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PRINT&DIGITALADVERTISINGA Review and Comparison

In today’s digital world, it can sometimes seem as if there is no use for print advertising as

part of any advertising and marketing strategy. According to a recent study by eMarketer,

Global digital ad expenditures have already jumped 18 percent this past year to capture

nearly 30 percent of the total advertising market. The United States, the world’s leading digital

advertiser, experienced a 16.8 percent increase in digital ad spend this year alone. That number,

accounting for nearly 32 percent of total media ad expenditures, is expected to increase to over

41 percent by 2019. Needless to say, the outlook for digital advertising going forward is an

optimistic one.

While it is true the increase in digital ad expenditures have negatively affected advertising

investments in traditional media such as TV and print, print advertising for the b2b marketer is

still effective. It’s simply a matter of striking the right balance between the two and using each

in a manner that is best aligned with their respective characteristics.

Ads on TV

Ads in newspapers

Ads in magazines

Billboards & other outdoor advertising

TV program product placements

Ads on radio

Ads before movies

63%

60%

58%

56%

55%

54%

54%

+1% from 2013

-1% from 2013

-2% from 2013

-1% from 2013

0% from 2013

-3% from 2013

-2% from 2013

TRADITIONAL ADVERTISING 2015

Online video ads

Ads served in search engine results

Ads on social networks

Ads on mobile devices

Online banner ads

Text ads on mobile phones

48%

47%

46%

43%

42%

36%

0% from 2013

-1% from 2013

-2% from 2013

-2% from 2013

0% from 2013

-1% from 2013

DIGITAL ADVERTISING 2015

Most Trusted Ad FormatsThe proliferation of online ad formats and digital advertising in general

hasn’t done much to erode the trust consumers have in traditional paid

advertising channels. In Nielsen’s Global Trust in Advertising report,

approximately 60 percent of people say they trust ads in newspapers,

magazines, and other forms of print advertising.

Trust in both print and digital advertising has remained largely

consistent since 2013. With that said, print advertising still seems to

offer advertisers and brands more memorability with efforts made than

digital advertising does.

Source: Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Survey, Q1 2015 and Q1 2013

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Print Offers Greater “Share of Eye”Digital ads do not offer the same level of “Share of Eye” that print ads have. A key reason for that is the fact there is no such thing as a full-screen digital ad. Digital ads tend to send consumers scrambling to find the “X”, Skip, or Close button so they can go back to doing what they were doing before they were interrupted. When a reader turns the page and discovers an impactful full-page ad, it tends to hold attention and allows for a deeper, more meaningful engagement.

According to the Center for Media Research, McPheter & Company used 30-second TV ads, full-page four-color magazine ads, and Internet banner ads in standard sizes, and used eye-tracking software to determine if (and how) Internet adds were actually seen by respondents to the study. Results found that a full-page, four-color magazine ad had 83 percent of the value of a 30-second television commercial. Whereas, a typical Internet banner ad had just 16 percent of the value of a 30-second television commercial.

Digital Advertising Makes itEasy to Take ActionThough print advertising offers a greater “Share of Eye” and is generally viewed in a trustworthier manner than digital advertising, taking action in response to the ad is difficult. Now, trust and action are clearly linked, but industry reports have shown credibility and trust isn’t always a prerequisite to purchasing. Why is this?

According to the Global Trust in Advertising survey, action exceeds trust on a variety of advertising types that range from ads seen on television or heard on the radio, to online video or banner ads. Digital ads have shown a larger gap between trust and action than traditional advertising does, and the reason is easy access to products and/or services.

Online and mobile advertising formulas make it exceptionally easy for consumers to live in the moment and take immediate or near immediate action on the advertisement they are currently seeing. This is a trend that does not show any signs of slowing down as more and more digital advertising efforts become more savvy in connecting and engaging with a target audience and getting them to take the desired action you want as a B2B marketer.

Precision-Focused Campaignsand Ultimate FlexibilityAnother area in which digital advertising outpaces print is the ability to reach targeted customers more effectively. Many of the digital advertising tools and strategies used today were designed to target specific sets of customers or audiences. Print displays advertisements to more of a mass, or general, audience but digital advertising allows for marketing efforts geared towards people who are specifically looking for what you have to offer when they are looking for it.

When it comes to flexibility, digital advertising is like no other advertising format. With print and traditional advertising once your ad is out there, you don’t get to make changes or ask for a do-over. What’s done is done and if something for a print publication misses deadline, you’re unlikely to get what you’ve put together squeezed in. In the digital world, changes can be made on the fly whenever you need to. Additionally, digital advertising is able to deliver immediate results and highly detailed reports on how your digital advertising efforts worked out (or didn’t).

