Despite rumours of it’s impending doom, print advertising and marketing materials are becoming increasingly popular as businesses and brands seek to cut through the noise and somewhat disposable nature of digital mediums.
Full colour, high quality, (and most importantly) tangible materials are harder to ignore than just another email in your inbox – which we often watch disappear into the blob of a thousand already unopened emails. A physical copy of something has a value that a digital copy struggles to match, it demands to be opened and read.
Alongside some proven methods, a number of new or underutilised techniques and ideas are finding their popularity increasing as physical marketing materials play to their strengths of touch, colour, and a more premium feel.
Something to Remember Us By
Providing existing and prospective clients something to keep hold of after any meeting or contact is a tried and tested technique that’s been around for a long time- and is not going to stop anytime soon. The practice is also increasing in popularity among other types of business too as they seek to be remembered after they’ve left the building.
The type of material left behind may have changed somewhat in recent years, with many firms tightening their belts and not being quite so free and easy with the expensive glossy handouts. Sometimes it’s just a business card or the equivalent of a single page flyer left instead, but the imperative is still there to leave something, anything.
The realisation is, despite the extra cost, if it is so important to leave something behind make it something worthwhile. A prospective client may want to confirm their opinions with someone else and having your offering in hand increases the likelihood of this happening – which, in a fast-moving industry could be the difference between getting a look in and getting forgotten.
You Got Mail
For the reasons mentioned above, traditional direct mail is increasing in popularity as a means to delivering these tangible materials to their desired recipients. That feeling when you receive something in the post still exists and is again, something a digital offering cannot match.
Direct mail is also very helpful for GDPR considerations, as it is not subject to the same level of restriction email marketing is. If you want to reach new customers, or reengage with old ones, this could well be the way to do it.
Texture Talks
In getting your print efforts noticed, and remembered, one of the key factors that is often overlooked is how it feels to the touch. The haptic memory is one of, if not the, strongest sensory information sources for recognition, and in such visually dominant work it is often overlooked. By leaving a positive haptic impression on the recipient it will form a strong connection between them and your message.
Experimenting with different textures of paper stock, utilising unexpected materials, or employing different finishes; they can all help to elevate your work and create a lasting impression on who you give it to.
Another element in the area of texture that’s seeing a lot of progress takes the importance of touch and feel to another level – the use of haptic printing. Previously an expensive process that put it out of reach of many applications, it has now been made more accessible by new lower cost methods of production.
This 3D, or ‘2.5D’ effect of printing an elevated surface to create textures has always been popular with those who’ve experienced it - and now that a significant barrier to utilising it fully is coming down you should expect to haptic printing becoming a lot more common.
Boldly Go
Several trends of ink use focusing on making designs stand out even further will see increasing use as the technology behind them improves.
Fluorescent Ink – Few colours are brighter or catch the attention better than florescent and neon colours. If you want a design to truly grab potential viewers, this is a colour trend that could work for you.
White Ink – White is a very useful colour, particularly in digital printing. Not only is it a colour in itself that can do wonders for creating more realistic and depth inducing prints, it can also be used as base for other colours. This will improve their brightness and give a truer representation of tone over coloured substrates.
Metallic Ink – Now available in digital formats, metallic ink is having its horizons broadened and finding new uses outside of more traditional printing methods. Either through metallically representative colours or ink using metal flakes for a superior finish, digital can achieve some smart finishes at a balanced cost. Alternatively, foil stamping is still an effective traditional option for a premium product.
More or less
Current design is following a simpler look in order to convey a clearer message and encourage your audience to engage further. That’s not to say your design should be basic, but that it should be carefully curated to include the important elements and avoid unnecessary clutter.
Clean lines, and the use of white space go a long way to ensuring the right parts of your design standout and convey what you want to be heard.
In a somewhat contradictory fashion, seasonal printing is an area where consumers want to see materials suited to the time of year. A one style fits all approach is no longer the best course despite being far more cost efficient and a seasonal offering will keep your appeal fresh and current- something often achieved in digital marketing techniques.
A Coordinated Effort
Rather than being seen as competing entities, print and digital should work together to present a unified and coordinated offering. Consistency through all marketing channels is key, as is encouraging cross over from one side to the other through the use of technology and incentives.
QR codes for example, despite not living up to their hype a few years ago, are getting a second chance and are finding places to be useful. They can provide easy to complete incentive paths to channel potential customers to exactly where you want them to go – you just need to give people a reason to do it. Be it virtual coupons and discounts, access to exclusive products and services, or useful information and resources - there’s a wide array of ways to incentivise users.
And there you have it. The latest trends and ideas coming through in 2019 and beyond to help take your ideas to the next level.
UPDATE: Click here to see what print trends have emerged in 2020.
