimize your costs. Stay tuned, that should be a helpful one!

Special mention to Gary from gpsgroup for his insider knowledge on this topic – How did he get so amazing? Thank you for your support to the TA creative team, it is much appreciated!

Another special mention to the digital girls from the True Alliance Digital Team for their comments and feedback – you guys are awesome!