Category Print media

In mass communication, media refers to the means of mass communication that help spread information or news related to different sectors like sports, education, entertainment, politics, etc., to a large population in a short period of time. Print media and electronic media are two of the major forms of mass media. Let us see they differ from each other!

Print Media:

Print media is one of the oldest means of disseminating information. It is a popular form of advertising that uses physically printed media like newspapers, magazines, books, leaflets, brochures etc. Print media has the ability to reach a wider section of people. It is produced by printing, a process which reproduces text and images on paper using ink in a printing press. In other words, it uses printing technology and methods to spread news, messages, information among the people. The three main types of print media include:

I) Newspapers: It provides correct and authentic information in the form of news, articles and advertisement in a regular manner and presents them in an attractive way to grab readers? attention.

II) Magazines: A magazine generally contains feature stories, interviews, interpretation, research and analysis related content and generally gives emphasis on a particular topic such as fashion, automobiles, health, etc.

III) Books: It comes in different forms such as textbooks, storybooks, literature, etc.

Electronic Media:

Electronic media refers to all means of sharing information, except the print media, such as radio, television, internet etc. It is a media that can be shared on electronic devices for the audience viewing and can be broadcasted to the wider population. It is a powerful version of media that has visual appeal and is more convincing as people can listen to the radio, see live pictures of events on television, can view or read text or images on smart phones etc. Electronic media remains active 24X7. You can watch news channels any time of the day to get news updates or can watch live programs or events on televisions, smart phones etc.

Based on the above information, some of the key differences between print media and electronic media are as follows:

Print Media	Electronic Media
It is one of the earliest forms of media.	It is a more advanced form of media.
Print media tends to retain its form, e.g. a book contains the same information throughout its life.	Electronic media can be edited, e.g. people can edit information, videos, songs, texts and then send to other viewers.
It is slower than electronic media as printing newspaper, books, magazines, etc., takes a lot of time.	It is much faster than print media as writing and uploading a story that has happened just a few moments ago may take only a few minutes.
It is not available 24X7, rather at regular intervals, e.g. daily newspaper, weekly or monthly editions of magazines, booklets etc.	It is available 24X7, e.g. news channels broadcasting news 24X7.
Its main types include newspaper, magazines and books.	Its main types include radio, television, internet etc.
The reach of print media is limited, e.g. it covers a particular region, city or state etc.	The reach of electronic media is worldwide; it can send information across the world.

Here, we reflect on the evolution of the media landscape – and seven reasons why print media should form part of the marketing mix.

In a world of unfounded biases, questionable metrics and marketing jargon, we’re all searching for media that makes a measurable impact. But an evolving, expanding and increasingly fragmented landscape is making it difficult for agencies and brands to decipher how print media figures into the mix.

Amid all the digital furore, you can understand why print might appear to have taken a backseat, what with legacy publishers laying off staff, newsbrands losing ad revenue and social becoming de rigueur for marketers.

But the point is, print continues to be an effective, trusted, cutting-edge complement to your campaign –one that delivers actual results.

We explore why print media deserves a place in the marketing mix – from advertising in newspapers and magazines, to direct mail (DM), customer magazines, door drops and catalogues.

1. ROI

Unfortunately, marketers’ perceptions about which channels are most effective rarely align with reality. The truth, rather, is that print – notably magazines, newspapers and DM – is consistently underestimated by marketers, who prefer, it seems, less effective alternatives.

But for those who are willing to cut through the “bullshit of the death of print media”, as Mark Ritson memorably put it, there’s no question that traditional media such as print boost ROI and command attention.     

‘Planning for Profit’, a study by Benchmarketing in 2018, proves there is opportunity for advertisers to optimise their spend on newsbrands. And in fact, increasing newspapers’ share of spend could more than double current campaign profit ROI. By ignoring this fact, brands stand to miss out on £3bn in profits.

Newspaper ads, we’re told, also increase campaign ROI by as much as 570%, while more than one in five direct mail items prompt a commercial action, and magazine ads generate £2.43 for every £1 invested. The statistics making the case for print media effectiveness are legion.

2. Creativity

Smart marketers are tapping into technologies such as photochromic inks, printed circuits and specially engineered stocks to unlock new creative opportunities in print – and deliver a more engaging experience.

Increasingly, we’re seeing brands harness the power of the tangible to create an impact, make an emotional connection and improve recall. Some are toying with print conventions and challenging our associations with traditional media – creating interactions that feel fresh and authentic.

Marketing and advertising, after all, is about big ideas. And there’s no shortage of those in the print media space. Look no further than the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which saw some truly innovative print campaigns awarded top honours.

