Depending on who you listen to the industry is sliding down by more than 10% each year – or even more. The malaise in the trade is not in isolation. Printing is complimentary to other industries also going through tremendous turmoil. Print is a delivery process for advertising material, news and information. As these areas experience change, there will be an unavoidable impact on print.
Traditional vehicles for advertising are feeling the pinch. Television is going through a particularly difficult time due to a very soft advertising sector. The total volume of TV advertising has increased as a result of the rise in the number of free-to-air and pay TV stations. The cost of TV advertising is cheap compared with a decade ago. Twenty years ago, there were four TV stations and only three fighting for advertising; today there are more than 100 in each major city.
Meanwhile, the internet is adding the option for cheap, quick and, importantly, “measurable” exposure for companies that in the past would have produced printed material.
The best way for the printing industry to mount a successful fight back to regain lost business would be to develop a method of measuring the success of printed advertising.
Metrics do exist for advertising. You might be asked to fill out a one-question survey: “How did you hear about our product?” The Australian Catalogue Association has been developing some excellent data on the success of catalogues as a selling media, but there is a big shortage of data about how the printing industry in general is performing compared with other media.
At the moment individual companies in the printing trade rely on vague feelings that ink on paper is a very good way to advertise products. A number of printing industry promotion groups around the world are pushing this message, but none appear to have hard data on why print is a cost-effective and successful advertising media.
Many very good print salespeople rely on worn-out motherhood statements, such as saying there is nothing like the feeling of holding a good piece of paper. Some absolute proof would allow smart printing firms to argue the true value of printing to advertisers.
The use of value metrics to locate printing in the advertising world would be a tremendous asset to the entire industry.
Phillip Lawrence is a PhD scholar, consultant and speaker who specialises in print and the environment
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