Is Print Advertising Dead?

The world of advertising has undergone a significant transformation over the years, especially with the rise of digital marketing. Paradoxically, the evolution of digital advertising paved the way for new print advertising. 

In the past, newspapers and magazines had a great readership, so well-executed ads in newspapers and magazines had large audiences and were effective.

However, with the decline of print media, the hot thing continues to be digital advertising. Paid digital advertising, like pay-per-click ads on Google, Bing, Facebook, and other platforms, is a great start for new brands since they are not likely to have developed websites. Inbound strategies depend on great content and are more easily executed by more established brands.

As the internet evolves, it provides a plethora of new opportunities for branding and advertising on new platforms and in new ways. But, with these increasing opportunities comes increasing complexity. Unless you have experience in digital marketing, nailing the digital piece of your branding and advertising will require weeks of hard work and learning or spending a small fortune outsourcing the project.

So, the increasing complexity and rising cost of digital marketing has paved the way for advertising opportunities in print, and print advertising has a couple of advantages over digital ads.

First, with all the hacks and fake ads on the internet these days, print advertising may be seen as more reputable than ads for products on websites that could disappear tomorrow.

Second, print advertising can be used to reach a micro-targeted audience and potentially a larger audience in small rural communities where many people still may not have good access to the internet. 

Finally, placing an ad in a local publication is easier for small business owners than devising their own digital campaign, and in the case of outsourcing digital marketing efforts, print advertising in a local publication may be more affordable as well.

So, advertising in print is not dead, it just changed, and it should be a part of the marketing mix of every small business.