3. Integration

In the words of effectiveness guru Peter Field, “we are being over-hyped and over-sold on a uniquely digital future. We need to get real and take a more evidence-based view of what really drives effectiveness.”

On the whole, marketing campaigns are most effective when print is used as one element of an integrated approach. Research shows that adding print to the media mix increases campaign ROI and engenders greater trust than would otherwise be the case.

Just look at the results from the IPA’s ‘Marketing Effectiveness in the Digital Era’ report, which concludes that adding press or DM to the marketing mix boosts effectiveness by 15% and 10% respectively.

4. Trust

“Trust is an ambiguous concept, not easily defined by a single metric and rich in meaning and interpretation,” according to Magnetic’s A Matter of Trust report.

Edelman’s 2018 Trust Barometer clearly states that consumer trust in advertising has reached an all-time low. And as consumers grow increasingly mistrustful of marketing messages, not least those on social media, exponents would do well to explore alternative, more trustworthy channels – traditional or otherwise.

Despite the ubiquity of online platforms, print media is the most trusted environment for advertisers. One that’s relevant, reliable and authoritative. Meanwhile, digital’s copybook has been blotted by fake news scandals and created a contextual headache for brands. 

Let’s consider, for a moment, the levels of trust accorded to print newsbrands versus online. Where three-quarters of people trust news obtained from local newspapers, barely one in five trust social media. Even the print versions of national newspapers are more highly trusted than the equivalent websites, according to Kantar.   

Levels of trust in traditional news overall remain strong at 58%, while printed magazines top the pile at 72%. And for as long as publishers produce high-quality journalism under a strict code of ethics, print is unlikely to be tarnished by the fake news stamp we’ve seen applied to social media.  

The fact Facebook was forced to apologise for a “breach of trust” in 2018’s Cambridge Analytica scandal is telling. But more telling still is the fact that the apology was delivered in – you guessed it – a print format.  

5. Targeting

The media landscape can be a noisy, crowded place, particularly online, where we’re bombarded with ads from every direction. Print media, on the other hand, represents a relative calm amid the maelstrom, and catches consumers at their most attentive.  

Unlike banner ads, newspaper and magazine advertising reaches consumers in a moment they have set aside for reading. Studies show newspaper ads are viewed for 2.5 times longer than the average digital ad, suggesting readers are more receptive when engaging with print.

Direct mail, meanwhile, accesses people’s homes and lives to deliver a targeted sales message, while door drop has enviable reach and ROI.

Modern digital presses also offer advertising professionals the ability to print entire publications based on the profile and requirements of their consumers. Or even to integrate digital content in a mass-produced publication.

6. Measurement

Shallow, often deceptive metrics are the bane of the digital marketing industry. Likes, clicks and impressions are fine for racking up the zeros, but say little about marketing effectiveness. 

That said, Peter Field concedes online has an edge when it comes to short-term effects. But over the longer term, things like fame, power and the authority of a brand are greatly enhanced by print, he says.

Some experts believe the focus on quick returns is hurting marketing effectiveness, particularly when measuring long-term return on investment, brand equity and readership satisfaction. Enders asserts that, “in effect we believe that a nuanced, analogue tool has been replaced by a too-simplistic digital tool with unverified consequences for many brands”.

The likes of PAMCo, however, mean planners now have access to de-deduplicated reach and frequency across publishing platforms. And in 2018, JICMAIL became the first standardised currency for advertising mail, making a convincing case for the power of mail in the marketing mix.

7. Engagement

In a media landscape saturated with content, we’re beginning to see the pendulum swing back towards those channels that command the most attention.

Take, for example, the resurgence of customer magazines: digital giants Airbnb, Facebook, Kodak and Net-a-Porter have all released their own printed offerings to complement their online products and services.

And then there’s the new breed of niche, independent magazine publishers, which have plugged into their audience’s passion points in a way brands rarely succeed in doing.

Print readerships are declining – that’s obviously true. But research proves print media – and magazine and newspaper brands in particular – nevertheless have a knack for cutting through the noise, creating deeper engagements and speaking to a more discerning mind.

Studies also show that people are more likely to talk about, share and comment on print newspapers (46%) than they are social media messages (44%).

If marketers are to truly understand the effectiveness of advertising mediums – and see the bigger picture – they would do well to consider what the evidence unerringly points to: that print media has a unique ability to create awareness, hold attention, drive commercial actions, engender trust and build long-term brand loyalty.

