Proof that print’s not dead!

We’ve all heard it a million times. ‘Print is dead!’ proclaim the digital soap-box shouters as they flood our inboxes with spam and our newsfeeds with super-targeted advertising.

Call them harbingers of doom, or merely pragmatists – the notion that printed media’s days are numbered stubbornly refuses to go away.

Here at Clyde, we beg to differ – and we’re not alone.

Surveys show that a growing number of millennials are shunning digital in favour of trusty paper and ink. Take e-reader sales, for example, which after a brief surge in fortunes are now in decline, as bookworms seek out the familiar and reassuringly weighty presence of the paperback in their lives.

We get much of our information related to news and current affairs from digital sources – their speed and responsiveness makes them ideal for such pursuits. But when it comes to pithy editorials or long form, investigative journalism, how many of us prefer scrolling endlessly on a phone or tablet over the ink-scented experience of reading a newspaper?

There’s a reason print has always, and will always, occupy a special place in our world – it’s because print has the power to forge an emotional connection. Print makes us feel things in a way that digital does not. It remains the most trusted medium for communication in the modern world – a fact that entrepreneurs and marketers can use to their advantage when they seek to strike a chord with consumers.

The print experience

The digital world focuses heavily on the ‘user experience’, but if it’s an experience we’re after, we shouldn’t underestimate the simple pleasures afforded by print - things like cracking the spine on a brand new book, or opening an envelope to read a hand-written note.

Most businesses still use paper stationery in their day-to-day operations and here at Clyde, we believe it’s a missed opportunity to choose soulless, mass produced options. If you’re using business cards, letter heads and envelopes every day, why not make them extraordinary? These products are ambassadors for your company and your reputation when they travel out into the world, so we think it’s worth taking the time to ensure they create a lasting impression.

Using personalized stationery can even help create cohesion and brand identity within a company, while the power of a bespoke gift like a printed notebook should never be undervalued when it comes to installing your brand firmly in the psyche of your customer.

Print for the senses

If you’re selling a product or a service, then the printed brochure is still one of the most trusted and effective ways to capture (and hold) your customer’s attention.

Regarded as a ‘traditional’ option, there’s really nothing traditional about today’s marketing brochures, which capitalize on the most up-to-date paper and print technology such as foil blocking, embossing and watermarking to create exciting and dynamic communications.

Digital advertising is simply no substitute for physical marketing collateral that connects with the recipient on a sensory level. The look, the feel – even the smell of a luxury printed brochure has the power to sell your product before your reader turns a single page.

Contact us today to find out how we can help with your printed marketing literature, direct mail or corporate stationery.