Source: Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Survey, Q1 2015

CONSUMER OPINIONSPOSTED ONLINE

69%

66%

69%

63%63%

60%

63%

56%

62%61%

62%

58%59%

55%

58%56%

58%

47% 46%56%

48%53%

42%50% 43%50%36%

46%

ADS ON TV ADS IN NEWSPAPERS EMAILS SIGNED UP FOR

BRAND SPONSORSHIPS ADS IN MAGAZINES TV PROGRAMPRODUCT PLACEMENTS

BILLBOARDS & OTHEROUTDOOR ADVERTISING

ADS SERVED IN SEARCHENGINE RESULTS

ADS ON SOCIALNETWORKS

ONLINEVIDEO ADS

ONLINEBANNER ADS

ADS ON MOBILEDEVICES

TEXT ADS ONMOBILE PHONES

69%

66%

69%

63%63%

60%

63%

56%

62%61%

62%

58%59%

55%

58%56%

58%

47% 46%56%

48%53%

42%50% 43%50%36%

46%

69%

66%

69%

63%63%

60%

63%

56%

62%61%

62%

58%59%

55%

58%56%

58%

47% 46%56%

48%53%

42%50% 43%50%36%

46%

69%

66%

69%

63%63%

60%

63%

56%

62%61%

62%

58%59%

55%

58%56%

58%

47% 46%56%

48%53%

42%50% 43%50%36%

46%

69%

66%

69%

63%63%

60%

63%

56%

62%61%

62%

58%59%

55%

58%56%

58%

47% 46%56%

48%53%

42%50% 43%50%36%

46%

69%

66%

69%

63%63%

60%

63%

56%

62%61%

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58%59%

55%

58%56%

58%

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48%53%

42%50% 43%50%36%

46%

69%

66%

69%

63%63%

60%

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62%61%

62%

58%59%

55%

58%56%

58%

47% 46%56%

48%53%

42%50% 43%50%36%

46%

69%

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63%63%

60%

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62%

58%59%

55%

58%56%

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48%53%

42%50% 43%50%36%

46%

69%

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63%63%

60%

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56%

62%61%

62%

58%59%

55%

58%56%

58%

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48%53%

42%50% 43%50%36%

46%

69%

66%

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63%63%

60%

63%

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62%61%

62%

58%59%

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58%

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48%53%

42%50% 43%50%36%

46%

69%

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63%63%

60%

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62%61%

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63%63%

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58%56%

58%

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42%50% 43%50%36%

46%

69%

66%

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63%63%

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62%61%

62%

58%59%

55%

58%56%

58%

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48%53%

42%50% 43%50%36%

46%

69%

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63%63%

60%

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62%61%

62%

58%59%

55%

58%56%

58%

47% 46%56%

48%53%

42%50% 43%50%36%

46%

ACTION VS. TRUSTPercent of global respondents who completely or somewhat trust advertising format

percent who always or sometimes take action on format.TRUST ACTION

Print Advertising Resonates Strongly With MillennialsWhat’s not surprising about Millennials (age 21-34) is they have the highest levels of trust in digital advertising efforts. They did grow up in the age of the Internet and learned how to navigate those murky waters early on. What is surprising about Millennials is how much more strongly they positively react to print advertising efforts. According to the Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising survey, nearly 70 percent of Millennials trust editorial content they read in newspapers, blogs, and articles. Just over 60 percent of them trust ads in magazines, newspapers, and billboards or other outdoor advertising. That’s a vast difference when compared to ads they see online, with an average of just 48 percent reporting they trust those.

Budgets and Competition Level MatterTwo topics that can’t be overlooked when it comes to print and digital advertising is how far your ad dollars go and what level of competition will you be facing. It doesn’t matter how perfect of an idea you have, or think you have. If the ad being created is one that is more in line with what would succeed in print advertising, but you lack the budget to make an investment that makes sense to experience that success – it’s unlikely to be a good idea to move forward with it anyway.

Likewise, you could have the budget to run what you expect to be a successful digital advertising campaign but are having a difficult time creating an ad or even

concept that would help break through all the clutter on the Internet. You wouldn’t move forward just because you have the financial means to do so. Advertising, whether it’s print or digital should be used as a means to reach a goal and enjoy success.

Given the, sometimes, substantial difference in cost between print and digital advertising efforts, it’s easy to declare digital advertising as the way to go forever and always. That’s not necessarily the case when competition level is taken into consideration.

One of the larger drawbacks to digital advertising is the overuse of other companies and individuals that are able to compete equally with you for attention in the digital world. Nearly half of all digital advertisements aren’t even seen by the people being targeted due to a variety of factors, most of all is competition and the speed in which people ‘surf’ for information on the Internet.

In print publications your ad owns the space in which it is printed on. It is the only thing that person will see and their undivided attention will be focused on your ad and brand. Because of this, along with several other factors, print advertising offers businesses a greater degree of brand lift and memorability.

ConclusionThere are inherent advantages and disadvantages when utilizing print and digital advertising to accomplish specific goals for an organization. While print advertising enjoys a greater degree of trust and attention-holding across all generations and age groups, the reach of print advertising is oftentimes limited in scope, offers few ways to track the results of a campaign, and typically carries a more substantial investment.

Digital advertising is quite the opposite with respect to print. Digital advertising enjoys greater flexibility, global reach, measured and specific reporting tools, and substantially less investment. Coupled with the power of the Internet, and most people in developed nations having an Internet connection, digital advertising is capable of driving consumers to take immediate action on a product or service in real-time.

For any organization wanting to maximize brand impact and favorable actions taken, a B2B advertising and marketing strategy must have an intelligent mix of digital and print advertising. Cross-platform ad exposure (the same person seeing both your magazine ad and your digital ads) drive greater memorability and brand lift than single platform exposure (Digital, Print, TV), even when adjusted for frequency.

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