Print media are traditional mass media published on paper. The concept not only includes the published products but also regards the organizational context shaping the journalistic routines and norms behind the printed products. Print media represents the oldest and the most widespread type of mass media because as opposed to electronic media it does not require an elaborate technical infrastructure on the part of the user. It mainly comprises of newspapers and magazines. Newspapers are clearly associated with information and show an emphasis on political issues and current events. They are valued as a backbone of the democratic public sphere because they enable comprehensive public discourse. News magazines also serve an information function, whereas most other magazines are more committed to entertainment and leisure. These magazines show a diverse spectrum ranging from lifestyle to special interest magazines. With the rise of online communication print newspapers and magazines have come under considerable economic pressure.

• Print media is one of the oldest and basic forms of communication. It includes newspapers, weeklies, magazines, monthlies, banners & graphics, posters and other forms of printed material
• The contribution of print media in providing information and transfer of knowledge is remarkable. Even after the advent of electronic media, the print media has not lost its charm or relevance.
• Print media has the advantage of making a longer impact on the minds of the reader, with more in-depth reporting and analysis.
• Magazines and newspapers are the dominant traditional print media used in advertising. Brochures, flyers and other collateral pieces also are sometimes referred to as print collateral. While digital media expansion has affected use of print, it remains a viable way to advertise.
• Primary strengths of print relative to digital include tangibility, an enduring message and high credibility. Some people prefer to read media in print as opposed to digital formats.

Now that so much media is electronic or digital, it’s hard to imagine there was ever a time before print media was invented. The earliest civilizations only had oral communication. If they had news to tell, they ran to the nearest person to spread the word to others, who each did the same until everyone had heard the news. Then people began to write down their news in picture form and then in crude languages where symbols stood for words and letters. It took the inventions of paper and the printing press for print media to come into regular use. Once it did, there was no turning back.Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!

What Is Print Media?

Simply stated, print media is the printed version of telling the news, primarily through newspapers and magazines. Before the invention and widespread use of printing presses, printed materials had to be written by hand. It was a painstaking process that made mass distribution impossible.

At first, news was chiseled in stone. Later, it was handwritten and posted in a public area much like today’s posters or read from a scroll by a town crier. As early as 131 B.C., the ancient Roman government produced daily news sheets and informed the public in this way. Through the years, print media evolved to include entertainment, educational topics and more, instead of only conveying news.

A Brief History of Printing

Around the year 932, Chinese printers adapted wood blocks, which had been used to print illustrations and small amounts of text, and started producing popular books more easily. Each page of text was one block that could be used repeatedly to make the books.

About 100 years later, China’s Bi Sheng invented movable type by carving individual characters onto small blocks of clay. Each small block was hardened by fire to become a porcelain piece that could be used again and again. The pieces were glued to iron plates to make a page. Using each page hundreds or thousands of times, he could mass produce news quickly. When the printing was done, the pieces were removed from the plates to be used again to make other pages.

Bi Sheng’s invention had limited success in China because the Chinese alphabet’s characters are so large that they were difficult to put on movable type. His idea spread all over the world, however, and others adapted it using other materials such as wood, tin and copper. Still, the process was too cumbersome to mass produce a newspaper for the public.

Printing Press Mass Produces Newspapers

In 1440, Johannes Gutenberg introduced his invention of a movable type printing press with type that was much easier to change, making the mass production of news pages possible. The invention spread throughout Europe, and printing and distributing sheets of news became popular.

The World Association of Newspapers considers the first newspaper to be The Relation, which was published in Germany in 1604. It was published regularly (weekly), disseminated to the public and covered a range of news, from politics to entertainment.

The Oxford Gazette was the first English paper to be published, starting in 1665. It moved to London the next year and was renamed the London Gazette. It is still published today as the official publication of government news.

Although the early American colonies published news sheets, the first true newspaper was published in Boston in 1690. Called Publick Occurrences Both Foreign and Domestick, it ran into trouble for publishing political criticism. Its publisher, Benjamin Harris, was arrested and all copies were destroyed. While the American colonies were adamant about freedom of religion, freedom of the press was another matter.

The first successful newspaper in America was the Boston News-Letter in 1702. Its publisher, John Campbell, was careful not to publish any criticisms of the government. When Ben Franklin’s brother was arrested in 1722 for publishing news critical of the government, he turned over his paper, The New England Courant, to Ben.

Too Pricey for the Public

Ironically, the early mass-produced newspapers cost close to what most workers earned in a week, so only the wealthy could afford to buy them. Wealthy people were more likely to be literate at that time too. By the 1830s, though, publishers were able to print newspapers for about one cent per copy, making them truly available to the masses.

By 1900, newspapers were very popular because more people were literate and papers were affordable. They included the features we recognize today, including attention-grabbing headlines, news, society pages, sports, comics and the occasional use of spot color in special instances.

Four Main Types of Printmaking

It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Writers may beg to differ, but it can’t be denied that pictures grab attention and enhance the written word, whether in a book, in a newspaper or on a billboard.

