MNI Blog  /  2 minute read

Magazines Have Proven Their Effectiveness Again And Again

It’s 2018, and the advertising landscape is more digital than ever before, but savvy marketers know there’s still power in print. Here are 6 reasons magazines convert.

print advertising effectiveness 2018
 

Okay, that statement may be a bit intimidating but I’m willing to run with it.  Beautiful imagery inspires and when combined with the perfect word or words, you have the potential to transform your ad into iconography.  “Think” about Apple and Einstein.

Magazines Say More

In today’s digital age, it’s easy for your target market to become saturated with online advertisements and email marketing. It’s time to take a proven approach to reaching your prospects.  That’s where magazines come in. They’re tried, true, and new again.

 

Print Advertising is Tangible

Magazines were an on-demand media before there was “on demand”.  They are subscribed to, traveled with, shared, and saved.  They go places—doctors’ offices, airports, hair salons, bedrooms, living rooms, and bathrooms—and stay for weeks, months, or even years after they’re received.  The benefits of print media extend further than most people may even realize.

 

Magazines Have Credibility

By and large, audiences trust the content in the pages of their favorite magazines, which extends to the ads inside.  They trust that the editors are curating the information they seek.  There’s a feeling of legitimacy and permanence that comes from print.

 

Magazines are High Impact & Targeted

Magazines have a nimbleness that is often overlooked.  Of course they don’t have the scaling capability that comes with digital, and that’s okay.  They hold a different place in the consumer journey.  Their job is to go deep, to create an immersive experience that readers get lost in.  And then, say after someone reads an article about national parks in their favorite travel magazine, they search and click to learn more. Magazines are the touchpoint of discovery—they work hand-in-hand with other media.

 

Print Breathes Life Into Brands

Magazines also have the ability to deliver brand takeovers like no other. A magazine brand takeover includes when a celebrity becomes the Editor-in-Chief for a single issue, like Beyoncé recently was for the September issue of Vogue.  It can also take the form of brand takeover in the truest meaning, like Kukui’lua Resorts did in a series of brand cover wraps on Travel + Leisure.  That campaign delivered 16% of Kukui’lua’s highly targeted audience into sales prospects. As Brand United said of this campaign, “Even in a world where digital communications appear to dominate, successful print marketing campaigns are all around us.  Large-scale print marketing programs don’t have to push against an inexorable current of change, because print has proven its worth again and again.

 

Print Advertising Gives Creatives Room to Express Themselves

Be real and have fun with your creative.  Saying what you mean and meaning what you say is always the way to go. Making sure messaging is placed strategically, and using data insights, is what moves the bar even higher.  Cover wraps, or any print creative solution, work best when the creative is engaging, and messaging is targeted.

What’s the lesson in all this?  Don’t forget about the power of magazines.  An integrated campaign, with compelling creative, will almost always win.