Images have been used along with words since the early days of printmaking. There are four ways to make prints from an original piece of art: relief, intaglio, lithography and screen printing. Choosing which type to use depends on the effect the artist and printer want to achieve.

Relief printmaking uses wood, plastic or metal that the artist cuts into, cutting away the portions that won’t be printed. When ink is applied to the surface, it highlights the raised areas, much like a rubber stamp does when pressed into a stamp pad. Woodcut has been used for centuries due to the availability of smooth hardwoods. Linocut is a more recent 20th century version of woodcut that uses linoleum. Wood engraving uses wood with no grain showing to achieve fine detail, and plastic is often used instead of the wood.

Intaglio works in a nearly opposite way. Instead of creating raised areas, the artist etches grooves with an instrument or with acid. When ink is applied, it seeps into the grooves. The printing press pushes paper against the surface and ink in the grooved areas is printed. Different techniques can be used in intaglio to create soft lines, shading and detail.

Lithography uses a flat piece of material, such as limestone or aluminum. The artist applies a greasy medium, like grease crayons, or a more liquid grease solution to the areas to be printed. After treating the surface with a chemical solution, the ink adheres to the greased areas.

Screen printing, also called serigraphy, uses silk or another fine mesh material which is stretched tightly on a frame. Areas that aren’t to be printed are blocked off with paper, glue or specially made stencils. Ink is applied and pressed through the fabric with wood to which a rubber blade has been attached. (Think of a squeegee pressed against a surface to push water away.) The screen process is repeated for each color used, blocking out areas that aren’t to be printed in that color.

Types of Printing

Offset printing uses lithography to print on flat surfaces, like paper and plastic. When color is used, printing presses have a separate unit for each color and typically apply black ink first, followed by the colors one at a time. When mass quantities are needed, such as when printing newspapers, a large roll of paper may be used instead of individual sheets.

Flexology can be used to print on other materials, like cellophane and plastic labels, but is also sometimes used for newspapers. This process has a rubber plate that is inked and applied to the printing surface.

Rotogravure is a longstanding process that uses a cylinder instead of a flat plate. The image is engraved onto this cylinder and ink is applied. It’s been used for both newspaper and magazine printing but is often substituted today by offset printing and flexology, depending on the purpose.

Digital printing using inkjet or laser printers has replaced many other printing processes because of the availability of accurate and affordable printers that can print on many different materials.

Competition from Electronic Media

Newspapers faced competition with the introduction of electronic media, which includes radio, television, CDs, DVDs and the internet.

Radio and television are often called broadcast media because they are broadcast for all to hear, rather than reading print media. Radio transmissions began in the early 1900s but didn’t take off until NBC began in 1926 and CBS began in 1927. People were fascinated by the ability to hear the news instead of just reading it. Families gathered around their radio sets listening to the news of the day, particularly during events such as elections, presidential speeches and news during World War II.

Television was introduced at the 1939 World’s Fair. It was merely a curiosity at this point, though, since its cost was roughly one-third of the average U.S. household’s annual income. Technological advances resulting from World War II made television affordable for the masses in the 1950s. Advertisers jumped at the chance to reach housewives through soap operas, aptly named because the dramas were sponsored by soap manufacturers.

By the 1960s, families gathered around their television sets as they had for radio decades earlier. Watching shows together became a nightly ritual. Television programming wasn’t round-the-clock as it is today, but it started with a few programs at specific days and times. Cable channels expanded programming to all hours of the day.

Computers Lead to the Internet

By the 1980s, businesses sported desktop computers in their offices, and soon it became common to have one at home too.

The World Wide Web was introduced to the public in 1991. When Google introduced its search engine in 1998, people suddenly had a way to get vast amounts of information easily. Generations of people who grew up with internet availability at their fingertips began to get their news and conduct their research online instead of in print, and the internet became a clear competitor to print media as a way to spread news and information.

Print media, such as newspapers and magazines, responded by hosting online websites in addition to their print version, and some even closed their print medium to become a wholly online medium. Others ceased production and closed their doors completely.

The predicted demise of print media, however, hasn’t happened. Many people use the internet but still like to hold a physical newspaper or magazine in their hands. It’s familiar and reliable and not prone to glitches or outages. Physically turning the pages gives a feeling of satisfaction and control unmatched by any electronic medium.

New print vehicles that cater to today’s audiences continue to open. Many successful magazines have popped up as a result of popular TV programs, particularly food, home improvement and health shows. Instead of trying to compete with electronic media, successful print publishers look at what’s popular in digital media and enhance it with print versions like HGTV Magazine, Rachel Ray Every Day and Martha Stewart Living. Health publications like Prevention are still flourishing, as well as health niche publications like Shape and Runner’s World.